Chambersburg, Pennsylvania – Dr. Deborah Carrera, Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), visited Ben Chambers Elementary School today to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the school’s third through fifth grade students.

“I am a proud educator, lifelong learner, and Hispanic leader, and today I am happy to share my experience with young students in my school,” said Dr. Carrera. “Pennsylvania is for everyone, and this Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the Hispanic educators, students, and families who call our state home.”

National Hispanic Heritage Month takes place from September 15th to October 15th each year and celebrates the history, culture, and contributions of American citizens with ancestry from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. This year’s theme for Hispanic Heritage Month is “Unidos: Inclusion for a Stronger Nation.” This theme encourages us as a nation to represent and welcome all voices to help build stronger communities and stronger nations.

“I am so honored that Dr. Carrera visited Ben Chambers and shared her story with our students. It’s a great opportunity to learn what you can do,” said Principal Sean Kimple. “The Ben Chambers student body strongly represents the Chambersburg community and wants all students to dream bigger than themselves. It gives students real-life examples of how it impacts the world.”

The Chambersburg Area School District covers 250 square miles of Franklin County, with more than 61,000 school district residents in the Chambersburg Borough. Townships of Greene, Hamilton, Letterkenny, and Largan. and most of Guildford Township.

The district educates approximately 10,000 students from a variety of backgrounds and countries of origin. Over the past few years, the district’s English learners have grown from about 500 to he 1,000, or her 10% of the student population. Over 23% of students are Hispanic.

Hispanic students make up 13.1% of the public school population in Pennsylvania, and through our Educator Workforce Strategy, PDE recruits a diverse set of teachers to help guide, guide, and mentor our students. The plan builds on Gov. Wolfe’s commitment to education over the past eight years, including his $3.7 billion increase in education funding since 2015. Governor Tom Wolfe has solidified his commitment to education at all levels with his $1.8 historic in his latest budget. 100 million investment increase.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s education policies and programs, visit the Department of Education’s website. Follow PDE on Facebook. twitterYouTube, or Pinterest.

Media Contact: Casey Smith – casesmith@pa.gov

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