Helen Keller once said “alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” At Arab Primary School today we witnessed the power of a community that came together to provide an unforgettable and empowering experience for every student in attendance.
Nearly 250 second graders packed their gymnasium and awaited the arrival of Libby Liberty™ who took the stage as the official kickoff to the Super Citizen Program they are beginning today.
As she introduced them to facts about the Statue of Liberty, it soon became clear she was also introducing a much bigger concept: “You already have the most important title in the country …. CITIZEN,” said Liberty.
The program is facilitated by Huntsville-based Liberty Learning Foundation which leverage local sponsors for an injection of civics, character, financial literacy and social studies that is often just brushed over in today’s STEM-focused classrooms.
Another facet of the program is its “rock star appeal,” says Liberty Learning Founder and Arab resident Patti Yancey. “We realized kids needed to be excited and engaged and that teachers had enough on their plates already.” So the foundation set out to do something that hadn’t been done before at this magnitude.
It features live music, original video and, of course, the star of the show Libby Liberty. But after the dust settles and the bus pulls away, the same sponsors who made the event possible also donate powerful multimedia teaching tools and the ” Helping “Hands”‘community project that brings learning full circle and back out into the community.
Students will nominate and honor heroes they believe personify the characteristics they are learning as part of the Super Citizen Program and honor them at school. Because like out motto says, “when you honor a hero,my our become a hero.”
And speaking of heroes, remember the groups that came together to power this all-American movement, well … They were recognized for being heroes and super corporate citizens today because this awesome experience wouldn’t be possible without them.
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to QG Enterprises and Sid McDonald, Arab Cartage, Regions Bank, Wal-mart, Wells Fargo Bank and Peoples Bank of Alabama. Please let these businesses and their owners know you appreciate the impact they are having on our next generation of great Americans!