(Riverton, WY) – Riverton High School was selected as the only school in Wyoming to host the History Rocks tour, a traveling assembly visiting one school in each state to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education David Barker made the trip from Washington, D.C. for the event, telling students he had driven down from Billings the day before and kept stopping to take photos of the scenery along the way.
Every student was supplied with a paper designed with an American flag on one side and the Wyoming flag on the other. Students held up one side or the other to declare their answer to quiz questions about history. h/t Carl Cote Riverton senior Jameson Spradlin leads the school in the Pledge of Allegiance. h/t Carl Cote Tricia Stanley sings the National Nathem at the history Rocks Assembley. h/t Carl Cote
The assembly on Wednesday morning transformed the school auditorium into something resembling a game show set, with large screens flanking the stage and American flags lining the stage perimeter. Students filed in to find paper flags at their seats, printed with the Stars and Stripes on one side and the Wyoming state flag on the other.
“You’re really lucky to grow up in such a beautiful place,” Barker told the crowd.
U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education David Barker speaks to students at RHS Wednesday morning. Barker touched on the importance of learning American history and the country’s aproaching biquintennial. h/t Carl Cote Students cheered on their teammates during one of the competitions Wednesday. h/t Carl Cote Social Studies teacher Samantha Howerton hyped up the kids during the History Rocks assembly Wednesday. h/t Carl Cote
Barker spoke about the significance of the upcoming semiquincentennial, the nation’s 250th birthday, and told students he remembered the bicentennial in 1976 when he was about their age. He encouraged them to study the history behind the celebration, particularly the ideals of the American Revolution.
“The idea that we’re all created equal, that we are endowed with rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Barker said. “Not a right to happiness itself, but a right to the pursuit of happiness.”
After Barker’s remarks, Riverton High School social studies teacher Brennan Ibach took over as game master, and the volume in the auditorium climbed toward deafening. Ibach opened with a round of trivia covering both American Revolution history and Wyoming history, asking questions about the French and Indian War, the Declaration of Independence, Native American food sources, and the fur trade. Students voted by holding up the American flag or the Wyoming flag side of their papers, depending on which answer they believed was correct.
The second game brought volunteers onto the stage for a Family Feud-style competition, with two teams of students answering multiple-choice questions about the Revolutionary War era. Ibach kept the energy high, requiring students to do dance moves, eagle screeches, and burpees before answering. The games covered everything from the number of signers on the Declaration of Independence to the Quartering Act to the battle of Lexington and Concord.
Principal Thomas Jassman opened the assembly and closed it by reminding students that Riverton High School was the only school chosen in Wyoming for the tour.
“This is a part of your history,” Jassman said. “You’ll be able to look back on this and remember when you got to celebrate, for the state, 250 years of our independence in America.”