The morning of September 24, several students and teachers from Fair Grove gathered around a simple symbolic figure. The flagpole. The flag represents freedom, something not a lot of people have outside of the United States. In America people portray themselves freely through words and religion, and that’s exactly what the students and teachers of Fair Grove like to show.

So why did everyone gather around a flagpole? See You at the Pole, an event that has been going on since 1990. During See You at the Pole, students gather around their school’s flagpole, talk about God, and pray.  They pray for their friends, teachers, family, or people who they feel need to be prayed for.

“Prayer is the breath and life of a Christian,” states Kevin Punch, youth pastor at Northside Christian Church. Punch was the individual in charge of delivering a short message to the Fair Grove students this year for See You at the Pole. He has been a youth pastor since 2007, and enjoys what he does in the ministry. Kevin says, ”I believe God has called me into the ministry though the abilities He’s given me, and that He puts his people where He wants them.”

After the students have listened to the message and finished praying together, they receive Pixie Sticks, a small package of powdered candy. They are asked to give one to each person they prayed for, in hopes of sharing their faith with other people, or just to simply uplift a person’s day.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to come together with others and take part in something I believe is very important (prayer),” announces Sarah Emert, an 8th grader at Fair Grove, who also says, “It opened my eyes to how amazing and powerful God is.”

See You at the Pole not only aims to teach students about God, but persuades them to share their knowledge with others.