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King’s College Public Relations, (570) 208-5957

King’s College’s Irish Teachers Program Enters 37th Year and Welcomes 1,000th Participant; Only Program of Its Kind in the Country

July 9, 2010 - The first visit by Irish teachers to the Wyoming Valley was in 1974. For the first two years (King’s hosted the entire program beginning in 1976), the teachers spent several days at King’s as part of a longer program based at the University of Delaware. Thirty-seven years later, King’s will host a contingent of 19 teachers for three weeks beginning July 13. This year’s group will push the number of participants past 1,000 in the history of the program, the only one of its kind in the United States.

Among this year’s participants are group leaders for visits in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

The elementary and secondary school teachers will participate in various educational, cultural and social visits during their stay. In addition to attending educational seminars at King’s (Internet, Distance Learning, the Contemporary Church in America, Political Issues), they will meet with elected officials (in Wilkes-Barre and Washington, D.C.) and local ethnic organizations (Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians and Friendly Sons of St. Patrick).

In addition to touring local sites of interest, including a walking tour of Wilkes-Barre, Eckley Miners Village, the Lackawanna Coal Mine, and Harvey’s Lake, they will travel to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Lancaster, Gettysburg, and New York City. The local community is very involved in the program and treats it as an international event that happens for three weeks every summer.

John McKeown, administrator of Allied Health Programs at King's College and founder of the program, with his late wife Peg, continues as program planner and advisor of the Irish Teachers Program, says, “It is Northeastern Pennsylvania’s privilege to host these visitors from Ireland and be their window to American education, culture, quality of life, and warm hospitality. The richness of their visit has benefited greatly from substantial local support and the teachers consider it the experience of a lifetime.”

This year’s program features a dedication to the late Michael Rusthon, former member of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, who supported the program both financially and programmatically. Past leaders that are present will also be honored this year.

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.