Many people consider Memorial Day to be the unofficial start of the season. This year, we celebrate the holiday on Monday, May 29th. Many families will heat up the grill, head to the beach or take in a big blockbuster movie. But Memorial Day has the word “memorial” in it for a reason.
The holiday started on May 30, 1868, when Union General John A. Logan declared the day an occasion to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers. Twenty years later, the name was changed to Memorial Day. On May 11, 1950, Congress passed a resolution requesting that the President issue a proclamation calling on Americans to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. President Richard M. Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday in 1971.
Learn more by watching the video below.
This year, to honor the men and women who died in all wars you are challenged to create a tribute using a rock.
Your challenge is to:
- Paint a stone/rock.
- Make it patriotic and be creative.
- Write the name of a soldier who died while serving our country.
- Include the name of the war.
- Write the year he/she was born and when he/she died.
- Feel free to research someone in your family, a local soldier or someone you don’t know.
- You must be able to carry your stone/rock to school. No boulders!
- All entries are due by May 19th.
