Emily Comer Wins 2012 Johnson Opportunity Grant at Washington and Lee University

LEXINGTON, VA (03/13/2012)(readMedia)-- Emily Comer of Dallas, Texas, a sophomore at Washington and Lee University, has been selected for the spring/summer 2012 Johnson Opportunity Grant. The Johnson Program on Leadership and Integrity awards 25 to 30 grants each year.

Comer will take part in an education-focused summer project at the Ron Clark Academy (RCA) in Atlanta, Ga.

Clark is the author of The Essential 55: An Award-winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child (Hyperion Books, 2003).  At RCA, he incorporates unusual methods into his teaching, including music, dance, games and drama.

Comer will observe classes with RCA students, tour the campus and participate in a variety of in-depth workshops related to the school's innovative and successful methods.

She is majoring in a self-designed interdisciplinary course on literacy and language development and plans a career in teaching or education research.  She is also a Burish Intern at Maury River Middle School in Lexington.

The grants cover living, travel and other costs associated with the students' proposed activities, which are designed to help them with their future careers and fields of study.  The grants vary in amount from $1,000 to $4,500 and are funded as part of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity.