In this episode of Duty Free Lunch, we’re looking ahead to America’s 250th birthday in 2026 and Pennsylvania’s key role in the celebrations. Cassandra Coleman, Executive Director of America250PA, joins Aaron, Jeff, and Rachael to share how the commission is connecting history with education and highlighting Pennsylvania’s contributions. They discuss programs for students, partnerships with schools and museums, and ways educators can get involved to bring history to life in the classroom. Plus, Cassandra shares her favorite piece of Pennsylvania trivia - don't miss it!
In this episode of Duty Free Lunch, we’re looking ahead to America’s 250th birthday in 2026 and Pennsylvania’s key role in the celebrations. Cassandra Coleman, Executive Director of America250PA, joins Aaron, Jeff, and Rachael to share how the commission is connecting history with education and highlighting Pennsylvania’s contributions. They discuss programs for students, partnerships with schools and museums, and ways educators can get involved to bring history to life in the classroom. Plus, Cassandra shares her favorite piece of Pennsylvania trivia - don't miss it!
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Learn more and watch for upcoming episodes at psea.org/podcast.
Voiceover:
Welcome to Duty Free Lunch, the official podcast of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Join us as we unpack the issues that matter most to you, from cutting-edge classroom strategies to thought-provoking policy discussions, if it impacts PSEA members it's on the menu.
Aaron Chapin:
Hello, and welcome to Duty Free Lunch. I'm PSEA president, Aaron Chapin. Once again, I'm here with our PSEA vice president, Jeff Ney.
Jeff Ney:
Hey, Aaron. How are we doing today?
Aaron Chapin:
It is a great day in Harrisburg.
Jeff Ney:
It is, it's lovely.
Aaron Chapin:
And we're also here with PSEA treasurer, Rachael West. Good afternoon, Rachel.
Rachael West:
Good afternoon, Aaron and Jeff. How's everybody doing today?
Jeff Ney:
It's a beautiful day outside, my goodness. Unseasonably warm.
Aaron Chapin:
Unless you're listening to this in January, and then it's probably freezing cold.
Jeff Ney:
And with 10 inches of snow on the ground.
Aaron Chapin:
But if you're listening to this in January, you should have listened to this sooner.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah, you should have.
Aaron Chapin:
Should have, because today we're talking about a very special birthday celebration that's coming up.
Jeff Ney:
Is it mine?
Aaron Chapin:
No. And it's not Rachel's either.
Rachael West:
Aw.
Aaron Chapin:
I know, and it's definitely not mine because I'm at that point where birthdays really don't matter, other than I'm still alive. No, we're actually talking about America's birthday.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, fantastic.
Aaron Chapin:
That's right. The big 250, that's 2-5-0, everybody.
Jeff Ney:
My goodness.
Aaron Chapin:
It's coming up. It's going to be here soon in 2026, America's 250th birthday celebration. And Pennsylvania is already at the center of preparations. And I'll tell you, back when I was in first grade, I actually remember the 200th birthday.
Jeff Ney:
Do you?
Aaron Chapin:
Well, in my little elementary school in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, we had a covered wagon, and every grade in our building was responsible for some aspect of the covered wagon.
Jeff Ney:
And now that you say that, I can remember the Bicentennial being celebrated in Luzerne County quite heavily too, I remember that. They even had a coin, I think, special coin for the Bicentennial.
Aaron Chapin:
I believe that's true.
Rachael West:
They did. I have one because that's the year I was born.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh.
Jeff Ney:
Oh.
Aaron Chapin:
Thanks, Rach. Well, on that note, let's keep it moving. So, talking with us today, and about the party planning that's going to be going on, it's the executive director of America50, America50, America250PA, Cassandra Coleman. And Cassandra has been leading America250PA Commission since 2019. She's been drawing from her wealth of experience in public service and leadership across Pennsylvania, she's worked for Governor Tom Wolf's office, coordinated efforts across numerous counties, and even served as the mayor of the great city of Exeter, Jeff.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
You know Exeter.
Jeff Ney:
I do, it's right across the river.
Aaron Chapin:
That's right. And we're very excited to have her in, and talking with us about this. It's important work. So Cassandra, welcome to Duty Free Lunch.
