A large American flag and two Japanese Koi Nobori flags were stolen from the flagpole in front of the John Stanford International School (JSIS), 4057 Fifth Ave. N.E., overnight on May 7. The flags were valued at $2,500, the police report stated.According to the police report, someone cut the tie lines to the flagpole, took the flags down and walked away with them.A koi-shaped flag flying above a neighboring street was not taken, according to school officials.The school has not experienced similar incidents before, said JSIS principal Kelly Aramaki.A GIFT OF GENERATIONSThe American flag measures about 6 by 10 feet, Aramaki said.The two koi-shaped (Koi Nobori) flags each measure about 20 feet, about half the length of the flagpole, said Mari Fujino. One has black features, while the other, slightly smaller one has pink features.Fujino, whose daughter attends the school, explained that her mother donated the two flags to the school last year as a traditional Japanese gift. They symbolize the wish for the good health and growth of children during the month of May. (The Japanese national holiday of Children's Day falls on May 5).The flags, which are about 40 years old, were a gift from the great-grandparents to the grandparents in Tokyo and cannot be purchased anymore, Fujino said."[The koi flags] have great value to the family and to JSIS," Aramaki said. "Together, the American flag and the two Koi Noburi (Japanese carp flags) represent the school's mission of educating citizens in a global age. It has been hard for the JSIS students and community knowing that someone had taken those things from us."MEANINGFUL AND COSTLYAccording to Seattle Police Department spokesperson Officer Jeff Kappel, the suspects are still at large. "We have no reason to believe that it was a prank by neighborhood kids," principal Aramaki said."We will replace the American flag, but the Japanese flags are expensive - both in meaning and cost," Aramaki said. "We don't have the resources to purchase them, which makes the original gift even more significant."As much as those flags mean to us, our community knows that they merely symbolize the incredible work being done here by our students.... We would love to get our flags back and welcome any information anyone might have."Anyone with information about the stolen flags are encouraged to call the school, at 252-6080, or the Seattle Police Department's non-emergency line: 625-5011.[[In-content Ad]]
