Tuesday October 9 5:28 PM ET Paige Urges Schools to Recite Pledge WASHINGTON (AP) - If all goes as planned, many of the nation's 52 million students will simultaneously recite the Pledge of Allegiance on Friday. On Tuesday, Education Secretary Rod Paige urged all 107,000 public and private elementary and secondary schools to take part in a campaign organized by the nonprofit Celebration U.S.A. In a letter sent to principals, Paige noted that since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans have supported the victims, their families, rescue workers and the military. ``Today I ask students, teachers, parents and other proud Americans across the country to join me in showing our patriotism by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at a single time and with a unified voice,'' Paige wrote. ``We can send a loud and powerful message that will be heard around the world: America is `one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.''' The pledge will be recited at 2 p.m. EDT on Oct. 12, and at the corresponding times in the other U.S. time zones. Paige will participate from a Washington-area school. Paige spokeswoman Lindsey Kozberg stressed that taking part in the synchronized pledge recital is voluntary. Villa Park, Calif.-based Celebration U.S.A., founded by a retired teacher, distributes educational materials to schools to help students learn about American democracy and patriotism. The Pledge of Allegiance was first published in 1892, and has been changed twice since - to substitute ``the flag of the United States of America'' for ``my flag'' in 1924 and to add ``under God'' in 1954. It was officially recognized by the U.S. government in 1942. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/ap/20011009/us/attacks_pledge_1.html