DAR members give school supplies to Kate Duncan Smith DAR School
Members of the Chickamauga, Chief John Ross, Judge David Campbell and Nancy Ward Chapter traveled to Gunter Mountain, Grant, Ala., for Dedication Day at the Kate Duncan Smith DAR School. Joining the Daughters was Holly Mathews of Tennessee DAR Newsletter chairman. Ms. Matthews is a member of the Cavett Station Chapter in Knoxville.
The Kate Duncan Smith DAR School is one of eight schools supported by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Known locally as the DAR school, KDS was established in 1924 to meet the educational needs of the children on Gunter Mountain. In 1928, the Alabama DAR Society was joined in its support of the school by the National Society. Along with the Tamassee DAR School in South Carolina, KDS is only one of two schools owned by the DAR. Today the school is a public-private partnership that operates under the Marshall County School System and the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Part of the core curriculum of the KDS school instills patriotism and service to American in the students. Each student, from the youngest to the graduating senior, can recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the American’s Creed and the Preamble to the Constitution.
Dedication Days occurs during the second week of each October. This year President General Ann Turner Dillon, along with members of National Society, joined with DAR chapters from across the country to travel to Grant, pledging funds for specific projects. The two-day event which highlights speakers, student musical performances and skits, a craft show, and a basket lunch is an opportunity for DAR chapters and individual members to view the historic building and met with the students and faculty. This year the school celebrated its 92th Dedication Day.
At the August Fall Workshops, members from the Appalachian and Cherokee Districts of Eastern Tennessee collected school supplies for the KDS students. On Monday, the school was presented with 47 bags containing notebooks, pencils, pins, loose leaf paper and other classroom items, along with two crates of sticky notepads and dry board markers.
To learn more about the work of the DAR, please visit DAR.org.