Citizenship Calendar
Looking ahead in school year, your chapter can coordinate projects, bulletin boards, school announcements or other activities around the following holidays and special days. Items noted below are connected with the practice of good citizenship. Help every student on your campus learn the essentials of good citizenship by promoting some or all of these days.
Reminder: As is widely known, some holidays are celebrated on the actual days (July 4, November 11) while other holidays fluctuate each year based on preference for days off work, per federal holiday guidelines. Double check your calendar each year to know when your students will have a day off from school and coordinate your recognition of these special days around that timing. Links provided below are for general information purposes only and do not constitute any endorsement on the part of NASSP.
July
4: Independence Day (see http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Independence_Day.shtml)
August
3: International Friendship Day
September
First Monday: Labor Day (see http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Labor_Day.shtml)
First Sunday after Labor Day: Grandparents Day. (see www.legacyproject.org)
11: Patriot Day (commemorating 9/11/2001, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040910-19.html)
17: Constitution Day (see www.civiced.org, the Center for Civic Education), also known as Citizenship Day.
October
12: Columbus Day (holiday calculated separately) (see http://www.history.com/minisites/columbusday/)
24: United Nations Day (see http://www.un.org/events/unday/2007)
November
Election Day: First Tuesday of the month
11: Veterans Day (also known as Armistice Day) (see http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/)
Thanksgiving: Fourth Thursday of the month (see http://www.history.com/minisites/thanksgiving/)
December
7: Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/12/20071204-9.html)
10: Human Rights Day (see http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/2007/)
15: Bill of Rights Day (1791) (http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/December/billofrightsday.htm)
January
15: Martin Luther King’s birthday (holiday calculated separately); National Day of Service is recognized on the holiday as well. (see http://www.mlkday.gov/)
17: Benjamin Franklin’s birthday (see http://www.fi.edu/franklin/)
February
1: National Freedom Day (honoring the 13th Amendment) (http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/pa/free_1)
March
2: Read Across American Day (Dr. Seuss’s birthday) (see http://www.nea.org/readacross/index.html)
April
15: Tax Day (see http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/jb_date.cgi?day=15&month=04)
22: Earth Day (se http://www.earthday.gov/)
Third Monday: Patriot’s Day (in some states)
May
1: May Day (see http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mayday.html)
15: Peace Officers Memorial Day (see http://nleomf.blogspot.com/2008/05/peace-officers-memorial-day.html)
17: Armed Forces Day (see http://www.defenselink.mil/afd/)
31: Memorial Day (holiday calculated separately) ( see http://www.usmemorialday.org/)
June
14: Flag Day (see www.americanflags.org)
19: Juneteenth (see http://www.juneteenth.com/)
Your chapter activities can easily be centered on these special days in the annual calendar, providing opportunities for not only your chapter members but all students on campus to learn about and celebrate these special occasions in our nation’s history.
Do you have a day or days that you’d like to suggest for inclusion on this calendar? Send them to nhs@nhs.us with “Calendar” in the subject line.
Additional Activities: Have your chapter members add to this Citizenship Calendar by looking up and including the following:
- Birthdays of the other U.S. Presidents
- Founding dates for all the states (starting with your own)
- Birthdays of important local citizens, e.g., the mayor, the superintendent of schools, etc. including your state representatives in Congress and state legislators
- Teacher and staff birthdays for your school – just a nice thing to add to your chapter calendar for the year as an appreciation project.
- Holidays and special occasions for the various ethnic and religious groups found among the students and families of your school. Visit www.holidaysmart.com or other general holiday Web sites as places to start.