Cassandra Coleman:
Hello, and thank you so much for having me.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, we're really excited about this, and I know Jeff and I are super excited about living up in the Northeast, to have you, that little Northeast connection. But we're really excited about this because of all the opportunities that it's going to provide our schools in the next couple of years. So, let's just jump right into all of this. And Cassandra, if you could really just tell us how did America250 begin, and what have you been up to for the last five years? Because this commission has a lot to achieve when 2026 rolls around when it comes to educators and students.
Cassandra Coleman:
Yeah. So, I'll give you a little bit of background and then we can talk a little bit about some of our programs, and projects, and different things we have ongoing. But America250PA was created in 2018 by the Pennsylvania legislature and the governor, who at that point, as you mentioned, was Governor Tom Wolf. Prior to that, in 2016, U.S. Congress passed legislation creating a national commission to talk about, and start planning and thinking about the larger scale national efforts. I have to say Pennsylvania is the first state in the nation to have a statewide effort created.
Aaron Chapin:
Not Delaware?
Cassandra Coleman:
Not Delaware. No, not for this.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh.
Jeff Ney:
Oh. Once again, Delaware's behind the eight-ball.
Cassandra Coleman:
Yeah. So, we're really proud of that, and I think that does say a lot about our legislature and the governor about really looking ahead, putting Pennsylvania in a really, really great position. And I was at the right place at the right time. I was working for Governor Wolf at the time, as you mentioned, and he came to me and said, "This is passed, here it is, take a look. What do you think we could do?" And to be really honest, it took me a little while to really grasp what this was, but more importantly the opportunities that came with this once-in-a-lifetime, historic milestone anniversary. I was not born for the Bicentennial, so I do not have memories, memories of the Bicentennial. I'm sorry, but I do like listening to yours.
But I sat back and I thought to myself, "If this is done right, we can truly have impact on communities across our Commonwealth." We can sit back and learn from our history, really acknowledge and embrace our present, where we are right now. But more importantly, and something that obviously is close to your heart, is how do we engage our next generation? How do we make sure that we can reimagine the future of Pennsylvania and this country, through again, this milestone anniversary? And so, with that I said, "Yeah, sign me up. What do you need me to do?" So we, hand in hand, Governor Wolf and I, called all of the former governors at the time and said, "Listen, we have this opportunity. Do you want to be co-chairs? Do you want to do this together? We need to show bipartisanship, we need to show that we all love Pennsylvania, that we want to make sure Pennsylvania gets off the ground. We lead this and we continue to lead this."
Everyone agreed. And I'm really, really proud to say as soon as Governor Shapiro got into office, this is one of the first things he jumped on as well and said, "I'm in. And how are we going to make sure that Pennsylvania leads the nation and continues to do that?" So really, really proud to work with all of our former governors, now again, our current governor, and right now we have over a dozen programs and projects that have been launched in all 67 counties. And that's the goal, the goal is to reach every Pennsylvanian and every county in these efforts.
Jeff Ney:
And that's absolutely fantastic, and you brought up the fact that we are looking towards the future. Anybody who is listening to our podcast that went through a Pennsylvania public school knows the importance that we put on Pennsylvania history in our public education, especially in our fourth grade curriculum, because Pennsylvania holds such a significant place in American history, from the founding days all the way through the modern times. So Cassandra, my question to you is how does America250PA intend to highlight the Pennsylvania's contributions, and what role can our own educators in PSEA play in making this history come alive for the students that they serve?
Cassandra Coleman:
Yeah, and I think I have to say, I am getting first hand experience with fourth grade curriculum. My son, Jimmy, who's 10, is in fourth grade at Wyoming Area, go Warriors. And I think it's really funny, because he came home the first week of school and said, "Guess what?" And I said, "What?" And he goes, "I'm learning about all these things and all these places we've been to so far." And I said, "Well, this is awesome." So, I knew that this year was going to be my favorite year of his elementary school experience. But I think I see things that Jimmy is already doing with fourth grade, and I think that he came home this week and he has to put together a project on a Pennsylvania historical landmark. Guess what one my son chose? Independence Hall.
