Craig County Public School students joined Americans across the country Sept. 17 in recognizing Constitution Day and the 239th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution.
To emulate the citizens of Philadelphia who gathered to hear the first reading of the Constitution, students participated in a bell-ringing ceremony organized by members of the Craig Valley Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.
Three programs were held Thursday morning in the school auditorium. Each program began with the Pledge of Allegiance and remarks about the significance of Sept. 17, 1787. Students were each given a red or blue cowbell and rang the bells together for one minute.
The programs concluded with a recitation of the Preamble to the Constitution. Students then received stickers proclaiming, “I Rang A Bell for Constitution Week.”
The event was held in recognition of Constitution Day, as designated by Public Law 915. Guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Education direct educational institutions receiving federal funds to provide instruction on the U.S. Constitution each Sept. 17.
A proclamation designating Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week at Craig County High School had previously been signed by Superintendent Dr. Jason Wheeler and Carter Price, senior class president. The proclamation was included in a display in the McCleary Elementary lobby.
DAR members also placed a pop-up banner in the high school lobby, displayed posters throughout the community and provided copies of the Preamble to area churches.
The National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, is a patriotic women’s organization with approximately 190,000 members in more than 3,000 chapters across the country and in several foreign countries. Members promote historic preservation, education and patriotism under the motto “God, Home and Country.”
The Craig Valley Chapter, NSDAR, was established in 2007 under the leadership of Nancy Field and the late Helen Looney. The chapter currently has 33 members, including women living in Ohio, California and Colorado. Members trace their ancestry to approximately 19 patriots who fought in the American Revolution or supported the war effort.
For more information about DAR, visit dar.org. For information about the Craig Valley Chapter and membership, email [email protected].
-Submitted by Craig Valley NSDAR
