National Anthem Project Teaches Patriotism at Northville School

For teacher Kristin Kreiss, one of the highlights of her week is walking through the halls on Friday mornings when the children in each of the classrooms sing the national anthem.

“It’s a goose-bump moment for me,” Kreiss said.

Perhaps so many children at Silver Springs know the words because Kreiss has made it a priority to teach it to them during her 10 years as a teacher in Northville. For the first time, beginning this year, she has formalized what is called “The National Anthem Project” for the first-, second- and third-graders in her music class. In total, at least 200 children of all grade levels have participated.

The three-part process begins with learning "The Star-Spangled Banner" in class. Children get a red, white and blue bracelet when an adult signs off on an affidavit-style form assuring that the child has learned the national anthem.  Next, the child gets his or her name on a star; together, the stars form an American flag outside of the school’s music room.

“It looks really neat,” Kreiss said. “Now that they know it, now that they proved they know it, they can sing at a (Plymouth) Whalers game.”

About 140 Silver Springs students have signed up to sing at two games. Seventy will sing at the Plymouth Whalers’ next game at 7 p.m. Friday.

According to a recent Harris Poll, only one-third of Americans know the words to the national anthem. Kreiss said some of the most prominent examples of not knowing the words have been at the Olympic games, when athletes did not sing along. There have also been widely publicized instances when celebrities have botched the words at sporting events.

“It’s a hot-button issue for me," she said. "I hope they sing it for the rest of their lives

“This is one of the ways we come together as a community,” she said.

Tonya Darr, the mother of two boys at Silver Springs, is glad that her children are part of the program.

“As a parent, being able to see them when they go to sporting events, sing the national anthem, when I see so many adults that don’t know the words, makes me very proud,” she said.

Darr said there are several lessons her children learn from the experience. They learn, she said, “to understand citizenship. Not just ‘I know the words to the national anthem,’ but what it symbolizes.”