Central Coosa designated as an Official Alabama Semiquincentennial School
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Special to the News
In honor of its commitment to commemorating and educating students about America’s 250th birthday, Central Coosa has been designated an Official Alabama Semiquincentennial School.
A decades-long collaboration between Central High School seniors and Central Elementary third graders has even more meaning this year as we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday.
Twelfth graders kicked off their unit of study on the Declaration of Independence by going back in time to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, donned in colonial costumes, to reenact the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
The reenactment included discussion over the decision to separate from England, which included opposition from John Dickinson, a delegate at the 2nd Continental Congress who did not sign the document.
Besides being a lesson on the creation of our nation, the reenactment also demonstrated how the delegates respectfully listened to the arguments of the opposition, although in the end the majority decision to separate was honored. Students also learned that the phrase, “put your John Hancock here,” refers to the president of the 2nd Continental Congress, who was the first to sign, as well as the largest signature on the Declaration of Independence.
As a culminating activity of their study of the Declaration of Independence, senior government students created illustrated children’s books explaining key details, as well as the principles of government embodied in our country’s founding document.
This week they shared their creations with their third grade reading buddies from Mrs. Compher’s, Mrs. Baty’s and Mrs. Causey’s classes. After the seniors read their books to their buddies, their buddies had their turn to read to the seniors. The seniors were impressed by how well the third graders read, especially complex words, without even stumbling.
It is always a bittersweet activity for Mrs. Compher each year because the seniors are students who she taught as third graders, some of whom struggled to read at the time, but are now helping younger students read. We are thankful to have a small community school which enables us to collaborate across grade levels and enables teachers to see the fruits of their labor years later.
Thank you, Meg Masters, director of Literacy Everywhere grant, for making this year’s collaboration even more special. The grant was able to provide “What is the Declaration of Independence?” books by Michael C. Harris to every third grader to take home and keep to learn more about our nation’s 250th birthday.
