First Lady Melania Trump toured an award-winning Oklahoma school Monday as part of a three-state swing to spotlight her “Be Best” initiative on children’s well-being.
The White House said Mrs. Trump wanted to highlight the Dove School of Discovery’s emphasis on “kindness, character, strong values, and positivity” and efforts to loop parents in on what their children learn each day.
“I cannot emphasize further the importance of character-based education for our children,” Mrs. Trump said after touring the Tulsa school. “Dove schools embody kindness, respect, positive interactions, and strong character through the curriculum that they teach every day. They are sculpting our next generation by creating a foundation of youth with strong character. I know they will go on to do great things.”
Mrs. Trump stopped by a pre-kindergarten class, where children were thinking about ways to express kindness, and a sixth-grade class that was working in groups to improve their communication skills.
She also visited a second-grade language arts class where students studied African-American history to “draw lessons on how to overcome obstacles in their own life,” the White House said.
After a delay due to a “computer issue” on her plane, Mrs. Trump took off around noon for Seattle, where she will tour a tech company that helps kids surf the internet safely.
On Tuesday she will participate in a Las Vegas town hall meeting on opioids abuse.
Mrs. Trump launched the “Be Best” initiative in early 2018 as her signature issue. The program is focused on kids’ physical and emotional health, responsible social media use and the effects of the opioid crisis on children.
Some critics have scoffed at Mrs. Trump’s push to build character and fight bullying among children, given her husband’s proclivity for calling rivals nicknames or mocking them on Twitter.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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