120,000+ Georgia fourth graders receive copies of the U.S. Constitution
​Cobb fifth grader wins Constitution poster contest

 
MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org

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September 15, 2015 – This week, each of Georgia’s fourth graders – more than 120,000 students – will own a copy of the United States Constitution and other founding documents.
 
In an effort to increase civic awareness, State School Superintendent Richard Woods and the Georgia Department of Education are distributing pocket copies of the Constitution to every fourth grader in Georgia. All funding for the project was donated – no taxpayer funds were used to purchase or distribute the Constitutions. The pocket Constitutions also include the Declaration of Independence, the lyrics of the national anthem, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Click to view a PDF of the booklet students received​.

Throughout the week of September 14 to 18, which is Constitution Week, Superintendent Woods will visit schools to distribute copies personally to students. The remaining copies have been shipped directly to schools.

 

To celebrate completion of the project, the GaDOE also held a Constitution Poster Contest for elementary students. Ida Shcherbak, a fifth grade student at Bells Ferry Elementary School in Cobb County, created the winning entry. Click to view an image of Ida’s entry.

 “We are providing these Constitutions as a gift for our students and, as a former social studies teacher, as a resource for educators,” Superintendent Woods said. “The Constitution is the bedrock of our beliefs and values as a country – this document that begins, so appropriately, ‘we the people’ and not ‘we the government.’ Knowing that more than 120,000 fourth graders can now carry those words with them, literally and figuratively, is a great thing.” 

The constitutions were purchased and distributed using funds donated by the American Legion – Department of Georgia, ITTI Global Inc., General Building Maintenance, the Georgia Council on Economics Education, the Georgia Foundation for Public Education, and anonymous donors.
 
“I’m so grateful to these donors, who ensured that we could provide this important resource to our students at no expense to Georgia taxpayers,” Superintendent Woods said. “I deeply appreciate their assistance in our efforts to increase the civic awareness of Georgia’s students.”

 

Superintendent Woods’ Scheduled Visits for Constitution Day (September 17, 2015)

8:30 – 9:00 Assembly at Tift County Elementary School

 

9:30 – 10:00  Assembly at Worth County Elementary School

 

10:30 – 11:00 Assembly at Colquitt County Elementary School

 

11:30 – 12:00 Assembly at Cook County Elementary School

 

12:30 – 1:00 Assembly at Berrien County Elementary School

 

1:30 – 2:00 Assembly at Irwin County Elementary School

 

2:30 – 3:00 Assembly at Turner County Elementary School