Rosa Parks Middle School to Host Naturalization Ceremony

September 13, 2013

Rosa M. Parks Middle School in Olney, MD, will host a naturalization ceremony on Tuesday, September 17, where approximately 26 people will be sworn in as U.S. citizens. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Associate Director Rendell L. Jones will preside over the ceremony.

The ceremony will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., in the school’s gymnasium, located at 19200 Olney Mill Road. All eighth grade students will attend the ceremony as part of learning about the government and the citizenship process. The event is open to the public.

During the ceremony, students will sing the national anthem and lead the new citizens in the Pledge of Allegiance. The school orchestra will play “America the Beautiful.” Additionally, a video that was put together by the students titled, “What Citizenship Means to Me,” will be shown. At the conclusion of the event, the students will present gifts to the new citizens.

The 26 citizenship candidates come from the following 23 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq, Malaysia, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Korea and Vietnam.

This event is part of USCIS’ annual celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. More than 18,000 people will become U.S. citizens during approximately 180 naturalization ceremonies across the country from September 16 to September 23.

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day are commemorated every September 17 in honor of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. In 1952, President Harry Truman signed a bill formalizing the celebration of Citizenship Day. In 2004, Congress established September 17 as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.

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