In many cultures, specific images and colors carry profound meaning. In the seventh grade Ancient World Cultures (AWC) class, students explore the cultures, economies, and governments of the Incas, Aztecs, Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese. To kick off the year, AWC teacher Jake Smith introduced the concept of essential symbolism by having students design personal flags.

Before starting, students learned the five fundamental principles of flag design: simplicity, meaningful symbolism, a limited palette of two to three colors, no lettering, and the importance of being distinctive. The class analyzed flags like those of Massachusetts and Southborough to discuss their strengths and weaknesses. Using Canva or Google Draw, students then created personal flags and wrote explanations of the significance of their chosen symbols and colors.

While each flag was a unique reflection of the student's identity, they often also borrowed elements from existing flags. For example, one student incorporated red and blue to represent her New York City roots and love for the New York Yankees. Another student based his design on the Greek flag, including a cross to signify his faith and stars to symbolize opportunity. "The Greek flag has most of the same colors as this flag. The second element that is important to me is the cross in the middle. This is important to me because it represents my religion, my philosophy, and most of my life. The third and final important element is the stars, which represent opportunity. Opportunity is important because it allows me to experience new things."

This project laid the groundwork for appreciating symbolism in cultures like Athens, where owls symbolized wisdom; Sparta, where shields and armor represented strength; and Ancient Rome, where the eagle signified power. Besides introducing these key concepts, the project also fostered a strong classroom community. "The students took the project very seriously and were bouncing ideas off one another, and it really gave me a huge insight into their personalities," says Jake.