Students March to Sea to Honor Those Lost at War
Time to throw the flowers in Menemsha.
Time to throw the flowers in Menemsha.
Baton-twirler sets the pace in Edgartown.
Baton-twirler sets the pace in Edgartown.
Stopping to reflect in Menemsha.
Stopping to reflect in Menemsha.
Chilmark school students gathered in front of U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha.
Chilmark school students gathered in front of U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha.
Marching down to Menemsha harbor.
Marching down to Menemsha harbor.
Coast Guard officers joined Chilmark students during walk to water.
Coast Guard officers joined Chilmark students during walk to water.
Baton twirling club leads parade from school to Memorial Wharf.
Baton twirling club leads parade from school to Memorial Wharf.
Flowers and flags, necessities of the day.
Flowers and flags, necessities of the day.
Baton twirlers in action.
Baton twirlers in action.
Skip Tomassian and kindergarten students Sienna Crowell and Olivia Coyle leave flowers at war memorials.
Skip Tomassian and kindergarten students Sienna Crowell and Olivia Coyle leave flowers at war memorials.
Eagle band performs at Memorial Wharf.
Eagle band performs at Memorial Wharf.
Memorial Wharf flag at half mast.
Memorial Wharf flag at half mast.
Pledging allegiance.
Pledging allegiance.
Mark Lovewell performed with his concertina.
Mark Lovewell performed with his concertina.
Seventh grader Meg Sykes introduces poem Oh Captain My Captain.
Seventh grader Meg Sykes introduces poem Oh Captain My Captain.
Speaker Martin V. (Skip) Tomassian: “Today, this weekend and Monday are days to be with family and remember.”
Speaker Martin V. (Skip) Tomassian: “Today, this weekend and Monday are days to be with family and remember.”
Catherine Cherry introduces the Gettysburg Address.
Catherine Cherry introduces the Gettysburg Address.
Tossing flowers into the harbor.
Tossing flowers into the harbor.
Flowers adorn the harbor.
Flowers adorn the harbor.
Headed back to school.
Headed back to school.
Marching to the drumbeat of a longstanding Island tradition, students in Edgartown, Chilmark, and Tisbury marched to the sea Friday to scatter flowers in the water in honor of those who died at war.
In Chilmark students gathered at U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha, where Coast Guard officers spoke to students and then joined them on the march down to the harbor.
In Edgartown, the birthplace of the March to the Sea tradition, the parade stepped off from Edgartown school with school officials, the police chief and fire chief, veterans, and the baton-twirling club leading the pack.
The parade stopped as flowers were placed on war memorials in front of the court house before continuing to Memorial Wharf. Under blue skies and with holiday traffic filling town streets, a crowd gathered for a ceremony including songs, poems, and a presentation from guest speaker Martin V. (Skip) Tomassian Jr. before seventh graders gathered flowers from the younger classes and tossed the flowers into Edgartown Harbor.