Students at CCS wore red, white and blue on Monday, June 22, for a patriotic assembly marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Student council members, joined by Principal Julianne Inghilterra, led a presentation highlighting leaders and innovators who have shaped the country over the past two and a half centuries.
The event drew every student and teacher in the school to the multi-purpose room. Veronika Shapiro opened the program with a performance of The Star-Spangled Banner, followed by the student council's tribute to some of America's most iconic figures, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Amelia Earhart, Thomas Edison and Neil Armstrong, as well as veterans, first responders and teachers.
The presentation concluded with a segment called CCS Voices of the Future, in which students pledged to stand up for what is right and make a difference.
We are the next chapter of America's history, a student council member declared.
Student council members then rang a “liberty bell” as they recited values central to both the country and the CCS community, including perseverance, hope, service, unity, kindness, leadership and freedom.
May these values guide us through the next 250 years, Ms. Inghilterra said.
Representatives from each class were then invited to sign CCS's own Declaration of Good Citizenship, a document that will ultimately bear every student's signature in the building before being displayed in the hallway as a lasting reminder of their commitment to a kind and respectful school community.
Ms. Inghilterra also announced that the school would preserve a time capsule that day, with each class contributing an item, including class photos, written memories and memorabilia, to be opened at CCS 25 years from now.
The next teacher, scientist, astronaut or hero could be sitting right here, Ms. Inghilterra said. You are America's future.
The celebration closed with a spirited rendition of Happy Birthday.
