Stimson Middle School, Troop 218 Team Up For Flag Retirement Project

SOUTH HUNTINGTON, N.Y. — The South Huntington Board of Education recognized members of Boy Scout Troop 218 for their leadership and participation in Stimson Middle School's first American Flag Disposal Project — a community effort that began in May 2025 and will now become an annual event.

The project was born from Assistant Principal James Tomeo's simple question about how to properly dispose of his own worn flags. Stimson's Site-Based Management team — a group of administrators, teachers, parents and students who meet to discuss school operations and service projects — embraced the idea and researched the proper flag retirement protocol.

"This year continues to be all about community and giving back at Stimson," said Principal Michael Duggan. "As we were going into Memorial Day, we asked ourselves, what's another thing we can do for the community? This project really brought that idea to life."

Stimson social studies teacher Keith Gunsel, a retired Navy Master Chief Operations Specialist and Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 218, volunteered his troop to handle the formal flag disposal ceremony. The Scouts folded each flag into the traditional triangle, conducted a respectful burning ceremony, and buried the ashes during their summer camping trip.

Technology teachers Robert Bilicki and Matthew Collins guided students in Stimson's Life Skills Vocational Program in building a wooden flag collection box. The hands-on project gave students valuable experience using tools such as palm sanders while learning practical job skills. Meanwhile, Collins' digital technology students designed the box's front panel, with Brady O'Connor's artwork selected as the winning design. The completed box was placed in the school's front lobby, and flyers were distributed throughout the community to encourage residents to drop off worn or torn American flags. In total, 50 flags were collected and respectfully retired by Troop 218 during their summer retreat.

"I'm so proud of them," Duggan said. "We appreciate when our students take the lead on a project like this that shows leadership. We can teach math and science all day long, but it's real-world projects like this that really show true learning."

The flag collection box will remain in Stimson's lobby year-round, with renewed community outreach each Memorial Day to encourage participation.

Scouts recognized for their efforts included Devin Borden, Cooper Daniels, Alexander Demarest, Andrew Ghibaudi, Ryan Gulickson, Jay Gunsel, Joseph Lantier, Andrew Litwin, Caleb Marsden, Brendan McCord, Sebastian McCord, Christian O'Connor, Ronaldo Rodriguez, and Diego Tupiza.