A historic day in American history will be commemorated from now on by teachers and students in the Cherokee County School District.

Activities have been planned for teachers to give creative and innovative lesson plans to inform students about Constitution Day, which is on Sept. 17.

U.S. House Resolution 4818, which was signed into law by former President George W. Bush in 2004, requires any education institution that receives federal funding to have programming on Sept. 17 to commemorate the U.S. Constitution.

Various resources will be available for teachers to use to supplement their lesson plans for the day, said Dr. Carla Cohen, school district assistant superintendent for educational programs, student support and professional development.

Teachers will be able to access the school district's SharePoint site and use posted websites, videos and games that cater the standards to students of all grade levels, according to county Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo.

The district's MediaCAST, its on-demand video server, will also be available for teachers to access.

"Technology is playing a big part in teaching," Dr. Cohen added.

Teachers across the district have also created age-appropriate lesson plans for grades that studied U.S. history in the past, she said.

Rep. Calvin Hill (R-Hickory Flat), along with Cherokee Tribune columnist Donald Conkey and Cherokee County Republican Women's President Lori Pesta, met with district staff to lobby for further attention to be paid to the day.

Hill said the district's response was "absolutely wonderful."

Hill sponsored a bill that would have required local school districts to formally recognize Constitution Day, but it was vetoed by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

"This is something I've tried to get done in the past four years," Hill said.

He is "thrilled to death" that Cherokee students will spend the day learning about a document that's the "backbone of our legal system and is the backbone of our country."

"I'm thrilled that Dr. P decided to take this route," he said, referring to Petruzielo.

At Freedom Middle School, a slew of activities are planned for students, said Arlene Freeland, seventh-grade social studies teacher.

Sixth-graders will watch videos with quizzes on the Constitution and talk about the Bill of Rights. Seventh- and eight-graders will learn about the document using the Bill of Rights Institute's website.

Eighth-graders will hear a guest speaker, who will read "Shh! We're Writing the Constitution" by Jean Fritz.

Students will also have the opportunity to participate in a Constitution Day poster contest sponsored by the Government Documents Round Table.

At Sequoyah High School, some of the activities planned include a Constitution scavenger hunt in freshman elective classes.

Students will compare the Bill of Rights and the country's form of government to those of ancient civilizations and the government's role in regulating private investments, said Catherine Barco, the school's social studies department chairwoman.

Ms. Barco said students will also make posters that illustrate their rights and freedoms and display them throughout the school. The morning announcements will include various facts about the document.

"Teachers work diligently to ensure that the Constitution is touched upon in every social studies classroom in creative ways to ensure that their course curriculum is still the primary focus," she said.

The Constitution was signed by 39 delegates representing the 13 original colonies on Sept. 17, 1787.