More than 1,400 Wellington students will be getting a 250th birthday present.
Not that any of them are quite that old, of course. But the country’s age hits a quarter of a millennium when their class graduates in 2026.
That is why the Daughters of the American Revolution plans to give U.S. Constitution booklets to about 15,000 students in Palm Beach County, including 1,432 in Wellington.
The run-up to the 250th birthday will feature essay and art contests, and a select group of local 2026 seniors will get a chance to take a trip to Washington, D.C.
“We stand on the eve of a grand commemoration,” Marjorie Ferrer, representing the DAR in Palm Beach County, told the Wellington Education Committee on Tuesday, May 2. “In July 2026, you may not know this, but the United States will mark its 250th anniversary.”
It’s a big milestone, but not yet a major topic of conversation for most people with the date still a few years out. Folks old enough to remember the nation’s bicentennial in 1976 may recall it did occupy a large space in the national consciousness by the time it arrived, Ferrer said.
The point is to remind students of where they stand in relation to national history, she said. They will be reaching an age where they can vote, join the military, work or go on to college.
“I believe it is critical they know the meaning of the Constitution, the laws of our country and the importance of voting,” Ferrer said.
She presented materials to the committee honoring “lesser-known patriots” including women of color. Students receiving the booklet will be asked to inscribe their names and keep it as their passport to be eligible for a trip to the nation’s capital, Ferrer said.
Founded over 125 years ago, the Daughters of the American Revolution has about 190,000 members who are descendants of soldiers and others who acted to bring about the nation’s independence.
Committee Member John Webber said as the parent of a student who just took an exam in a course on government, “This would have been useful on Monday. Instead, he kept asking, so what is Article 3? Like wait, I know that one.”
Overall, he liked the idea. “This is a great project,” Webber said.
