PENN HILLS (October 18, 2006) A sea of black and gold clad students warmly welcomed Former NFL All Pro Linebacker and Pittsburgh Steeler, Robin Cole to William Penn Elementary School on Wednesday morning.. Many of the students wearing current Steeler Player shirts didn't know who Robin Cole was, but most of their parents sent requests for autographs and a few of the older members of the staff chatted about the glory days for the Steelers back in the 70's and early 80's. By the time Cole left, the students had made a new friend.

Cole told tales of football tackles and battle scars from the gridiron but what he worked to impart were four key issues: The value of Listening, Respect and Responsibility and how to prevent and respond to the issue of Bullying.

"Mr. Cole was excellent, hitting the students with stories they can relate to," said Dr. Eve Jones, principal of William Penn Elementary School. "He was energetic and enthusiastic and kept their attention which isn’t easy to do with kids from Kindergarten to 5th grade."

Starting each day in a positive way is what Cole led off with during his presentation which included a brief lesson on listening. Using his experiences on and off the field, Cole explained that listening is crucial to success in school and in life. "It is also a visible sign of respect for your family, your teachers and your friends," said Cole who went on to have the students list the attributes of what a 'good' friend truly is.

He spoke about responsibilities at school and at home and being responsible for one another in classes at school. "In addition to the things you do at home, you are responsible for respecting your teachers and your classmates," said Cole as he moved to the issue of Bullying.

Cole acknowledged the safety patrol kids who were wearing their belts and badges to the assembly and discussed the virtues those children needed to be in those positions. Blake Hockran a patrol, fifth grade student and admitted Browns fan stood up to explain the safety patrol at Cole's request. "You have to be honest and trustworthy and able to help when it is needed," said Hockran.

After the assembly Hockran said that Cole's words on bullying would stick with him. "I had issues with bullying last year and it was bad. I never thought about the bully being the one with the problem," he added. "Bullies are the ones that are sick and need help," Cole had said.

The assembly was sponsored by the National Character Education foundation and arranged by Ellen Lydic through the Parent Teacher Organization at William Penn Elementary School. "We had one of their speakers in November and it was excellent, and so was this, we will definitely work with them again," she said.

For information on the National Character Education Foundation call 1-866-770-6233 or on the web at www.ncef.net