COLUMBUS, Ohio — Monday marks Presidents Day, a holiday celebrating George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and the United States’ other commanders in chief throughout the years.
Most public schools in central Ohio have announced that they will be closed on Feb. 17 due to Presidents Day.
Columbus City Schools told families that there will be no classes for all schools on Monday. Staff will also not be in attendance.
Pickerington Schools will also be closed for Presidents Day, along with South-Western City Schools and Hilliard City Schools.
All activities at Olentangy Schools were canceled Sunday, and students will not be in attendance the next day as well.
Delaware City Schools will observe Presidents Day. Also, there will be no classes the next day on Feb. 18 due to a teacher in-service day.
Families can find information on their school district’s plans for Presidents Day on the school’s academic calendar.
Presidents Day started as a celebration of George Washington’s Feb. 22 birthday — and officially, the federal government still calls the holiday Washington’s Birthday.
So why is the holiday on the 19th this year, and why do we celebrate other presidents? The U.S. Embassy says Congress fixed the Feb. 22 holiday to make it fall on the third Monday of February each year starting in 1971, creating a long weekend.
Celebrations grew to include Lincoln, who also had a mid-February birthday, and other presidents from throughout U.S. history. Some states celebrate the holiday as “Washington and Lincoln’s Birthday,” while others — and most Americans — call it Presidents Day.