Jeff Ney:
There you go.
Cassandra Coleman:
So I said, "You have a little bit of a leg up on this one." But I think this is such an opportunity for educators, especially fourth grade educators, to utilize this year and next year to really make sure that our students understand, again, the importance of this anniversary, but at an age appropriate level. And making them also, and allowing them to understand our regional history, and what role their region, their county, their area of the Commonwealth truly played in the larger contributions of the Commonwealth as a whole. And I listened to, as you guys have, your Bicentennial memories, there are so many memories that we hope, again, that through our programming and projects, especially with our youngest Pennsylvanians, that they grow up and for the 300th, they sit like we are now, and they talk about those memories or those special projects that were introduced to them in fourth grade.
Or those special field trips that they went on that were specific to the 250th anniversary, we hope that they're here telling their stories about those memories.
Rachael West:
So, I am hearing how you're tying in your experience with your own child into how you are working on this project, and you also have some extensive experience in government and public service work, including your role with Governor Tom Wolf's office. So, how are you using your experiences from that work to influence your approach to leading this America250PA, and reaching communities across the state?
Cassandra Coleman:
Yeah. So, I think I like to say, and I'm very proud of this, when I was sworn in as mayor, I was 20. I was a junior in college at King's College in Wilkes-Barre. I was the youngest serving female mayor in the country.
Jeff Ney:
Go Monarchs.
Cassandra Coleman:
Go Monarchs.
Jeff Ney:
There you go.
Cassandra Coleman:
And so, I think I had a little bit of a different approach when I took this role to really make sure that we grew this organically, that this was not a state commission that came into communities and said, "Here's what we're doing. Here's how you either get on board or get lost." I've had this approach over the last six years that is one of the most memorable and impactful experience for me so far as the executive director is going into communities, spending a day in a community and walking their main street, talking with their mayor, talking with their community organizations, talking with their county commissioners and saying, "Okay, every community across this Commonwealth has such a unique story to tell, and such a unique contribution, again to the overall contribution to the Commonwealth to this nation." What is that? What's most important to you? What makes you most proud to be from where you are from, from this county, from this municipality?
And that has been so widely received, and we're proud at America250PA to say we are the first state in the nation to have all counties, all 67 counties in this Commonwealth passed an America250PA resolution, becoming partners, adopting our epic mission for 2026. And then taking it a step further, and as I mentioned I'm a little biased for local governments, but we also have 380 local governments who did the same, boroughs, cities, townships, villages that have said, "You know what? We want to make sure we're at the table, we want to make sure that our unique stories are told." And us as the state commission, we're looking and we're working on packaging that, and then ultimately telling the rest of the country and the world why Pennsylvania is so awesome and so unique, and what we've contributed as a whole to the nation. So really, really proud of that local engagement.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah. And I'll tell you what, Aaron, Rachel and I, through traveling to visit, a lot of our local associations have experienced that same thing with the different areas of our state, and how proud they are of the history that they have. Which actually leads me into my next question for you, because one of the stated aims of the commission is to help Pennsylvania understand the origins and perspectives of today's issue by exploring the history that all of us experience in each one of these communities. So, are there resources or guidance that the commission can offer anyone who is looking to support that effort, especially for our educators?
Cassandra Coleman:
Yeah. So, we're really excited, as I mentioned earlier, to really take that history, learn from it, and embrace our present. And we're really thrilled to be working with PSEA, and one of the things we will be doing is we will have educational resource packets on our website attached to our podcasts, and our podcasts on our website really dive into those unique stories that make up Pennsylvania. And having those educational packets, we believe, and we encourage your members and teachers across the Commonwealth to be able to download those and use those, not only those podcasts, but those educational packets as additional resources to be able to help tell that story about the 250th anniversary.
Aaron Chapin:
Those are super important. I used to teach fourth grade, so I taught Pennsylvania history for about eight, nine years, and we were always looking for additional resources. So, if I was teaching fourth grader now I would be so excited to have these resources available. Speaking of resources, I assume America250 is also partnering with some museums, historical societies across Pennsylvania, Cassandra?
