Island Park students study presidents

Prior to 1971, the Feb. 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington’s Feb. 22 birthday were separately celebrated as federal holidays. In 1971, President Richard Nixon proclaimed the third Monday of February as Presidents Day, a single national holiday in honor of all past presidents of the United States of America.

At Francis X. Hegarty School in Island Park, Presidents Day is more than a vacation day for students as they used the opportunity to learn about many past presidents. As part of their ELA studies, third graders in Mrs. Pozin’s class researched the lives of several past presidents and wrote biographies. Pictured here proudly displaying their presidential biographies is Ian Mininni (Theodore Roosevelt), Gabriela Chavez (Thomas Jefferson), and Billy Gelish (George Washington).