Shepherdstown Mayor Jim Auxer recently signed a proclamation declaring Constitution Week will be held Sept. 17-23, 2015.

To commemorate the week-long observance, members of the Pack Horse Ford Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) will distribute 25 posters and 1,000 booklets of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to students in selected Jefferson and Berkeley County schools.

The display in the windows of Dickinson in Wait Craft Gallery in Shepherdstown will feature the connection between the Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution. The Magna Carta, created 800 years ago, is one of the most important documents in history. It guaranteed the people certain rights and bound King John to certain laws.

Local churches are asked to participate in the “Bells Across America” to help celebrate the 228th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, by ringing their church bells 13 times, for the 13 colonies, at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015.

Members of the chapter’s Constitution Week Committee include Jane Snyder, Chairman; Meredith Wait; Vonda Miller; Carolyn Bryant; Kara Klein Gibson; and Tara Fritz.

The Daughters of the American Revolution began the tradition of celebrating Constitution Week when they petitioned Congress to set aside the week of Sept. 17-23 each year. The resolution was adopted by Congress and signed into law Aug. 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 2004, U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd from West Virginia introduced a bill that mandates that all colleges and K-12 schools receiving Federal funding teach a lesson on the U. S. Constitution.

Constitution Week is the perfect opportunity to read and study this great document, which is the safeguard of our American liberties. We encourage all citizens to take time to reflect on our great heritage.

The Daughters of the American Revolution is a nonprofit, nonpolitical volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to preserving American history, securing America’s future through better education, and promoting patriotism. To learn more about the work of today’s DAR, visit www.DAR.org. For more information about the Pack Horse Ford Chapter, NSDAR, contact Regent Cheryl Brown at 304-876-3817.