Cassandra Coleman:
We are. We have about 200 local nonprofits in all regions of the Commonwealth that we have partnered with, yes.
Aaron Chapin:
That's fantastic. Everybody's getting on board.
Jeff Ney:
Well, as well as-
Cassandra Coleman:
Yes, yeah.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah, as well as they should be, because I mean, again, understated but it only comes around once in a lifetime. So Cassandra, I was very fortunate to join you in Philadelphia for one of the kickoff events for America250PA. I can only imagine that there are some other programs, or events, or initiatives that you are doing and you're going to be rolling out so that our educators in our schools can get involved with their students directly. Could you name any one of those, and how can they get involved?
Cassandra Coleman:
Yeah, yeah. So, real quick about the convening in Philadelphia for a second, that came as, those who know me who may be listening know, that I'm very competitive. We were in Virginia, myself and my national counterparts from across the country, and Virginia did an event to celebrate the Committee of Correspondence. And I opened mouth and inserted foot and said, "Huh. Well, we're celebrating the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress." I just invited 50 states here, what am I going to do? And so, we ended up planning a whole weekend to celebrate Carpenter's Hall and the First Continental Congress. We had over 800 people across three days, representing 30 states from across this nation that we hosted in Philadelphia.
We flexed, I'll be honest, and no other state in the nation can say they are the birthplace of American democracy, and I reminded them of that the whole weekend. But it really, really truly was our opportunity. It was our opportunity to showcase what the Commonwealth is made of, showcase what we're capable of, but most importantly showcase and want these visitors to come back. We wanted to roll out the red carpet, and I think we did that, and we were really, really excited and proud to do that.
And Jeff, you were there. I mean, it was electric. It was the general feeling for the weekend, everyone was happy and excited, and just the amount of out-of-state folks who said to me, "Oh my God, I've already texted my spouse or my friend, and we want to come back. How do we come back?" So, I think we did what we had set out to do there. And 43 of our 67 counties were also present, which was amazing.
Aaron Chapin:
That is a great number.
Jeff Ney:
My wife, Molly and I, had a fantastic time. And unbeknownst to us, we're walking around and we're talking to ... And there was a ton of our legislators that were there celebrating with us. But then I ran into fellow educators who have another role within their communities, and they were at the event, and we were able to connect the education component with the America250 component.
Rachael West:
And along with that, I know that we're trying to connect this back to what our Pennsylvania students, particularly what our students will see as future leaders. What do you think they will take away from the celebration of America250PA?
Cassandra Coleman:
Yeah. I mean, I use me as an example, and I think this is an opportunity for us as Pennsylvanians and as Americans to come together. I think it's really important for us to demonstrate to our students and our next generation of Pennsylvanians that there is a pride of place, and there's a pride that should be instilled in our communities and in our state, and in our country. And at a time when the country is so divisive right now, this is an opportunity to have folks and bring folks together. And that has been something that I have seen through this initiative of truly having folks from across the aisle come together, leaving policy and politics at the door, to really highlight community.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah, something we really need right now. Absolutely.
Cassandra Coleman:
Some of our programming, yeah. And having students actually participate hands-on in some of our programming, like our Keystone Classroom Initiative where we're traveling around the Commonwealth visiting pre-K through four students, reading K is for Keystone, which is a Pennsylvania written and illustrated book. That program's going to reach 50,000 students by the time 2026 rolls around. We're at about 18,000 right now. And in addition, any of your listeners and your members who may be high school teachers, or guidance counselors and folks, we will have $250,000 of semi-quincentennial scholarships being awarded in early 2026 to our Pennsylvania students who are choosing to stay here in Pennsylvania to continue their education at a Pennsylvania college or post-secondary institution.
Aaron Chapin:
That's amazing.
Cassandra Coleman:
So, I think there's definitely opportunities, and I encourage your members to learn more.
Aaron Chapin:
That's a great opportunity.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
And again, I find this extremely fascinating but that's only because I did this for so long, almost a decade teaching PA in my classroom. But I'm thinking about all of the other staff members and teachers in our buildings that aren't social studies or they're not history teachers. Any suggestion about how we can tie them into this? Because it really does need to be something I think that everybody in our schools are buying into as we come into 2026.
