“They talk about being the leaders of tomorrow … they are the leaders of today,” says Madison Co. Commissioner Dale Strong as he talked about the strength of his local school system. “Eight years after graduating from high school, I was elected commissioner of the third largest county in the state of Alabama and I want all these kids to know that they have the same opportunity that I had. I want them to know the future is bright.”
As the Huntsville-based Liberty Learning Foundation’s Next Great Americans Bus Tour rolled back into town to kick off the Super Citizen Program at Weatherly Heights Elementary on Jan. 29, 2014, we heard nothing but amazing support for the program and the students it’s impacting.
Our Lady Liberty took the stage to entertain and inspire a crowd of 270 – and excite the 5th graders in attendance about the 10-week civic, character, financial literacy, career and history program they will begin when the bus rolls away.
“The decisions that they make really doe impact the world around them. So I am just very excited to see where this leads,” says Heather Bardwell, Weatherly Heights Elementary Principal.
Students will culminate with a project-based lesson, Torch Teams, that brings learning full-circle and out into the community. “Students will nominate, carefully select and, ultimately, honor local heroes on stage,” says LLF founder Patti Yancey. “It’s a process that involves the whole community and you can feel the gratitude going both ways.”
This community support, the Next Great Americans Bus Tour and all the tools needed for the Super Citizen Program is being made possible by generous local sponsorship by Belk Huntsville and Madison Co. Commission.
In a few months, we’ll return to the school for the Graduation Celebration where students will receive certificates, recite the Super Citizen Pledge and honor their local heroes from stage. The public is invited. Check the schedule for dates and times as they are subject to change.