Why President's Day

Washington's Birthday, aka Presidents' Day, is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of February. The day honors presidents of the United States, including George Washington, the USA's first president.

We know how to celebrate the 4th of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day....but what do we do to honor President's Day?  I was talking with an elementary teacher at one of the local schools and she shared with me some of the writings of her class and I thought I would share them with you.  The question the kids had to answer was what is President's Day and this is what they said.  Well....Washington's Birthday officially honors the life and work of George Washington, the first president of the United States. The day also commemorates past presidents of the USA. Washington's Birthday is sometimes known as Presidents' Day. This is because while most states have adopted Washington's Birthday, some states officially celebrate Presidents' Day.  Some states pay particular attention to Abraham Lincoln, as his birthday was also in mid-February. In the weeks or days leading up to the holiday, the elementary schools in my county and surrounding ones organized some art events and lessons for students about the presidents of the United States and George Washington in particular. What I did discover is that it is an extremely popular day for stores to start their white sales, mattress sales, and bedding sales.  The US federal holiday is on the third Monday of February each year, but records show that George Washington's birthday was actually on February 22.  Indiana observes the Washington's birthday holiday in December.  George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. His first term as president was from 1789 to 1793 and his second term from 1793 to 1797. Before he became president, he played important roles in the military, leading the American Continental Army to victory over the British in 1783. Washington is often seen as the father of the United States and is probably the best known American politician ever.
The likeness and name of George Washington can still be seen in many places in the United States. There is the portrait of him and three other American presidents carved into Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. His image is also used on the one-dollar bill and the quarter-dollar coin. The capital of the United States, Washington D.C., Washington State and at least three universities are named after him.  Washington's Birthday was first celebrated as a holiday in the District of Columbia in 1880. It was made a federal holiday in 1885. The holiday was originally held on the anniversary of George Washington's birth, on February 22. In 1971, this holiday was moved to the third Monday in February.  This holiday is legally designated as "Washington’s Birthday". Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is the federal government’s policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.  What will you be doing?  Our students will not be in school on that day, but we the teachers will be.  This is one of the gazillion inservices we have to do during the year.