The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/153219
society or chapter's name to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, designating the school for which the contribution is made, and referring to the MVLA's George Washington Portrait Program: Andy Morse, Development Department Mount Vernon Ladies' Association P.O. Box 110 Mount Vernon, VA 22121 Schools must: Send a letter to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, signed by the principal and on school letterhead, requesting the George Washington portrait and referring to the contribution from the SAR state society or chapter; and agree to hang the George Washington portrait in a very public, visible place of honor in the school, such as the main lobby or hallway, central office, library or auditorium. (If possible, try to send the state society or chapter's donation to Mount Vernon in the same envelope as the school's letter requesting the George Washington portrait.) Accompanying each portrait is a George Washington Celebration Kit with suggested activities to commemorate the portrait's dedication, as well as suggested lesson plans for classroom use. NSSAR Director of Education Colleen Wilson is the SAR point of contact on this PG Initiative. Please send Colleen a copy of the school's letter requesting the George Washington portrait and any other correspondence with Mount Vernon about this project. Colleen will keep track of which SAR state societies and chapters donate to Mount Vernon to facilitate a school's acquisition of the George Washington portrait. If you have any questions about this Initiative, please contact Colleen at cwilson@sar.org. For the purposes of the Americanism Contest, a state society or chapter's participation in this President General Initiative may be recorded in two of three tabs on the Americanism Score Sheet. Tab 3, Section B has been amended to include language regarding a "presentation on George Washington in conjunction with the presentation of a framed portrait." If state societies or chapters account for their participation in this President General Initiative here, they cannot also count it in Tab 7, Section E; Tab 7, Section E, which is for the presentation of framed copies of our founding documents. This has been amended to include "framed portrait of George Washington." If state societies or chapters account for their participation in this President General Initiative here, they cannot also count it in Tab 3, Section B; Tab 16, Section A has been amended to include a donation to the MVLA, along with the other SAR Funds previously listed. II.b. PartnerInG wIth the MOunt VernOn ladIes' assOCIatIOn PrOMOtInG hIstOry day PrOjeCts On GeOrGe washInGtOn (OPPOrtunIty fOr state sOCIetIes and ChaPters) We all know what a school science project is, and probably most of us prepared one while we were in junior high. But did you know that these days, many students prepare history projects and are participating in the history equivalent of a science fair? The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association encourages these history projects, and I would like the SAR to encourage them, too. SUMMER 2013 For those who are not familiar with National History Day, it is a program to foster the study of history by junior high and high school students. Students choose a historical topic related to an annual theme, and then conduct primary and secondary research. Students are encouraged to look through libraries, archives and museums, conduct oral history interviews, and visit historic sites as part of their research. After a student has analyzed and interpreted his sources and has drawn a conclusion about the significance of his topic, he is then able to present his work as a paper, an exhibit, a performance, a documentary or a website. In the spring, students may enter their history projects into local National History Day contests, where they will be judged by professional educators and historians. The best local history projects move on to state contests. The winners of state contests are eligible to attend the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park in June. This is where the best National History Day projects from across the United States compete. For more information about National History Day, please go to http://nationalhistoryday.org. This year, the MVLA is offering an incentive for students to conduct History Day projects that examine George Washington. The SAR is going to help Mount Vernon with this effort. The NHD theme for 2014 is Rights & Responsibilities in History. The MVLA will award $1,000 to the best project on George Washington within this theme. What can the SAR do? First, SAR state societies and chapters should contact the National History Day organization to find out about local History Day competitions. Then, offer to help the local managers. SAR members may serve as judges in local History Day competitions. SAR state societies and chapters are encouraged to offer their own incentives and awards to students who participate in History Day competitions. In the past, some state societies and chapters have presented Outstanding Citizenship pins, Bronze Good Citizenship Medals or cash awards to these students. Please consider these or other incentives for these young students of history, and please become involved in local NHD competitions. Secondly, take note of the students whose projects are related to George Washington. Please be aware that the History Day projects related to George Washington may not win the local or state competition. That doesn't matter: the MVLA and the SAR want to encourage the study of George Washington, even if other history projects win in local, state and national History Day competitions. For any student whose project examines some aspect of George Washington, write a letter to: Nancy Hayward, Director of Education Mount Vernon Ladies' Association P.O. Box 110 Mount Vernon, VA 22121 In your letter to her, please: Identify yourself and the SAR state society or chapter on whose behalf you are writing. Please provide your address, or an address for the SAR state society or chapter; identify the student whose NHD project examines George Washington, along with the name and address of his/her school; briefly describe the student's project (50 words or less); and identify the local NHD competition, when and where it took place, and whether the student's project on 15