CLS Principal and Alum Selected for National Conference Keynote

Westminster, MD– Principal Mandy Gilbart recently spoke to all attendees at the Wilson Reading System national training for educators on July 9th in Boston, Mass.  Mrs. Gilbart was joined by a former student, Nichole (Coley) Ross. Together they shared the story of how the Wilson Reading Program and the meeting between these two individuals built a life-long connection to learning and each other. Their story began in 2014 when Coley started her 8th grade year as a new student to CLS.

In front of the audience of 300+ educators, Mrs. Gilbart and Coley shared that by implementing the Wilson Reading Program with fidelity, Coley went from being unable to read to actually reading for pure enjoyment. For Coley, this experience has been life-changing. She has even created a permanent reminder of her journey through a tattoo of the Wilson logo (an owl). The staff at Wilson were so moved and touched by the story that they created temporary tattoos identical to Coley’s for all attendees at the training.

Mrs. Gilbart holds an Advanced Professional Certificate, as well as special education and reading teacher certifications, and distinction as a certified Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner. Through her work, Coley and other students at CLS have excelled after previously struggling. Mrs. Gilbart credits the Wilson Reading System for allowing students to “trade fear and frustration for power and knowledge”. The Wilson Reading Program offers a twelve-step curriculum where specially trained educators guide students through the program step by step. CLS is proud to offer the complete Wilson program to students who need assistance. CLS also offers Fundations, a K-3 reading, phonics, and spelling program, created by Wilson’s founder, Barbara Wilson. As a ‘thank you’ to Mrs. Gilbart and Coley for sharing their story, Wilson Reading Program gifted CLS the latest version and resources of the Wilson curriculum.