PORT BYRON - During the spring 1787, a group of statesmen met in Philadelphia for a clandestine meeting to devise a remedy for what they perceived to be the mortal diseases of the Union developed under the Articles of Confederation.

Born from that four-month long meeting was the United States Constitution, a document unlike any other that has survived two centuries despite many domestic and international challenges.

On Wednesday, students in the Port Byron Central School District and every public school district across the country honored the achievements of those Americans now venerated as our Founding Fathers, as they celebrated the 221st anniversary of the Constitution becoming law.

Port Byron administration, teachers and students commemorated Constitution Day with an assembly featuring the talents of school musicians and its chorus, a speech by Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould and student presentations.

Students also donated $500 raised last year as part of an economics project to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an organization founded by Auburn-native John Walsh. Gould accepted the check on Walsh's behalf.

“The point of the celebration, I think a part of it is to be conscientious and to promote our heritage and cultural literacy of our history,” social studies teacher and event organizer Linda Townsend said. “Too many times we take for granted the freedom we have here.

“You need to have a sense of your past to prepare for the future,” she later added.

Many students recognize the achievements and unprecedented work of the Constitutional Convention.

“We became our own people,” Rachel Wieczorek, 17, of Savannah said. “We branched out, made ourselves known, and created something that lasted 221 years.”

Constitution Day was established by Congress in 2005 as a response to the 2001 terrorist attacks, Townsend said. The act mandates that every publicly funded educational institution provide educational programming on the Constitution on that day.

In addition to a recitation of the preamble and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and displaying a flag that was flown over President Abraham Lincoln's tomb in Illinois, students in Townsend's social studies classes created a PowerPoint presentation of paintings and quotes that best represent the Constitution's creation and the impact it has on our lives.

Jordan Stevens, 18, of Port Byron, helped build the presentation.

“(The Constitution) is of the utmost importance,” he said, “because it establishes guidelines for everyday life and without it, things would crumble.

“I feel that (today) is a celebration of the first democracy and how we've grown through the years.”

The assembly also highlighted an opportunity a Port Byron student had to meet with the U.S. Supreme Court justices.

Erica Podolak, 16, of Montezuma, not only had the chance to meet with the justices last year, but also was able to ask a question about how they interpret human rights and national security.

Podolak was one of 100 students featured on a three-part DVD series with the justices produced by the Annenberg Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing the public well-being through improved communication.

She said she was “starstruck” to meet people that have a vital role in government and how important the Constitution is to their jobs.

“It was cool to see how they use such an old document made by people so long ago in their daily lives,” she said.

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net