Journey 250: An American Story
A Semiquincentennial Celebration for K-12 Students
Washington, DC, August 4, 2025—The National School Boards Coalition (NSBC) launches the “Journey 250: An American Story – Celebrating Bravery and Freedom” campaign to inspire American patriotism in K-12 classrooms as part of America’s year-long semiquincentennial celebration, led by NSBC school board officials across the U.S.
Timeless American truths are rapidly disappearing from our school curricula and, therefore, the hearts and minds of many of our youth. As our nation approaches its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, a recent GALLUP poll has revealed that Generation Z is the least patriotic generation in U.S. history. A mere 41% express pride in being American, significantly lower than the 58% of millennials. This alarming trend reveals a decline in patriotism in each successive generation, and it is beginning to lead our youth to lose appreciation for being American, undervalue free speech, harbor anger toward personal freedoms, and lack a fundamental understanding of our system of government and the hard-won freedoms inherited from previous generations. This is a cultural issue and a national crisis that demands urgent attention. At the same time, we see a troubling erosion of civil discourse, where disagreements too often divide rather than unite. Journey 250 is designed not only to restore pride in America but also to model constructive dialogue about our history, values, and future.
The White House’s initiative to honor America’s history and exceptionalism is an opportunity we can not let pass without fulfilling our duty to respond to this pressing challenge. The National School Boards Coalition (NSBC), is proactively calling upon local school board members to take the lead in reinstating American patriotism among our youth.
Chairman of the coalition, Laura Zorc comments, “We provide a robust framework, practical tools, and mentorship to empower board members with our current network of 978 school boards to support students and families through effective budgeting and policy-making while addressing challenging legislation.
As a unified network of elected school board members, we advance initiatives and policies aligned with our principles, offering an alternative to the National School Board Association’s (NSBA) anti-American, anti-parental-rights, and anti-educational-freedom platform. The NSBC is a supportive community for school board officials committed to improving educational quality and advocating for our values.”
Vice Chairman, Dr. Karen Hiltz states, “Utilizing our network of school board officials, we are launching a new campaign: ‘“‘Journey 250: An American Story—Celebrating Bravery and Freedom. “This dynamic initiative aims to immerse students in the rich tapestry of American history through a themed approach that ties the past to the present through travel and exploration, with an intentional focus on narratives of strength and resilience in its soldiers and battles, and on capitalism through its innovators, risk-takers, and entrepreneurs. Led by the NSBC, this campaign promotes fundamental values through school board officials who can enact resolutions and proclamations, establishing celebratory standards throughout the district.”
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