The Pike County and Troy City schools kicked off Super Citizens’ Next Great Americans program Wednesday at Troy University.

Four hundred and twenty-five second- and fifth-grade students from the Pike County Schools and 425 second- and fifth-grade students from Troy Elementary School will participate in the 10-week program.

The Super Citizens’ program is a civic educational program that teaches young students how they can be super citizens each and every day. They will learn about America’s history, immigration, how to honor veterans and much more.

The highlight of the kickoff event was a visit from Lady Liberty.

As the most enduring symbol of freedom, Lady Libby, as she prefers to be called, gave the students details about the Statue of Liberty that most people don’t know. She told them that Lady Liberty was a gift to the United States from the people of France and how she was constructed in pieces and shipped across the ocean in 300 pieces.

She demonstrated the length of Lady Liberty’s four-foot nose and her eight-foot finger. She told them that Lady Liberty has chains around her feet but that the chains are broken, to symbolize the unleashing of the chains of bondage. She told them that Lady Liberty is a strong and lasting symbol of freedom.

Becky Saunders, Next Great Americans regional development director, said the program goal is to teach, inspire and empower the next generation of great Americans.

“Everybody can be hero,” Saunders said. “Next Great Americans encourages and motivates the students to give back to their communities – to do something bigger than themselves. The program teaches students what it means to be a citizen and what the responsibilities of citizenship are. It instills in them a sense of community pride.”

Saunders said the program makes students more aware of local heroes and, hopefully, gives them desire to emulate their local heroes.

“Students are learning to read and to write,” she said. “They are learning about technology. But they are missing something. They are not life-ready. Getting them-life ready is the aim of Next Great Americans.

The Next Great Americans program is sponsored locally by Troy Bank and Trust. Jeff Kervin, TB&T president and CEO, said Next Great Americans is an outstanding program and will be beneficial to the students today and in the future as they step into the role of community heroes and become the next generation of great Americans.