Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, PA’s First Lady, Applauds PennCORD Pilot Schools in Pittsburgh for Teaching Kids About Civic Duty
To: EDUCATION EDITORS
Contact: Ana Gomez of the Pennsylvania Office of the Governor, +1- 717-783-1116
PITTSBURGH, Pa., May 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, First Lady of Pennsylvania, today praised Oliver High School and Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh for their commitment to civic learning and their continued efforts to ensure students learn and practice civic responsibility.
“I am extremely proud of your school and I am equally proud of each of you for renewing your responsibility to civic learning through the development of innovative programming that promotes civic knowledge, critical-thinking skills, civic engagement and practical democratic deliberation,” said Judge Rendell. “Such hard work shows a strong commitment to the key values of leadership, good citizenship, respect for others and a personal civic responsibility.”
Judge Rendell first visited Oliver High School in Pittsburgh where she met with students in the pre-law program and the school’s World Affairs Club. Later, the First Lady visited Mt. Lebanon High School and met with student leaders who participated in a new election process as part of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Representative Democracy, or PennCORD.
Judge Rendell presented the schools with a banner on behalf of PennCORD, which identifies them as PennCORD pilot schools.
“As a proud PennCORD pilot school, display this banner as a civic call to action and a constant reminder to others of your commitment to both civic learning and a civic responsibility that goes beyond the four walls of your classrooms — and clearly looks toward the future,” Judge Rendell said.
Judge Rendell announced the formation of PennCORD — a partnership that is jointly led by the National Constitution Center, the state’s Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Governor’s Office of the First Lady — in 2004.
PennCORD represents a unique union of educational, advocacy, and governmental organizations that are committed to improving civic education for students in grade K-12, with emphasis on the six recommended approaches of the Carnegie Corporation’s Civic Mission of Schools Report (2003).
The coalition has united some of the strongest civic educational organizations in Pennsylvania to move from a fragmented approach to a united, community-based call for improved enforcement of the commonwealth’s civics and government standards.
For more information about the First Lady, visit http:// www.firstlady.state.pa.us. For more information about PennCORD, visit http://www.constitutioncenter.org/penncord.
The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell’s initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us.
CONTACT:
Ana Gomez
717-783-1116
SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor
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