By Staff
Catherine Crosby's visit to Brewton Middle School on Monday is an experience that the students should be inspired by and an example of the kind of contact with role models that young people don't come by as easily as we'd all like.
As Miss Alabama and a daughter of Brewton, Crosby brought to Brewton students a tangible brush with achievement, ambition and success. These are words children might often hear in connection with names in the newspaper or on television, but Monday, they got a rare opportunity to see those things and the real person behind them.
Crosby, who attended Brewton Middle School herself, talked with the kids about her experiences in the Miss Alabama program and she encouraged them to make good decisions and to take an interest in the government.
What might have seemed like nothing more than a welcome diversion from their classes and their daily routine may have planted the seeds of goal-setting and civic participation -- seeds that will show themselves in a few years when those students get ready to start college or to vote for the first time in a presidential election.
Crosby will return to the area in coming weeks to speak to students at W.S. Neal Middle School, giving another group of kids here a great opportunity to learn from and be inspired by her experiences.
Crosby, the Miss Alabama Program, and school administrators deserve our thanks for making that happen.