We took the big bus to Clarksville, TN today, and stopped by Burt Elementary!
Burt is a unique school in that it is only 4th & 5th grades. However, that’s not even the most interesting thing that I learned today about this school.
I spoke with Burt’s academic coach, Ms. Liz Thomas, after the show. She said that Burt used to be a high school, and a Great American attended that high school! Wilma Rudolph was a student at Burt School in the 1950’s and played basketball there, and she also coached track there later in her life!
For those of you that may not know, Wilma Rudolph’s life is an inspiring story of dedication, hard work, and overcoming the odds to achieve greatness. She was the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics in 1960. She was the “fastest woman in the world,” breaking several world records in track. But, her life wasn’t always easy. She overcame poverty and crippling childhood illnesses with determination and hard work. She became an inspiration to so many that followed her career and that came after her. I wish I had time to share her entire story, but you can read more about her here: http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016444.html
Wilma Rudolph displayed character traits throughout her life that exemplify a Super Citizen, overcoming obstacles in life with hard work, perseverance and strength of character. The Liberty Learning Foundation hopes to inspire today’s students with our program to adopt these same attributes so that they can become the Next Great Americans!
Thank you to Principal Diana Hara for helping us with the show today at Burt Elementary and to Ms. LeeAnne Gullett for bringing the tour to the school! We were also glad to have Zach Whitaker join us from the Clarksville Montgomery County School System!
The students at Burt Elementary were great, and full of questions! After it was over, they even recounted many of the things that they had learned during the show. Our team had a good time visiting with everyone!
Tomorrow we roll into the fabulous city of Nashville, Tennessee! Jones Paideia Magnet School, we’ll see you then!