West Orange School Receives An Unexpected Gift from U.S. Capitol

Students and faculty at the Hazel Elementary School received a substantial and unexpected thank you after taking the time to make veterans Valentine’s Day cards — an American flag which was flown over the U.S. Capitol building Washington, D.C.

Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11^th District) whose district represents much of Essex and Morris counties, thanked the school with the flag, along with an autographed congressional letter of congratulations from Frelinghuysen.

The students were responsible for more than 300 handcrafted cards. Frelinghuysen collected the cards and distributed them to the VA New Jersey Health Care System Medical Centers in Lyons and East Orange.

“Our students did an amazing job of showing great character and care for our veterans,” Hazel Elementary School Principal Ed Acevedo said. “We are very proud of their thoughtfulness and empathy for others.” 

During the March 27 West Orange Board of Education meeting, the board recognized the school for their participation and its surprise gift. The flag will replace the current one in the school's administration office with the letter mounted above.