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First Lady Corbett drops by local elementary school to tout new educational program

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First Lady Susan Corbett dropped by an elementary school in Cumberland County to help launch a fund drive for an adult literacy program.

She sat down with kindergarten and first grade students at North Dickinson Elementary School near Carlisle.

Starting her third year as First Lady, Susan Corbett has become an unabashed advocate for education. She'll stop by a school library to read a book to the kids, then be off to Harrisburg to meet with the Education Secretary about her thoughts on keeping middle school students in the classroom.

“The book is called ‘Snoring Bernard’. Does anyone in this room know anyone that snores? That's what I thought," chuckled First Lady Corbett.

With that she helped kick off the buck-a-book campaign in the Carlisle Area School District. When told the purpose, the students seemed excited about raising money to help adults who can't read learn to read.

"I might ask you to snore during this book,” the First Lady told the children. “Can we practice snoring? Going to go 1, 2, 3 ... Everybody snore. You're great snorers. You're going to love this book."

The First Lady and the governor both taught school when they finished college. She said her experience has been non-traditional, working in arts, history and culture and teaching adult education. Now she particularly enjoys reading to young kids.

"Did you ever hear of ‘Alice in Wonderland?’ So this is the queen of hearts from ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ one of my favorite books,” displayed Susan.

Mrs. Corbett says there are a lot of advocates in early education, likewise at the other end of the spectrum where there's a focus on getting student drop-outs re-engaged and back in school. So she's teamed up with the state education department and Team PA to develop an initiative called Opening Doors.

It focuses on the middle school years. It identifies students at-risk of dropping out, struggling with learning.

Signs include cutting school, skipping class, acting out and learning below grade level. What issues are facing the student: homelessness, abuse, student-teacher conflict?

"If you can identify the problem and provide an appropriate intervention you have an 80 percent chance of them graduating,” Corbett told us. “If you do nothing it's 20 percent. There is a real window there to identify kids at risk and help them get through this difficult age that transition between elementary and middle school and middle school and high school is particularly critical.”

The name of her initiative is ‘Opening Doors.’ You'll be hearing more about it soon. And don't forget to make your donation to buck-a-book to help adult literacy.


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