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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Second graders from Pelham Oaks Elementary and Pelham Ridge Elementary got to celebrate after completing a 10-week course focused on the country they live in.

The Hands on Liberty Program, created by the Liberty Learning Foundation, educates students on American history and civics. It is a 10-week program featuring lessons on civic responsibility, financial literacy, character development and career skills. With the program complete the Hands on Liberty Celebration was held for the second graders on Monday, April 21 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Pelham Ridge Elementary School cafeteria.

PCS students received graduation certificates, honored local heroes and celebrated the American spirit during the celebration, becoming Super Citizens in the process. The following groups sponsored the event, making it possible:

 

• Alabama Department of Education
• Rotary Club of Alabaster-Pelham
• AlaTrade Foods- Corporate
• Alfa Insurance
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
• Cahaba Valley Elks Lodge No. 1738
• Honey Bee Trees
• Pelham Strong
• Regions Bank
• Shelby County Commission
• Shelby County Legislative Delegation
• Specification Rubber Products
• The Daniel Foundation of Alabama
• The Malone Family Foundation
• Vulcan Materials Company
• Zyne Family Foundation

Tawanna Vickers, the program director of the Liberty Learning Foundation, described the organization’s mission and what makes the Hands on Liberty Program unique.

“Our foundation is always (promoting) civics, American history and what our country was founded on,” Vickers said. “The object of our mission is to teach these students how to be better citizens in their communities and show appreciation to being a part of that community.”

The Hands On Liberty Program is a video-based program of online videos that serve as lessons. A full curriculum comes with the series of videos, and every educator is trained specifically on how to implement the program into their classroom.

“Mr. Palmer is the character’s name that teaches them (the students) these lessons, and there’s accompanying activities and lesson plans that teach all of the crucial lessons,” Vickers said.

The program kicked off on Wednesday, Jan. 8 with a live performance from Libby Liberty, a character based on the Statue of Liberty. One of the biggest components of the program, the Helping Hands Heroes initiative, was also introduced at the kickoff. Students were encouraged to nominate heroes who are everyday citizens in the community making a difference.

“It’s a lesson where they learn about what it means to be a hero,” Vickers said. “And it’s not just a hero like an NBA or NFL star, it’s people that make a difference in their communities. It can be someone like their custodian or their school crossing guard or their nurse.”

At the graduation ceremony, the students honored their chosen heroes with a Torch Pin, a lapel pin that mimics the Statue of Liberty and is a way of signifying the difference that the heroes make in the everyday lives of the students they interact with.

“The students at the celebration took the stage and read a speech about their hero, and why they chose to honor that hero during the event,” Vickers said.

Students also recited the Helping Hands Pledge, similar to the Pledge of Allegiance, in which students promised that they would continue to be responsible, good citizens in their communities.

Vickers expressed why it is so important to start teaching students concepts like civics and financial literacy at such a young age.

“We get them engaged at such a young age to be excited and understand the important role that they have as a citizen,” Vickers said. “We have programs that grow with them. We start in the second grade, but have other programs in the fifth and seventh grades, as well. There are a few programs in the state that we have at the high-school level.”

Vickers noted that students leave the program with a renewed sense of confidence and the ability to make a difference in their communities.

“The thing that I always see happen is that students walk away at the end of this program with the idea that they can make a difference in their communities,” Vickers said. “Whether that’s helping in their classroom or showing appreciation, because we want them to understand that being active and engaged and making a difference can be something as simple as saying the words ‘thank you.’”

The Liberty Learning Foundation travels across Alabama with the Hands on Liberty program, and Vickers expressed her gratitude to the sponsors and community support that makes the organization’s initiatives possible, citing the importance of the initiative as a whole.

“We could not do it without them,” Vickers said. “Those dollars make a difference… (We) want to make sure that these students always remember to engage their students and their children in knowing that they can make a difference no matter their age.”

For more information on the Liberty Learning Foundation, visit Libertylearning.org.