Praying at the pole

BENTONVILLE — There's a bumper sticker that states, "There will be prayer in schools as long as there are tests in schools."

But for the nearly 100 students who gathered at the Bentonville High School flagpole early Wednesday morning, the prayers had nothing to do with taking tests.

The students participated in the international event "See You at the Pole," which began in Texas in 1990, according to the event's Web site. See You at the Pole is a student-led movement that invites students to gather around theflagpole at their school on a specific Wednesday every September (May in Australia). The students gather before the school day begins and pray for their school, cityand country.

The BHS students, as well as some staff and parents, prayed together as a group, sang a few songs and split into small groups to pray.

"We wanted to come here and pray for people," student Dylan Poe said. "Everyone can always use someone to pray for them."

Student Whitney Sandman said it is important for students to gather together and pray for their school and country, and she hoped that when people saw what was happening, they would want to join in.

That's exactly what happened.

Initially, about 50 students gathered at BHS, but by the time the event ended 45 minutes later, the crowd had nearly doubled. Many students who were not participating looked on curiously as they walked into the school building.

Gathering in a public place also sends a message about their beliefs, several students agreed.

"It's basically saying that there's people in the young generation here who believe in something," student Natalie Lankford said. "We're able to tell people about God."

Student Ashton Dawson became the unofficial leader of the group. She encouraged her fellow students to pray for the school and for the people they pass in the hallways. She was pleased with the turnout of Friday's event.

"It's something special," she said of the See You at the Pole event. "It's student led, and it gives us a chance to pray to our God and make a stand for Jesus."

Several adults joined the students, including algebra teacher Warren Gaydusek.

"To be able to pray with students is an amazing opportunity," he said. "We don't normally havethat opportunity."

Jenny Sorey is a parent of a teenage daughter who participated in the event.

"She's very strong about sharing her faith," Sorey said of her daughter, Carly. "It was important to show that this is a real thing and show that (the beliefs) run deep; it's her whole family."

Teacher and coach Mike Eaves joined the group, saying he wanted to demonstrate his beliefs to students.

"It's important to show what you believe and not just say what you believe," he said.