GRAHAMSVILLE, NY — Tri-Valley High School celebrated the signing of the Constitution by holding its first-ever Constitution Day ceremony on Thursday, September 17, celebrating not only the signing of the Constitution but also local volunteerism and civic participation.

Students in seventh grade through 12th grade gathered in the high school auditorium to listen to a speech on the Constitution, an interview with Neversink’s town supervisor, hear about extracurricular activities they could do and hear about volunteer opportunities in the school and in the community. The ceremony was the first of its kind, with one organizer saying that the event was an all encompassing day to talk about civics and civic participation.

“We created a catch-all program that students get to demonstrate opportunities in their school and around the community, as well as learn about the significance behind the history of the U.S. Constitution,” social studies teacher Michelle Kenney said. “We appreciate that this is made possible by our social studies department. We also appreciate the flexibility of the teachers, the staff, as well as the support from the local community and the help of the administration.”

Longtime social studies teacher Michael Langway led the Constitution Day portion of the assembly by discussing the history of the document.

“Throughout our 250-year history, we have endured many hardships,” Langway said. “Yet during these trials, yet during these trials, there was one unwavering constant, and that was our Constitution. A document that is born out of revolution, fought on the ideals of individual freedom and our desire for self-governance.”

He then gave some background on how the Constitution came to be, discussing the Articles of Confederation, which predated the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence as two documents that led to the Constitution. Langway read the preamble to the Declaration, and reflected on the power of the words “all men are created equal.”

“Those are powerful, inspiring words. They spark revolutions,” Langway said. “As you know, across the globe in the decades to follow, the American Revolution marked a monumental turning point, providing that self-governance was possible in a world where many believed it could not be done.”

Langway did not say that these words, and this document, were without fault. He said the document was a work in progress, as was our nation, and that the founders laid out a document that did not serve as a reflection of the current state of affairs, but a hopeful promise of what the fledgling America could become.

“But how could property owners of the era, living in a society with slavery and systemic inequality, claim that all men were created equal? Over the years of teaching, this idea was often explained to my students as a noble goal for our nation to strive toward to fulfill. Our founders knew they were imperfect and not without flaw, but what they had was a vision. A vision of how it can be and the belief that it can be achieved. The founders also knew that this transition would not happen overnight, and that it would take generations to realize,” Langway said. “As we study history, we reflect on each milestone that brought us closer to that idea.”

He then pivoted into the amendments to the Constitution and the historic moments that brought America closer to fulfilling the promises laid out in the Constitution and in the Declaration of Independence. These included George Washington’s farewell address, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s and John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s inaugural addresses, George W. Bush’s address at Ground Zero after the attacks on September 11, 2001 and ended with Barack Obama’s inaugural address. 

Langway said that each of these historic moments and historic speeches represent a moment in history where we moved closer to the noble ideals of the Constitution, and said they should empower us to continue to work toward them.

“We have witnessed and endured historical hardships that have tested our resolve, our fortitude, our national pride,” Langway said. “Now is the time for a unifying call to action, synthesizing these historical milestones into a modern commitment to cherish, protect and actively live out the principles of the United States Constitution. I believe our Constitution stands stronger than ever; the lessons of our past remind us that no matter how difficult the moment may seem, our Constitution has always prevailed and will always prevail.”

Voting and volunteerism

Students didn’t just hear about civics in a theoretical sense; students also got to experience civics firsthand through connection with local elected leaders and community volunteerism. Town of Neversink Supervisor Chris Matthews spoke to the assembly, talking about his background, the structure of local government and the importance of young people being active in local government.

Social studies teacher Michelle Kenney, Town of Neversink Supervisor, and social studies teacher Jacqueline Trotti-Noren. Matthews spoke on the importance of young people being involved in their local government and communities.

“These seats were never meant to be long, lifetime positions,” Matthew said. “As we see, unfortunately, what happens to the federal government, people become congressmen and senators and stay there for life. These are meant to be revolving positions that are occupied [by a series of people.] And I myself have been in for a couple of years, quite a while now, and I don’t have too much longer to go, but when I do go, we need people like you to step up and become involved locally and move further, move the town ahead.”

After Matthews spoke, students then heard from various extracurricular advisors about activities offered at Tri-Valley. Students then broke up into smaller groups for meetings before being led into the upstairs gymnasium, where students could vote for class and student council officers, and also attend a volunteer fair where community organizations had set up tables.

The fair was organized by senior Christopher Prousalis, the founding father of the volunteer fair. Prousalis first organized the fair as a sophomore after hearing about senior students who were struggling to get volunteer hours for a civics project. Tri-Valley students are required to perform a certain amount of volunteer hours in order to graduate.

“[Prousalis] put together a community-to-school and school-community volunteer fair, taking outside organizations around the community, bringing them in here to the high school in order to connect the school-to-community for volunteer options throughout,” Kenney said. “So students have the ability to fulfill course requirements with volunteer community service, as well as complete a New York State extensive program for the service learning program for civic readiness.”

Prousalis said that what started as just a project for a class became “a passion project.”

“I wanted to make a very clear way for students to get their hours and graduate as quickly as possible, “ Prousalis said. “It was a ton of fun to organize. I’m glad that I brought all of these people together and can help educate the students on local volunteer opportunities.”

Students greatly enjoyed the fair, and were glad to see what opportunities and activities are available to them. “I think today was a great experience, and it allowed us to see all the options of extracurricular activities and all the extra volunteer opportunities,” ninth grader Paityn Closs said. 

The community organizations that came out also had a great time. Michelle Gorman, the assistant library manager for the Daniel Pierce Library in Grahamsville, was at the fair recruiting volunteers for upcoming library events. She called the event “amazing.”

“I think the school is actively trying to help students be involved in their community, and more than just encouraging them, they’re starting to require them to be a part of their community,” Gorman said. “I think it’s going to be extremely helpful for community organizations.”