The students at the NEW Saline Alternative High School spent the past week learning about the US Constitution in preparation for Constitution Day on September 17, 2010. Working in their “Family” groups, the students memorized the Preamble to the US Constitution and focused their studies on the Bill of Rights. They’ve learned that the rights guaranteed by the Constitution are bound by responsibility. That responsibility is to themselves, the school, the greater Saline Community and also to the global community. They have learned that while you can be many things without knowing your own Constitution, you cannot be an effective citizen. Knowing your Constitution is not only a birthright; it is a rite of passage that allows you to become a responsible citizen in a modern representative democracy.
What is Constitution Day? According to the Law Library of Congress, Constitution Day, enacted by Congress, is observed on Sept. 17 each year to commemorate the signing of the Constitution in 1787. Constitution Day traces its roots to federal acts in 1940 and 1952 that authorized the president to recognize citizenship through observation of the signing of the Constitution. It formally became Constitution Day and Citizenship Day in 2004, with two new provisions, including one that stipulates every educational institution that receives federal funds shall hold an educational program on the Constitution on Sept, 17th of each year.
Two hundred and twenty three years ago, the founding fathers of this nation signed the United States Constitution. In all, 55 men representing 12 of the 13 original states attended the Constitutional Convention, although there were just 39 signatures on the original document. In the opinion of many, the Constitution signed in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787 embodies the greatest expression of statesmanship and compromise ever written. In just four hand-written pages, the Constitution gives us the owners' manual to the greatest form of government the world has ever known.
Professor Jamin Raskin teaches Constitutional Law at American University in Washington, DC. He makes a strong point in this excerpt:
“ Every great legal conflict has at is heart a clash over values and principles. Learning the Constitution enables you to clarify what your values are and to engage in real dialogue with other people about the rules of our common life. No one knows what leads to disasters like the Columbine High School massacre. But it is hard to believe that the students responsible were taught to think for themselves as citizens and to appreciate the values and equal dignity of other people in the community.”
To cap off the week’s studies, the students, along with several staff members and administration at Liberty School, raised the first flag over the school. In many ways, we who now work and attend school at Liberty School are representative of a diverse and eclectic inter-mingled society. District Administration, Community Education, Little Stars Day Care, The Saline Young Adult Program and the NEW Saline Alternative now call Liberty School home.
