BEL AIR, Md. — Freedom Federal Credit Union is helping some local elementary school students learn about patriotism and the nation's history with its Patriot programs.
The Patriot programs at Prospect Mill Elementary, William S. James Elementary and Bakerfield Elementary Schools have been developed by the schools' PTAs, school administrators, teachers and Freedom FCU.
Designed to promote citizenship and pride in our shared American heritage, the programs require students to learn the Pledge of Allegiance, the 23 Maryland counties, identification of national, state and county officials, as well as identification of seven of the 10 national monuments or symbols.
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The credit union provides successful students with an incentive reward of a T-shirt, and where applicable, also a backpack. Both items feature the Patriot program and the individual school's logos.
This is the fourth year Freedom FCU has sponsored Prospect Mill's program, which has shown improvement each year. Eighty-six members of the fourth grade class at Prospect Mill completed the program and earned their "Midshipman" designation, a 23% increase over the previous year. A special awards ceremony and pizza luncheons were held at Prospect Mill to honor the recipients.
In the second year of the program at William S. James Elementary, 200 students, members of all five grade years, received their Patriot award. The school held a special assembly to honor the students marked by patriotic songs, visiting dignitaries and parents, readings and an educational audio-visual presentation.
For the first year, Bakerfield Elementary used Freedom FCU's incentive approach and was able to award 387 students for their achievement, improving their participation and success by 14%. While the Patriot achievers in kindergarten through fourth grade earned their special T-shirt, fifth graders who met their requirements received both the T-shirt and a bag.
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