DID YOU KNOW – You may be required to implement a “Constitution Day” program?
Wait… What?
That’s right! If you fit the criteria below, then you should have an educational program in place that pertains to the United States Constitution.
WHO OR WHAT ARE THESE REQUIREMENTS?
- Educational Institutions that receive Federal Funds from the Department of Education.
- Educational institutions include but are not limited to every school and government entity which receives federal funding for a fiscal year.
- Institutions should plan to observe Constitution Day each year by providing programs, online activities, webinars, or hosting a live event with students to celebrate and reflect on the rights given to us by our constitution.
So, what exactly is Constitution Day?
Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship Day, is September 17th every year. This day commemorates the signing of the United States Constitution back in 1787. The United States Constitution is the oldest written national constitution still in operation! The week beginning September 17th and ending September 23rd of each year is known as “Constitution Week.”
If Constitution Day falls on a Saturday, like it has in the past, the U.S. Department of Education recommends that educational institutions should observe the following week instead. Listed on the Department of Education’s website are many additional resources you can find about Constitution Day. There are also free lesson plans, online activities, and ideas for how your institution can participate!
How Do Some Institutions Observe Constitution Day?
“I have experienced this myself when I worked at a Career College years ago. The staff created a Jeopardy game in the lunchroom for students.” Said Chelsie Beaulieu, a Client Implementation Specialist at FAS.
“They had a slideshow of the U.S. Presidents and Constitution, as well as patriotic music, food, and red, white, and blue decorations!”
- One recommended online activity had students analyzing important primary documents of American History, such as Articles of Confederation, The Bill of Rights, Federalist Papers and the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments. While looking at these documents alongside the Constitution, students are then asked to make connections between the primary documents they examined, and specific pages or sections of the U.S. Constitution. The purpose of this activity is to find the main points of each document that the Constitution highlights.
- Another live workshop for grades 4 – 12 basically had the same idea! It asked students to split into four teams, where each group was covering a different page of the Constitution. Students are then given the corresponding primary documents for that page and told to find and analyze their relevance to the Constitution.
See how our clients have commemorated Constitution Day in years past by visiting our Instagram and checking out the “Const. Day!” highlight. Also, be sure to follow along with us on social media and watch out for this year’s story posts! We can’t wait to see how you choose to celebrate!
“We encourage Federal, State, and local officials, as well as leaders of civic, social, and educational organizations, to conduct ceremonies and programs that bring together community members to reflect on the importance of active citizenship, recognize the enduring strength of our Constitution, and reaffirm our commitment to the rights and obligations of citizenship in this great Nation.”
– U.S. Department of Education
Constitution Day can be celebrated in many ways! Each year, we see our client schools posting all the different ways they choose to commemorate the holiday.
How are you observing Constitution Day this year?
Tag us in your social media posts in the comments or leave us a message below. We would love to hear from you!
Resources:
The U.S. Department of Education:
- https://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/constitutionday.html
Official Federal Registrar:
- https://fsapartners.ed.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/fregisters/FR05242005.pdf