American heritage

Local chapter of Children of the American Revolution making its mark on the stage and national levels.

By: Christian Kkrkpatrick
   Some lessons are better lived than taught.
   For example, students can read about the American Revolution in textbooks, and their teachers can lecture them on civics. Or they can visit Valley Forge in January and run for office in student government.
   Such experiences can give youngsters a personal connection to historic events and show them how complex systems, such as the U.S. Congress, work.
   A local organization and a related program give children this first-hand knowledge about civics and early American history. They are the Morven Society N.J., Children of the American Revolution (CAR) and Junior American Citizens (JAC).
   Skillman resident Elizabeth Peters is a staunch champion of both. "I’m a former CAR kid," she says with pride. Now she is senior president of the local society. She is also involved with a growing number of JAC programs in the Princeton area.
   Mostly, Boy and Girl Scout troops participate in JAC. The children learn some basics about America: how it came to be, what the Pledge of Allegiance means, how to care for the American flag. Then they decide whether to make a project to compete in a contest sponsored by the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or just DAR).
   Cub Scout Den 6, Pack 152, in the Princeton area participated in JAC last year. The boys won first place statewide for the banner they made on the theme of amazing women.
   This year, Mrs. Peters expects at least four groups of Scouts to participate in JAC, including a Brownie and a Daisy troop.
   Both JAC and the CAR are sponsored by the DAR. JAC has no entrance requirements. The CAR’s are the same as the DAR’s — proof of an ancestor who fought in the Revolution or materially aided the cause.
   This proof is easy to find if a member of the family is already in the CAR or the DAR. If not, assembling the necessary paperwork can take a while. Kids can come to meetings while their applications are being prepared, assures Mrs. Peters.
   The Morven Society of CAR meets at least six times a year, from March through February, at local historic sites or homes. Most of its 66 members live in the greater Princeton area, but some come from as far away as Dayton and New Brunswick.
   Kids in the organization elect their own officers and decide what they will do in the way of projects. The president creates an agenda for each meeting; the secretary takes minutes, and various officers present reports. Youngsters hone their researching, writing and speaking skills in the CAR, says Mrs. Peters.
   Each year the Morven Society marches in Princeton’s Memorial Day parade, visits the residents of a veterans’ home, prepares a skit that it performs at the December meeting of the Princeton chapter of the DAR, and participates in various projects.
   Last year, along with CAR societies throughout the country, it raised funds to create a coloring book for the Monmouth Battlefield. The Morven youngsters visited the battlefield three times last year, receiving marching lessons and meeting Colonial heroine Molly Pitcher. They also held a real cannon ball, played with Colonial toys and sampled bread cooked on the field. "It was hard as a rock," remembers Mrs. Peters.
   When the youngsters heard that the Princeton Senior Resource Center wanted an American flag, they decided to make and sell flag pins to raise the money for it. In six months they earned more than enough.
   The members have also collected items for two schools that are substantially funded by the DAR. They sent used clothes to be sold in the thrift shop of the Crossnore School, a school for children who might ordinarily enter foster care, located in North Carolina. For Tamassee, a school in South Carolina, they collected labels from Campbell soup products, which were redeemed for funds. They also collected 6,540 soda tabs that were redeemed for funds to support Ronald MacDonald House.
   In March, CAR societies throughout New Jersey met for their state conference. They elected officers who set the next year’s agenda — including project topics —and they recognized groups that have made outstanding projects.
   At the CAR’s national convention, which will be held in Washington, D.C., April 21 through 24, nationwide officers will be elected, and programs from the various states will compete. The convention always includes a ball, to which the youngsters wear tuxedos and formal dresses, and a tour of a monument or historic spot.
   This year the youngsters will receive a personal tour of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima monument). On Sunday, the last day of the conference, the youngsters will attend a sunrise service at Arlington National Cemetery, where they will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. "This is something they’ll never forget," says Mrs. Peters.
   At these conventions, children form lasting friendships, she adds. Her son, 7-year-old R.J., communicates frequently with his convention friends by e-mail.
   Elementary school children run CAR societies, says Mrs. Peters. By the time they reach middle school, they are running for state office, and national officers are usually in college.
   As a teenager, Mrs. Peters became state president in Florida. The project she initiated was Pelican Pete, through which money was raised to buy a boat and carrying equipment to ferry injured birds in the Everglades to veterinary care.
   Her son is president of the Morven Society.
   Last year, R.J. participated in a program that he hopes will become a Princeton tradition. At noon on Independence Day, he rang the bells at his church, Trinity Episcopal, 13 times for the 13 Colonies. On Flag Day, he participated in the annual flag-burning ceremony sponsored by The Spirit of Princeton. Dressed as a miniature George Washington, R.J. was the flag bearer, and a clip of him performing his duties appeared on Channel 13 (WNET-New York).
   Despite all these honors, however, R.J. says he likes attending CAR conferences best. He likes making friends and staying up late, he explains. And he likes seeing the Morven Society win prizes.
   At the most recent state conference, the Morven Society won five second-place awards and eight first-place awards, including one for research projects its members did on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Several children wrote reports on the trek; one did an Indian dance, and another made up an interactive game about the adventure.
   The society did well at the ballot box, too. Two children from the Morven Society were elected at the conference to statewide office. R.J. was elected historian, and Kelsey Jones, an 11-year-old from Hightstown, was elected curator.
   Another member of the Morven Society, Melissa Olde, has also risen high in the CAR government. She was national president of the CAR last year.
   Mrs. Peters is obviously proud of the Pennington resident, who, four months shy of graduating from Elizabethtown College, has already received a job offer. "And why not?" asks Mrs. Peters. "She has run a national organization while in college!" Ms. Olde oversaw fund-raising projects, ran board meetings and an annual convention and made public speeches.
   Experience in the CAR trains children to excel at school, claims Mrs. Peters, plus it looks great on college and scholarship applications and provides a foundation for youngsters entering the business world.
   Ms. Olde recently had to give up her membership in the CAR, however, because she has turned 22. She is now too old to be a member, though she will continue in the CAR as a young adult leader.
   In CAR societies throughout the country, people like Mrs. Peters have the bittersweet task of training fine members like Ms. Olde, who inevitably grow up and leave. These societies must therefore always look for new members.
   Not surprisingly, many candidates for the Morven Society are the children or grandchildren of members of the Princeton DAR chapter to which Mrs. Peters belongs. Indeed, this group founded the Morven group many years ago.
   Anyone interesting in learning more about JAC or the CAR should call (609) 466-7333.
   "Children absorb Americana, a love of who we are and where we’ve come from," says Mrs. Peters. By taking them to places of historic importance and teaching them how to engage in representative democracy, she is helping JAC and CAR kids learn about themselves and their country.