During a recent visit to Hampton Roads, Gov. Glenn Youngkin highlighted the work of a new, innovative learning facility whose mission is to elevate early education.
"Schools like the New E3 School and their innovative curriculum are making a huge difference," Youngkin told a small crowd gathered at the school.
It is a difference that Virginia's First Lady Suzanne Youngkin said is critical.
"Over half of our Virginia students in K through second grade are at moderate to high risk for reading difficulties," Mrs. Youngkin said.
Lisa Robertson, wife of Tim Robertson and daughter-in-law of CBN founder Pat Robertson, dedicated her life to making a difference and helped create a school working to improve those numbers.
Since it opened in 2014, the New E3 school reports that during the 2022/2023 school year CLASS scores exceeded those from other Virginia classrooms.
Co-founder and President Lisa Howard credits Robertson's involvement for that achievement. "She was instrumental in our success, and she was such a believer on how important the first eight years are of a child's life, and that if we could give them a strong foundation, that they would be off and running," Howard told CBN News.
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"It really gave me a love for just looking around and exploring," former student Tyler Smith said in an interview with CBN News. "It made me interested in lots more things than I probably wouldn't if I didn't come here."
In her memory, the school's preschoolers joined in the celebration of dedicating the school's "Lisa Robertson Literacy Lab and Library".
Robertson's family was present to witness the special event.
"We got to choose a few of the books that go in the literacy lab, 'So the Little Engine that Could,' 'the Jesus Storybook Bible,' these books that we know she loves so much and she read to us," said Robertson's daughter Cally Everett. "But now future children and future generations can get that same access, it's really special."
"Lisa Robertson will continue to be a light," Youngkin told CBN News. "And it's exciting to see that light passed on generation to generation with the literacy and library capabilities that are going to be presented to all students."
"But I think it's more than just a room," continued Youngkin. "It's actually love. And at the heart, she believed in the most fundamental foundational principle that after God, we love each other. And she just truly loved, and it was that love she poured in to children and to make sure that they in fact had the capabilities and the skills to fulfill their God-given aspirations."
It is a legacy that is sure to extend beyond the walls of the classroom.
"She cared a lot and invested in younger mothers and teaching them how they can do these activities or share their faith with their children," Everett said. "I think she would really love to know that she helped to create a school in this literacy lab that are supporting the children and supporting their parents too."
Click Here to Learn More About the New E3 School
Click Here to Learn More About Lisa Robertson's Life and Legacy
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