Packed tight, sitting side by side, 675 students gather in the Albertville High School Fine Arts Building. These students are third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from Albertville Elementary School, Evans Elementary School, and the Marshall Christian Academy. And although they attend different schools, they have one thing in common today.

They’re on pins and needles waiting for Lady Liberty to take the stage.

The event is part of The Next Great Americans Bus Tour that kicks off the Super Citizen Program in schools. It’s a program that focuses on civic, financial literacy, character development, career readiness and more. And it’s being brought to schools free of charge!

Becky Reaves, a third grade teacher who’s implementing the program at Albertville Elementary School, loves the program because it brings history to life and because of her strong military upbringing. “I find these values that this program teaches extremely important and lacking in many of our kids nowadays,” she says.

Reaves says today’s Kick Off assembly was a great way to gets the students excited to begin the 10 week program. She explains, “When Lady Liberty asked, who would be your Super Citizen? (A student) looked over to me and said, “My granddad. He was a Marine and Policeman”. So it’s not an abstract thought anymore. It’s somewhere right here in their community. And that’s important.”

The theatrical performance and 27 Super Citizen Kits were donated by two Marshall County businesses: Clay Irrigation and AlaTrade Foods, which leveraged the generosity of its nearly 1,400 employees in North Alabama.

AlaTrade Foods President John Pittard says, “As many team members as we have in this area, it was a no brainer! It was easy. Our plant manager, Kevin Parnell, championed the effort at the plant.”

“Those people stepped up and provided the kits for the students here in Albertville,” says Parnell. “They stepped up and did some fundraisers … money out of their own pockets to fund these kits. And we want them to realize that you don’t have to be an elected official or war hero to be a Super Citizen. You can actually be working somewhere where you’re not visible and can contribute to a kid’s life.”

To show their support, about a dozen employees of AlaTrade also attended the Next Great American’s Kick Off. Pittard says, “As these children grow up and go to the next grade, I hope it’s something we can continue year after year, so that every child has an opportunity to be introduced to such a great program.”