(submitted photo)
Press release
Ryan Ditacchio is the Commander of the Glenn S. Loomis American Legion Post 332 located in Batavia, New York. As the head of this American Legion Post, Ditacchio purchased five flags that represent the five branches of the Military Armed Services of the United States of America, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. These flags were purchased to display at various events that take place throughout Genesee County. But Ditacchio had no way of properly displaying flags, so he asked Jeff Fronk, Auto Body Instructor at the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center, if there was a way that students could create a flag display pedestal stand.
“For years, we at the Legion, have been talking about creating a display stand that would showcase these flags that represent each branch of the Armed Services. But this display needed to be portable so we could bring it to the various community events around Genesee County. When I approached Jeff, he was 100 percent behind this idea of the students creating something,” Ditacchio said. This Army Veteran is also the Teacher’s Aide for the Auto Body Program at the Batavia CTE Center.
Ditacchio and Fronk approached a few other CTE Instructors and the project took off. This week-long undertaking was the result of collaborative efforts from different Batavia Career and Technical Education Center Programs. Metal Trades/Precision Machining students created the insignias, Conservation students crafted the wood platform, Metal Trades/Welding students bonded the piping to hold the flags. Auto Body students buffed, polished and sealed the insignias.
Since the end of June, the flag display stand has traveled throughout Genesee County for various county events and is now located outside the St. Jerome Center in Batavia.
Andrew Geyer is the Metal Trades/Welding Instructor at the Batavia CTE Center. He noted how projects like these provide important teaching lessons for students.
“We (the CTE Instructors) were able to give our students some insight into each of the branches of the Armed Services and what it means to serve our country,” Geyer said. “This was an awesome collaboration and truly engaged our students,” Fronk added.
The result of this hard work is not just a five-flag display stand, but a gift to the community that has a lasting meaning that will live for years to come.