All Fontana Unified School District schools and offices will be closed on Monday, February 19, 2007 in observance of the Presidents' Day holiday.  In case of emergency, please remember that School Police Services is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including all holidays.
 

Which is it:  Washington's Birthday or Presidents' Day?

Observance on the third Monday of February dates to the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968, which became effective in 1971.  A draft of that bill called for a Presidents' Day to honor both Washington and Lincoln, but the final version only moved Washington's Birthday from the 22nd to the third Monday without changing its name.  As of 2007, the federal government still refers to the holiday as "Washington's Birthday," while many state and local governments and private employers refer to it as "Presidents' Day."

President George Washington:  Father of our Country

George Washington was the successful Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, presided over the Constitutional Convention that drafted the current U.S. Constitution, and was the unanimous choice to become the first President of the United States.  His two-term administration set many policies and traditions that survive today.  After his second term expired, Washington again voluntarily relinquished power, thereby establishing an important precedent that was to serve as an example for the United States and also for other future republics.

Because of his central role in the founding of the United States, Washington is often called the "Father of his Country".  Scholars rank George Washington with Abraham Lincoln among the greatest of U.S. presidents.

Online Resources:

• Colonial Williamsburg:  Biography and Resources
• George Washington Birthplace
• The American Presidency
• Mount Vernon
• The Papers of George Washington
• The White House