Drone shows, field trips and a birthday party: Schools prepare to celebrate America’s 250th

America’s schools are going all out for the 250th anniversary of the United States.  

Field trips, essay contests and drone displays are all in the works as administrators tell The Hill their students and teachers are excited for the upcoming events to commemorate the beginning of the country.  

Some museums and historical sites have seen controversy over how the semiquincentennial should be honored, but school officials said they have not run into problems despite recent political upheaval among students regarding anti-immigration protests.  

Peninsula School District Superintendent Krestin Bahr told The Hill her students, many of whom are addressing the anniversary in their civics classes, have partnered with the city of Gig Harbor, Wash., to use the district’s 300 drones to create a show for the anniversary on July 3.  

“Our students do all of the coding and all of the flying of the drones. … We have a middle school that’s on the very tippy-top of a hill right by a huge harbor, and there will be a close to 12- to 15-minute drone show. … We use Firefly drones,” said Bahr. “It’s all student-run, student-created and student-driven.” 

“I think what’s most exciting is that the students meet with the clients. In this case, it’s the city. … And so, the students are cocreating and coding for what the clients actually want. So, it’s real-world experience, and the client gets a customizable show. So, we’re really excited about it,” she added. 

Across the country in Alabama, Adam Clemons, a principal at Piedmont High School, said students have already made buttons and posters for the U.S.’s 250th birthday, with some putting the buttons on their backpacks.  

“Our band in their marching season for this coming-up school year, the football season, they actually have — they’re going to be performing what’s called American sketches, and it’s a program which has various Americana-type songs. … So, it has embedded different parts of American history,” Clemons said.  

In August, the school will be throwing a birthday party, and students will have the opportunity to go on a field trip to “America’s village,” a replica town nearby that has recreations of “Mount Vernon and Liberty Square and the Liberty Tree and those type of things.” 

The educational opportunities for such an event are practically endless, and many states are encouraging districts to make a big deal out of it.

Florida has asked its schools to participate in the America250 art and essay contests, which allow students to submit materials reflecting on the history of the U.S. and their state. The winners can get multiple levels of scholarship money for college. 

The Education Department created America 250 Civics Education Coalition, which includes more than 40 groups, with the purpose of providing educational materials to schools for the anniversary. A federal investment of more than $150 million was put toward civics education ahead of the anniversary. 

Advocates are hoping a renewed interest in civics and history will give a boost to academic subjects that can sometimes be drowned out by concerns regarding reading and math.  

“It’s probably the best time to make sure that we double down on our investment in civic education, because, I mean, it is polarizing now, but it’s always polarizing. There’s more national attention to the teaching of civics now than there ever has been,” said Donna Phillips, president and CEO of the Center for Civic Education.  

“We’re creating 40 different lessons aligned to the ideals, like rule of law and equality and natural rights — all the things from the founding. And, again, those are going to be really wonderful resources for teachers that will definitely commemorate and celebrate this year,” Phillips added. “Our hope is that teachers will continue to reach for those year after year, because this, learning about the country in this way, is not just a one-time thing.” 

In North Carolina, Perquimans County High School partnered with a local library to create a seven-panel exhibit in the school for students to learn about different colonial figures in the state.  

Students will also be going to a museum in March for a special school day called “To Preserve the Blessings of Liberty: State Constitutions of North Carolina.” 

“Students will interact with archivists from the State Archives of North Carolina as they experience a special one-day-only exhibit featuring the 1776 State Constitution and Declaration of Rights, the 1868 State Constitution, and a letter from John Adams commonly known as ‘Thoughts on Government,’” said Julie Roberts, assistant principal of Perquimans County High.

So far, little controversy has been reported over how schools will celebrate the anniversary, in contrast with the Trump administration’s heavy involvement in how national organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution and the National Park Service will commemorate the occasion.  

President Trump has threatened Smithsonian funding over how it presents America’s history, forcing the group to turn over its plans for the 250th anniversary to the administration.

Trump in particular has been critical of exhibits and features that focus on race and slavery, saying they paint U.S. history in a negative light. Legal slavery was a foundational institution in America, lasting from 1619 to 1865.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education recently put up a banner of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk on its building alongside historically important Americans, causing a stir among some in the education community. 

Schools have been in their own political bind recently as hundreds of students have received detention or suspension for walking out of class to protest the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.  

But schools said these controversies have not stalled plans for the 250th anniversary, with one noting the angle their district is approaching the event from will help to bring the community together instead of further apart.  

John Gould, history program director at Boston Public Schools, said students there have a unique opportunity as they are surrounded by the beginnings of the nation.  

The schools are partnering with local organizations and taking students to reenactments of events that took place in Boston during America’s founding.  

“I don’t think it’ll become political so much as long as we’re there with the best of intentions for the kids, and we want to empower them to be those independent thinkers,” Gould said.  

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