Constitution commemorated at school
Published 10:23 pm Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Two centuries ago, on Sept. 17, 1787, the United States Constitution was signed by the country’s Founding Fathers.
Tomorrow, students and teachers at StoneBridge School will be celebrating that historic event with the school’s annual Constitution Day.
The school’s Constitution Day Chapel will be at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, at StoneBridge Lower School. During the chapel, which is free and open to the public, the fifth grade classes will present a program highlighting the historic significance of the signing of the Constitution.
Then, after the chapel service, students will craft their own constitutions for their classrooms and sign them as a class.
“At StoneBridge, we really try to teach our students that our external liberty is dependent on our internal self-government,” said Elizabeth Calhoun, director of communication for StoneBridge. “…It’s the basis of a civilized government. (Constitution Day) demonstrates a tangible way for our students to see how the Founding Fathers set it up.”
The classes’ constitutions are not only symbolic of the nation’s Constitution, but declare the voluntary consent of each student to be governed by classroom rules and protects the property rights of all students, thus ensuring liberty with responsibility for all, according to a StoneBridge press release.
In addition to the Constitution festivities, the school also has more reason to celebrate. It was announced last month that the school was awarded a grant of $11,000 by the Board of Trustees of Beazley Foundation, Inc.
The money will go to the installation of RenWeb, a new school management software used in more than 1,000 schools nationwide.
The program serves as an integrated database that allows displays for admissions, enrollment, scheduling, student billing, online payment processing, course and class information, health management, lunchroom management, library management, report cards, and transcripts.
“All our parents are excited for it,” Calhoun said. “They’ll be able to access grades online, lunch menus, order lunch online, progress reports. They are very, very excited.”