Cassandra Coleman:
Yeah. I mean, I think if anyone goes to our website under our signature events, you will see that we have a variety of programs and projects. We have art projects, we have obviously educational, we have health and wellness. I mean, how cool would it be for your gym teachers to be looking at the road to 2026, and take the students on a walk near one of their historical sites, or state or local parks and log some miles towards the road to 2026? I think there's so much. Again, and this is something that Pennsylvania does differ from other states, where a lot of other programming nationally is really historically or educationally based. We wanted to make sure that we had something for everybody. So, I do think that there truly is.
Aaron Chapin:
Maybe some of our phys-ed teachers, they can have their students do the Ben Franklin workout.
Jeff Ney:
Oh. Did Ben Franklin actually have a workout?
Aaron Chapin:
He used to swim in the Schuylkill River.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, that's right. I did read that.
Rachael West:
Oh my gosh.
Cassandra Coleman:
Well, Aaron, you're going to do that first, right? And demonstrate?
Jeff Ney:
It depends on what part of the Schuylkill, I guess.
Aaron Chapin:
It does depend. I think the Schuylkill River is actually cleaner than it used to be, so perhaps-
Jeff Ney:
That's not hard.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, Cassandra, if you can set it up I'll do it.
Jeff Ney:
Wow.
Rachael West:
You heard it here-
Aaron Chapin:
Here's the challenge.
Cassandra Coleman:
Oh, that's a challenge.
Jeff Ney:
Cassandra, what is that website that you referenced so that our listeners could go to it?
Cassandra Coleman:
Sure. So, it's America250PA.org.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, easy enough.
Aaron Chapin:
What was it?
Jeff Ney:
America250PA.org.
Aaron Chapin:
Just checking-
Jeff Ney:
Oh, thanks.
Aaron Chapin:
... to see if you're listening.
Rachael West:
Hey look, you passed the quiz.
Jeff Ney:
I passed.
Aaron Chapin:
No, that's not the pop. But it is pop quiz time, Jeff. It's about the quiz.
Jeff Ney:
Rachael set you up.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah, nice job.
Jeff Ney:
So Cassandra, we have a little quiz for you. Okay?
Cassandra Coleman:
Oh.
Jeff Ney:
I am going to-
Aaron Chapin:
We want you to name all 67 counties.
Jeff Ney:
Right, in alphabetical order.
Cassandra Coleman:
Oh.
Jeff Ney:
No, that's not the pop quiz.
Aaron Chapin:
No, that's not the pop quiz.
Cassandra Coleman:
I could do it east to west, I can't do it alphabetical.
Jeff Ney:
No. So, the impression is that you are traveling around the state, you were probably learning things about Pennsylvania that you probably never knew about before. So, to our listeners, how about give us one or two of your favorite pieces of PA historical trivia that our listeners may or may not have heard before in their lifetimes.
Cassandra Coleman:
Sure. So, I'll give you two, and I'll give you one that's more of a historical and one that's more of like a tourism, if that works.
Aaron Chapin:
Mm-hmm.
Jeff Ney:
Okay.
Cassandra Coleman:
How about that?
Jeff Ney:
Sounds great.
Cassandra Coleman:
So, the first is I am from Northeastern Pennsylvania, however, I never knew that we have a gem up in the northeastern part of the state in Susquehanna County. We are the home in Susquehanna County of the longest, continuously owned African-American owned farm in the country.
Jeff Ney:
Really?
Aaron Chapin:
I did-
Rachael West:
Wow.
Cassandra Coleman:
I mean, and that to me-
Jeff Ney:
And you guys had an event there, didn't you?
Cassandra Coleman:
We did.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, I was right.
Cassandra Coleman:
And these nuggets of information that I am learning, that again, I grew up here. Born and raised in Luzerne County and never knew that within an hour that gem of a historical site existed.
Jeff Ney:
Wow.
Cassandra Coleman:
So, that's my one. And my second one I actually learned this summer. Jimmy was on the road with me, we were traveling for a couple days doing different regional visits, and we went up to Elk. We went up to Elk County, and I learned, which I never knew, and these numbers just baffled me, that Elk County, Benezette, where everyone goes to see the elk in the fall, is actually a population of 200. They welcome over 400,000 visitors a year to see the elk.
