[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 140 (Friday, September 30, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 30, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
    CONGRATULATIONS ON A JOB WELL DONE: TRIBUTE TO THE MAPLE SCHOOL

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                         HON. WILLIAM M. THOMAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 30, 1994

  Mr. THOMAS of California. Mr. Speaker, in Congress, Members of the 
House of Representatives talk about 1 million rather casually, but have 
any of us taken the time to really think about how much 1 million is? 
Too many Members only see it as a number or word on a page. But I do 
know of someone, in fact, I know of lots of people who know how much 1 
million is--the students of the Maple School in Tulare, CA. As part of 
both an educational and fundraising project, the students, over a 2-
year period, collected 1,000,000 pennies.
  Sitting in the principals office are over 40 five-gallon water 
bottles filled with over 28,000 pennies each. This could be an 
impressive achievement under any circumstances, but the Maple School's 
achievement is even more impressive because the neighborhood that 
surrounds the school is not, as you might expect upon hearing about 
this achievement, an affluent upper-middle-class community. The parents 
who send their kids to the Maple School are typical families of modest 
means who work hard for every dollar they earn.
  In addition to the straightforward benefit of knowing what 1 million 
looks like, the students at the Maple School had to use a great many 
other skills. Many of the pennies were collected from groups such as 
the Tulare City Police Department and the city council. Therefore, the 
kids had to write thank you notes. They also wrote letters to the 
editor updating the city about their progress. Above all they had to 
use their math skills to keep track of how many pennies they had 
collected. And by all accounts they had fun, though the fun has not 
stopped. The principal will soon pay off a wager she made with her 
students back in July. Today, September 30, Principal Pam Canby will 
don a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer costume and spend all day on the 
roof of the school. The proceeds of their efforts will go to the PTA, 
library, and the student body.
  Mr. Speaker, for their tremendous effort and dedication, I salute the 
students, teachers, and parents of the Maple School. Their example of 
hard work is something that we should all aspire to achieve. They 
should be proud.

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