Students in Miss Butler's 4th grade class and Miss Le's 1st grade class were treated to a special guest Friday, Sept. 14. "Betsy Ross" came in from Philadelphia to remind the children that Sept. 17 through Sept. 23 is officially Constitution Week, celebrated nationally. She spoke of George Washington, the Revolutionary War, and of course her flag.

The historic figure was depicted by Des Moines resident, Janette Swecker, an 8-year member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. That organization initiated Constitution Week in 1955, and President Eisenhower officially recognized it the following year. President Obama officially proclaimed Sept. 17 through Sept. 23 of this year Constitution week in a proclamation letter dated Thursday, Sept. 13. His statement included, "As we mark this 225th anniversary of the signing of our Constitution, we also recognize the candidates for citizenship who will commemorate this day by joining our American family. For more than two centuries, our country has drawn enterprising men and women from around the world -- individuals who have sought to build a life as good as their talents and their hard work would allow. Generations have crossed land and ocean because of the belief that, in America, all things are possible.

As Betsy Ross, Ms. Swecker said, "I was born in Pennsylvania. The house where I was born is still there (in modern days). My father was a carpenter, and helped build the bell tower in Independence Hall where the Liberty Bell was hung. After the Constitution was signed they rang the Liberty Bell, and every bell in town for hours. They shot off canons in the harbor."

She passed out little metal replicas of the Liberty Bell for the school kids to ring. She explained a bit about the British taxation without representation, and and students recited the preamble which she written down on large cards, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

"As Betsy Ross I lived very close and watched all the history being made," she said. "I was there when they signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and I still lived there with my sewing shop in 1787 when they signed the Constitution. The Constitution is the most important document of the United States. We know that without rules and laws there is no order. It is the world's longest surviving written (charter) of government.

"All of the officials were men," she said. "Betsy Ross went to a Quaker school and met John Ross, her future husband. She was Betsy (Elizabeth) Griscom. He was a sewing apprentice, which they called upholstery then. He open a shop. He was guarding a munitions dump and it blew up, severely injuring John, in January, 1776. He later died. In May I went to Christ Church, where John's father was the minister.

"A lot of Founding Fathers and other officials would attend. Sometimes George Washington would be there. My pew was right next to his. Robert Morris was a rich businessman. He knew me from the Quaker church. I became a central figure. George Washington wanted a flag made. All the states had a flag. They came to me and asked me to make one flag for all the states. One thing I changed was the star. I showed how I could cut a five pointed star, not the six pointed star they had."

During her speech, Swecker sipped a bottle of iced tea, and said, "I was not taxed a lot for this tea. I can still afford it."