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By EMILY REED | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – Students at Creek View and Meadow View Elementary and Thompson Intermediate schools will have the opportunity to learn more about civic and character-based learning through the Liberty Learning Foundation programs which will kick off Sept. 15-16.

The Liberty Learning Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of empowering younger generations by teaching them civic and character concepts to build a brighter future for the country.

“We partner with each school to teach these students about citizenship, civics, character and careers through a 10-12 week program of lessons and activities that are bookended by our exciting live kickoff and celebration events,” said Alicia Sherman, vice president of Regional Development for the Central/West with Liberty Learning Foundation Inc. “The kickoff event will get students excited about the lessons they will learn in the classroom with a live performance by our signature character, Libby Liberty and the Celebration event will be the culmination of their hard work in the classroom learning what it means to be a super citizen by nominating and recognizing local community heroes.”

Creek View’s kickoff event will begin on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 9 a.m.; Meadow View’s will be at 1 p.m. and Thompson Intermediate will be on Friday, Sept. 16 at 9 a.m.

“The goal of bringing these programs to the schools is to overlay their traditional learning with a layer of citizenship education that inspires students to take responsibility for themselves, their neighbors, and their community,” Sherman said. “Students enjoy the age-appropriate classroom activities, lesson videos and hands-on projects that help them learn important history and civics content while generating pride for their community and hope for their future.”

Sherman said teachers lead the lessons in their classrooms, and during the kickoff events, Libby Liberty takes the lead with the students.

“During their celebration events, the students take the lead by recognizing their selected local heroes from the stage and then taking their own Super Citizen pledge,” Sherman said.

Each program is flexibly designed to be implemented for particular grade levels.

“The Hands-on Liberty program is available for grades kindergarten through second, and the Super Citizen program is available for third through fifth grade,” Sherman said. “In each community we serve, we allow the schools to choose which grade level they would like to implement the programs, and in this case, ACS chose second and fifth grades. This is a good pattern of repetition and reinforcement from the primary to elementary levels, as the content aligns well with key standards that must be taught in these grades.”

Sherman said those interested can learn more about sponsoring a child, a classroom or a school by visiting libertylearning.org.