[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  WILLIAM H. CROCKER MIDDLE SCHOOL; A MODEL OF EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 6, 1996

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Department of Education has 
recognized William H. Crocker Middle School in Hillsborough, CA, as a 
blue ribbon school. As a blue ribbon school, William H. Crocker Middle 
School serves as a shining example of high-quality education for rest 
of the country. The school is one of only 266 throughout our entire 
Nation and only 39 in California to be selected for this high honor.
  I invite my colleagues to join me in extending our most sincere 
admiration and congratulations for the wonderful educational 
environment that Crocker Middle School provides for our young 
Americans. I am indeed proud to have this outstanding institution in my 
congressional district.
  Willima H. Crocker Middle School has achieved this high honor through 
its persistent and highly effective pursuit of local, State and 
national education goals. These goals reflect the areas in which our 
educational institutions across the country are most in need of 
improvement. Crocker Middle School's remarkable success in overcoming 
some of the most difficult problems our schools face today makes it a 
perfect example for schools around the country to follow.
  Crocker Middle School has been highly successful in fulfilling the 
necessary conditions of effective schooling. Through the dynamic and 
productive leadership of Principal Daniel G. Kreuzer, Crocker Middle 
School has developed a nurturing teaching environment, a rigorous and 
engaging curriculum, a safe environment for students and teachers, and 
a healthy involvement of parents and the community in strengthening 
educational resources. Students from Crocker convincingly demonstrate 
the many benefits of a good schooling environment through impressive 
student performances on measures of achievement, attendance rates, and 
the varied and ambitious pursuits of graduates of the school.
  Crocker Middle School is more than deserving of the recognition it 
has and will continue to receive as a blue ribbon school. I hope that 
other schools across the country will be able to learn by the example 
of Crocker how to confront some of the seemingly intractable problems 
facing our educational system. I also hope that, in recognizing William 
H. Crocker Middle School, my colleagues recognize the necessity of 
making educational excellence one of our highest priorities in the U.S. 
Congress.

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