A heartwarming celebration of community and patriotism took place in The Shoals, Alabama, and nationwide on Sunday, April 27. The Chief Colbert County National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution (NSDAR) honored the winners of the Junior American Citizens Awards (JAC) at a Baptist church in Tuscumbia.
You might not have heard of the Junior American Citizens before, and neither had I. I had assumed that the focus on teaching children about American history and patriotic values had been overshadowed by other educational initiatives. It’s a pleasant surprise to see that this is not the case.
In a recent speech to the 2025 University of Alabama graduating class, President Donald Trump emphasized the importance of building a stronger, prouder, and more united America. Achieving this goal involves instilling American ideals and the American Dream in our children and society. The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is committed to preserving history, educating the public, and fostering patriotism throughout the country. Through the JAC program, they aim to start this process early by teaching the significance of patriotism and love for America through ceremonies and symbolic gestures.
That weight of patriotism and symbolism is the subject of this week’s Feel-Good Friday.
Thanks to Margaret Lovett of the Chief Colbert NSDAR for alerting me to this event.
So what is the Junior American Citizens Award? Since 1901, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) has welcomed participation by elementary, middle, and high school students in this awards contest. The JAC offers contests in art, creative expression, and community service for grades pre-K-12 and any child is eligible to enter. No membership to the Children of the American Revolution or a Junior American Children’s club is required.
The JAC contestant entries are judged by their grade on four levels: gifted artist/writer, general, special needs/special effect, and non-declared/unspecified. Every child may enter the contest regardless of ability.
The 2025 JAC contest theme was: sailing with the Stars and Stripes to celebrate the 250th birthday of the US Navy and Marine Corps. All the contest entries – the writing, the poetry, and artist presentations – embodied this theme quite nicely, and each grade level showed tremendous talent and depth. Weighty subjects render weighty results.
But what was most delightful to observe was the enthusiasm and excitement of the children as they showed off their work and received their awards. You could tell that the children enjoyed delving into their topic, and had fun with the research of this aspect of American history.
Kudos to the NSDAR for the attention to the symbolism and weight of our American ideals weaved throughout the event: from the presentation of the colors by the American Legion Colbert County Post 31, to the prayers by the NSDAR chaplain, to the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, these children were being weaved, steeped, and reinforced in the purpose of the history they had just learned.
Scottie Floyd, the Vice Regent of Chief Colbert DAR congratulated the children and said:
I’m so proud of these young people. I know it takes a lot to get it done because it liked to have killed me and my crew to go through and pick out the winners. There were too many entries that were so good, and each and every one is a winner: it doesn’t matter if it’s first, second or third place. You all won big and I’m proud of you.
The smiles on their little faces and the sense of pride speaks volumes.
Alabama gets a terrible rap for being at the bottom in terms of educational outcomes. The 2025 UA graduation class, and the students who received Junior American Citizens awards, belie the stats and information disseminated. These young people are motivated and engaged, and with the lessons in patriotism and American history they have learned, soaked up their assignment and delivered spectacularly. These elementary-aged kids in Gen Alpha are the generation to whom the Gen Z college graduates will pass the torch, so it is beautiful to see them already being steeped in what they need to pursue and further American ideals–and the American Dream.
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