“One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” The modern-day Pledge of Allegiance has been nationally established since the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. In their years before Loyola, most Cubs were used to reciting such allegiance to an American flag that was mandated to be in every classroom; however, this symbol of American patriotism is neither seen here in every classroom, nor is the Pledge of Allegiance said during morning prayer.
WWII and AP World History teacher Levi Line remarked, “The pledge has always been a part of our national identity and a way to pay respect to all who came before us. I feel it is a great way to bring together common national interests we all share.”
Dr. Kalliopi Kefalas, AP World and AP US History teacher, stated, “My first reaction was that at Loyola, we don’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance because, first, Loyola is a private institution, and, second, because it is a Catholic institution. Evidently, it is true that while private institutions have more flexibility in establishing whether it is appropriate to recite the pledge of allegiance, they can require and enforce that requirement among all students.”
Former Principal and current Director of Admissions Frank Kozakowski said, “I can understand why the Pledge of Allegiance is not something that the executive Loyola staff would like to add to that long list of items. Having said that, I also believe it is essential to have an American flag in every classroom. While we aren’t verbally addressing it as a school, we must acknowledge that we are fortunate to live in a country with such opportunity.”
Conversations with multiple faculty members have revealed that the flag is not in every classroom due to anti-American sentiment but rather a lack of flags available.
In addition, the Pledge of Allegiance is not recited in the morning in order to save time for more learning in the classroom during the first hour of the day.
With the new schedule in place, what is to stop Loyola staff from implementing this American staple into our school? Loyola draws Cubs from over 100 zip codes, leading each student and administrator to bring different values based on their upbringings. Yet at the core of it all, we are united through brotherhood and are blessed to live in one of the best countries in the world. Therefore, the best way to demonstrate our commitment to a country that has given us so much is to recite these 31 words together as one Cub family.