Jeff Ney:
Wait a second, you're telling me Elk County population total is 200?
Cassandra Coleman:
No, no, no. Benezette.
Jeff Ney:
Okay.
Cassandra Coleman:
The town of Benezette, where the elk visitor center is and where the elk roam, that is where people go to see every fall, but over 400,000 visitors descend-
Jeff Ney:
Wow.
Rachael West:
That's rad.
Cassandra Coleman:
... upon Elk County to see the elk. And actually I said to the wonderful Elk County Commissioner who had joined us, Fritz Lecker, and I just said, "Wait, what? Repeat that?"
Aaron Chapin:
My goodness.
Cassandra Coleman:
Because it didn't seem real. But they do such a wonderful job up there with welcoming all those visitors, and they welcomed us with open arms outside of that window of when the elk are out roaming. But yeah, but that's like a crazy number. And again, a fun fact that I learned.
Aaron Chapin:
I did not know that.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah, we'll have to get up there, Aaron.
Aaron Chapin:
I was going to try and dazzle-
Cassandra Coleman:
If you haven't, you absolutely have to.
Rachael West:
Field trip.
Cassandra Coleman:
You absolutely have to.
Jeff Ney:
Field trip. Office field trip.
Cassandra Coleman:
We went in July, as I mentioned, this year. But when I was working for Governor Wolf, we actually did a northern tier and out west tour in September. And we did, we went on the wagon at 5:30 in the morning, and we saw all the elk. It was definitely an experience. You definitely should do that.
Jeff Ney:
See, that has Jim Vaughn written all over, by the way.
Aaron Chapin:
Road trip it is.
Jeff Ney:
Road trip it is.
Aaron Chapin:
I was going to say there's a county that's out in that vicinity that does not have a single stoplight. I'm drawing a blank on what it is because I haven't taught-
Jeff Ney:
I would very much like driving through that one.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, it's been 20 years since I taught fourth grade, but there's one county out there that doesn't have a stoplight, so-
Cassandra Coleman:
I didn't know that, yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
... if somebody's listening, email-
Jeff Ney:
Oh, yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
... podcast@psa.org and remind us.
Cassandra Coleman:
Tell us what it is.
Aaron Chapin:
Yes. Well, my gosh, we are so over time, Cassandra. Thank you very much for joining us. Our guest today is the executive director of America250PA, Cassandra Coleman. Thank you so much for joining us today, and thank you for your efforts in getting us ready for 2026.
Cassandra Coleman:
Thank you for having me. And thanks to all of your members for doing God's work with our next generation of Pennsylvanians, it truly is appreciated. So, thank you.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh my, that is very nice of you. And again, we were super excited. Everybody listening can tell the excitement, enthusiasm that you have for this. And I know that this is going to be a huge success, so we definitely will be giving an update as we go into 2025 and how this is going. So, thanks again, Cassandra.
Cassandra Coleman:
Thank you.
Aaron Chapin:
And thanks to all of our listeners for tuning in. Got any feedback for us? Do you know where there's no stoplight in Pennsylvania? Let us know, you got to tell. And maybe you want advice from Rachel.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah.
Aaron Chapin:
Maybe about how to dress for the 2026 birthday celebration.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, that'd be good.
Rachael West:
I'll start gathering some outfit choices.
Aaron Chapin:
Okay. You got to email us at podcast@psea.org
Jeff Ney:
Or you might want some coaching tips for Aaron to swim across the Schuylkill.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh my gosh.
Jeff Ney:
I can't wait for that to happen.
Aaron Chapin:
I'm got to get a shot of penicillin. Once again, I'm Aaron Chapin.
Jeff Ney:
And I'm Jeff Ney.
Rachael West:
And I'm Rachael West.
Aaron Chapin:
And you have been listening to Duty Free Lunch, bye for now.
Voiceover:
You've been listening to Duty Free Lunch, with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Visit psea.org/podcast to learn more, and don't forget to subscribe and share. Paid for by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.