Spirit Series

10/16/2026

One student tackles a difficult passage in a play.

Confronts their confusion—the limits of their understanding. Gets help from a classmate or their teacher. Takes it in. Takes a risk. Stands and delivers.

None of this can be captured in quantitative assessment. Its impact defies measurement, but is transformative nonetheless.

That young person has made a leap. Answered the call and found more of themselves in the work.

Confidence grows alongside literacy. Teamwork strengthens character. Performance asks for courage. And courage helps young people discover how very much they are capable of.

Learn more at www.spiritseries.org.

10/05/2026

A $500,000 matching grant can make wonderful things possible.
In our case, jumpstarting “The Founding” Initiative.

Our deepest thanks to the Coxe Family Fund—their extraordinary generosity will unlock over $1,000,000, and with it a profound experience for the first 10,000 fifth to eighth grade students nationwide.

A chance to not just learn about democracy. To practice it. As citizens of their classrooms.

Every student has a role. Every voice matters. And each class only succeeds when every student moves beyond “me”… to “us.”

Educators. Funders. Parents. Community leaders. And anyone who believes the next generation deserves the chance to EXPERIENCE citizenship, not simply read about it.

Help us bring this drama-based celebration of the civic virtue that forged our nation to young people everywhere.

Learn more about “The Founding” at https://spiritseries.org/the-founding-initiative/.

09/28/2026

The future may be digital.

But growing up is still analogue. And deeply human.

The New York Times asks 10-year-olds to imagine life in 2050. They see AI everywhere. More screens. Less human interaction. Even weaker friendships. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/style/10-year-old-children-predict-the-future.html

SPIRIT SERIES gives young people—grades 4 through 11—what screens cannot: purpose, challenge, belonging, self-expression, and the courage to step out of their comfort zone with others.

These are essentials. Not extras.

Robot butlers. Underwater homes. Root b**r perfume. Kids across the nation weigh in on what life will be like in the year 2050.

09/24/2026

American history teachers…

Do you want to awaken your students to their democratic birthright?

Do you hope to help them grow into civic-minded adults?

If so, our newest one-act play “The Founding” may be for you!

For three weeks, “The Founding,” can turn your classroom into a living lesson in citizenship.

As your class works together to bring to life this celebration of the civic values that forged our nation, they experience the challenges, responsibilities and rewards of belonging to something greater than themselves. Of joining together in shared purpose.

As they absorb the history, they also learn to support one another. Listen. Take chances together. Respect differences. And ultimately, “out of many” become “one.”

Through their powerful lived experience, civic spirit, civic literacy and civic trust can grow.

To learn more, contact us at https://spiritseries.org/the-founding-initiative/contact/ and/or share this with a fellow educator who you feel might want to know.

09/19/2026

239 years ago this week, the Constitution was signed.
But how many young people appreciate the significance of that moment?
How many have made a connection to this cornerstone event in the nation’s history?
Through our newest one-act play—“The Founding” —SPIRIT SERIES seeks to turn civics and history into lived experience. For three weeks, students step inside the story of our bold democratic beginnings as they study, co-write, stage, and perform this inspiring story.
That experience creates something facts alone cannot.
A heart connection.
A real identification with the democratic inheritance that is their birthright.
A reason to care.
What better way for civic spirit, civic literacy, and civic virtue to take root and grow.
See “The Founding” in action at https://spiritseries.org/plays/the-founding/.

07/04/2026

Happy 4th of July on America’s 250th Anniversary! Today we celebrate the revolutionary ideals and civic virtue that forged our nation.

For an inspirational look at civic education in action and the impact of our newest one-act play — “The Founding” — check out this two minute video!

07/04/2026

Happy 4th of July on America's 250th Anniversary! Today we celebrate the revolutionary ideals and civic virtue that forged our nation.

For an inspirational look at civic education in action and the impact of our newest one-act play -- "The Founding" -- check out this two minute video!

Eighth grade students premier the newest SPIRIT SERIES one-act play -- "The Founding" -- a celebration of the revolutionary ideals and spirit of compromise that forged our nation. Join us in this initiative to revitalize civic education, civic trust, and civic virtue. For more information visit: htt...

01/19/2026

“Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King believed that education was not only about knowledge, but about shaping moral responsibility, empathy, and courage. His vision challenged generations to think deeply, act justly, and care for one another — especially in moments when doing so is not easy.

Today, we honor his life, his words, and his enduring commitment to justice through learning.

12/01/2025

Dear Supporters and Friends,

On the 250th anniversary of American independence, what could be more important than educating the coming generation to the gifts of democracy? With your help, by the end of this decade 10,000 students from coast to coast will study, stage and perform the SERIES’ newest one-act play, “The Founding,” and awaken to the core values that established our nation.

This coming year is also our 25th anniversary. And, like the American republic, our more modest history, with its own trials and triumphs, has also been sustained by certain ideals. Chief among them, civic virtue—what we once called citizenship—the responsibilities that come with community. That’s why we often sign these letters to you: “Together We Grow!’ It’s a call to join with one another in common cause, and a reminder that our personal fortunes actually depend upon the wellbeing of all. Just as Ben Franklin, with his wit and wisdom, quipped to fellow patriots on the eve of Revolution: “We must all hang together…or most assuredly we shall all hang separately!”

“The Founding” focuses on the framers struggle to create a bold, new form of government that put the common good of the People above self-interest or personal gain. What emerged—the American Constitution—while less than perfect, stands as a miracle of vision and compromise. We hope this third American History title in the SERIES will benefit from the 40,000+ hours of classroom instruction we have delivered over the years. We could not have done so without you! And as we prepare our young people to become engaged citizens, we want to thank you, in advance, for helping to revitalize civic education, civic trust and civic virtue with your generous support.

Together We Grow!

Leslie & Richard Strauss
Co-Directors, SPIRIT SERIES INC.

P.S. “The Founding” will become available to educators everywhere on July 4, 2026.