Wake schools will use an ‘inclusive lens’ to explore America’s 250th anniversary
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- WCPSS aims to center America250 within its curriculum and community outreach.
- Guidance directs schools to highlight Indigenous, enslaved, immigrant, and women voices.
- Wake expects all schools to mark America250 using state themes and suggested activities.
Wake County schools are being encouraged to promote a diverse look at the nation’s history as students commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States.
Wake County school administrators on Tuesday presented the district’s plans for marking America 250, the nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Schools should “highlight the diverse voices (Indigenous, enslaved, immigrant and women) that have shaped North Carolina’s history over the last 250 years,” according to Wake’s school guidance.
“As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, WCPSS recognizes this as a pivotal opportunity to examine our shared history through a more inclusive lens,” the guidance document says. “By centering ‘America 250’ within our curriculum and community outreach, we aim to move beyond traditional narratives to ensure every student sees their ancestors’ contributions as foundational to the American story.”
Wake’s approach drew praise from school board members at Tuesday’s student achievement committee meeting. School board vice chair Sam Hershey thanked administrators for developing a plan that’s not playing it safe.
“Thank you for making this an honest reflection of 250 and not a whitewashed reflection of ‘rah, rah, we’re the best’ kind of thing,” Hershey told staff.
Wake’s guidance comes after the State Board of Education adopted new social studies standards in 2021 that call for teachers to more explicitly discuss racism and discrimination and the perspectives of historically marginalized groups.
Supporters of the state standards said they provide a fuller telling of the nation’s legacy. But critics said the standards paint an overly negative view of the nation’s history.
Schools to ‘honor the diverse experiences and challenges’
Wake school administrators said that all schools are expected to mark America 250.
Statewide, there will be around 700 events commemorating America 250, The News & Observer previously reported.
“This commemoration is an opportunity for the Wake County Public School System to engage students, families and partners in a reflection on our shared history,” according to Wake’s guidance document. “Our goal is to inspire a deeper understanding of our nation’s founding principles — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — while honoring the diverse experiences and challenges that have shaped North Carolina and the American spirit today.”
Schools will adopt a strategy within district guidance or aligned with district expectations.
Wake is grouping its activities in three themes developed by the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources: visions of freedom, gathering of voices and common ground.
Examples of potential activities include:
- Students would discuss Revolutionary-era leaders and movements like women’s suffrage and the Civil rights Movement.
- Secondary students create a three-minute podcast with a family or community member and then write a paragraph linking a personal story or struggle or creativity to one of the founding principles.
- Elementary students draw a “patch” representing a freedom they have today, connecting the promises of 1776 to modern life.
- Students can have their families cook a dish that represents their heritage and discuss how that culture contributes to the “flavor” of America.
- Middle school students explore how the Declaration of Independence is an “unfinished document” and examine questions such as who was excluded in 1776 and what “bold steps” are required to reach its promise in 2026.
Students will explore their ‘American identity’
School board members got a taste of what high school juniors will do with an exercise asking them to think of an object that represents their family’s “American identity.”
School board member Christina Gordon, who chairs the student achievement committee, thought of her late grandmother’s lifetime NAACP pin.
“That itself speaks to the change in America in fighting against violence, racism, affecting policy,” Gordon said of the pin.
Hershey thought about his birth certificate and how the father’s side of his family and his mother had immigrated to America. Hershey said his birth certificate showed the continuation of the American Dream.
Families and the community will appreciate the way that Wake is approaching the teaching of the 250th anniversary, according to Hershey.
“We have done a lot of great things as a country, and we have a lot of warts, and we have to examine all of it constantly and hopefully not just at 250,” Hershey said.
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 5:09 PM.
