Statements
Mission
To impress upon students the relevance and practicality gained through an understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Our mission is to provide a free program to schools to celebrate Constitution Day on September 17th with a film narrated by Nick Clooney to be shown in the classroom and a commemorative keepsake State and U.S. Constitution for each student. Also, a website for teachers and student to support and supplement education about the State and U.S. Constitutions.
Background
Problem: All schools receiving Federal funding are required to hold a program the week of September 17th for Constitution Day. In Tennessee, it is required to teach about the Constitution during the same week called "Celebrate Freedom Week". In a survey of teachers, there were 3 main obstacles preventing them from holding a program:1) A majority was not aware of the mandate or of "Constitution Day" September 17th.2) No funds are provided to fulfill the federal or state mandates.3) There is no program readily available and teachers must come up with their own resources.Solution: With Ashland City, Tennessee as our home base, The 917 Society will provide free of charge an exciting, intriguing films which teachers can use as a program, a long-lasting, durable pocket-size copy of the U.S. and State of Tennessee Constitution, as well as Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. We also provide lesson plans and classroom materials. Sponsors of The 917 Society will be acknowledged for contributing to the printing of the Constitutions, as well as in film credits and on The 917 Society website for the 2017-2018 school year. Attached is a list of 8th grade by county as well as total private and home school in Tennessee.Beginning: Joni Bryan is the founder of The 917 Society. Realizing there was an existing a gap in our education system concerning the Constitution, and with no money, she began her research and efforts to make this program a reality. Eighth grade students were chosen to focus the efforts due to the fact it is a crucial year in the U.S. and Tennessee curriculum in which civics is supposed to be taught. Upon learning of the Federal mandate, Joni realized this program could also fulfill the law. She worked countless overtime hours at her current job to provide funds for the non-profit. Joni completed all necessary steps to be a 501(c)3. The non-profit information for The 917 Society is listed at www.givingmaters.com with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. She started building connections and has attended the Tennessee Social Studies Teachers Conference these past several years. Joni learned first-hand the need for the program. Teachers across the state have signed up and are excited to have this available to help them as a resource for their classes. For 2023, The 917 Society has had schools from all 50 states served by our program.
Impact
This past year we reached over 1 million students in 8th grade classrooms across 50 states. We have added considerable videos and resources to our website and have grown our donor base. Feedback from our classroom teachers has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. Teachers report the students are excited to receive their pocket Constitutions and students are engaging with the subject matter and have sent us video and pictures of the students participating in the project. For the 2023 school year we are reaching more 8th graders across all 50 states. We are adding to our resource and educational films. We have a Community, Education and youth Advisory Board and have added two new advisory boards this year. We are also engaging our Tennessee Legislators and others State Legislators to help with participating in our program.
Needs
Objectives: 1) Produce a film to be shown to eighth grade students that demonstrates how the U.S. Constitution affects their lives 2) We are enhancing our website that offers educational and curriculum support to teachers and students to ensure a better understanding of the U.S. Constitution while also providing the infrastructure for individual and corporate donations. We now have an app and a membership drive to become self-supporting through our members.3) Provide a free pocket version of the U.S. Constitution to each and every eighth grade student in the United States which will create a sense of ownership of the document and do so each school year on September 17th to commemorate Constitution Day and fulfill the federal law that publicly-funded schools must develop and deliver programs on that day relevant to the Constitution.
CEO Statement
The 917 Society is a grass roots effort that is gaining momentum and with our success in Tennessee have expanded to serve students in all 50 states that want to participate in this program. We are developing a strategy to become a national non-profit reaching 5 million 8th grade students nationally each year by 2024
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Education - Elementary & Secondary Schools |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Elementary & Secondary Schools |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Our organization provides the program across the entire state reaching all 147 school districts in all 95 counties.
We are listed as an approved resource for "Celebrate Freedom Week" and Constitution Day on the TN State Board
of Education website.
| TN |
| TN - Cannon |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Clay |
| TN - Coffee |
| TN - Cumberland |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - DeKalb |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Fentress |
| TN - Franklin |
| TN - Giles |
| TN - Hickman |
| TN - Houston |
| TN - Humphreys |
| TN - Jackson |
| TN - Lawrence |
| TN - Lewis |
| TN - Lincoln |
| TN - Macon |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Moore |
| TN - Overton |
| TN - Perry |
| TN - Pickett |
| TN - Putnam |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Smith |
| TN - Stewart |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Trousdale |
| TN - Van Buren |
| TN - Warren |
| TN - Wayne |
| TN - White |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Bedford |
