State Representative Selim Noujaim and state Board of Education member Linda E. McMahon of Greenwich toured the Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School and other schools in Rep. Noujaim’s East End district April 27th.
“It was an honor for me to escort Linda McMahon on a tour of the Rotella Magnet School and several other schools in my district. She and her husband Vince for years have taken a personal interest in helping children learn to read and to develop a lifelong love of reading. Their company, World Wrestling Entertainment, sponsors programs to encourage reluctant readers to read more, which is critical to their success later in life. Many of those children attend schools in large cities in Connecticut and come from disadvantaged backgrounds,” said Representative Noujaim, R-Waterbury.
“As one of the state Board of Education’s newest members, I thought she would appreciate the opportunity to get to know more about the Waterbury public school system. She was impressed with the successes our elementary and secondary schools have achieved and learned a lot about the special needs of schools in the East End of Waterbury and elsewhere in our city,” Representative Noujaim said.
Representative Noujaim and Mrs. McMahon also visited the Chase Elementary School and Crosby High School.
Mrs. McMahon, CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, which is based in Stamford, has a life-long interest in education. She is a graduate of East Carolina University, where she earned her B.S. in French and is certified to teach. WWE sponsors the Get R.E.A.L. Program, which brings WWE superstars into schools to deliver positive messages about Respect, Education, Achievement and Leadership, and how those four qualities can help students achieve their goals.
The program, which targets ‘reluctant readers’ and encourages them to read more often, also led to the establishment of a national Wrestlemania Reading Challenge. The nationwide program distributes thousands of posters featuring WWE superstars encouraging young people to read to teachers, libraries and parents throughout the United States. The program also sponsors a summer reading program.
WWE also sponsors a voter outreach program “Smackdown your Vote, a nonpartisan partnership to encourage more 18 to 30 year olds to vote.
Mrs. McMahon also serves on the Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart University.
