[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 137 (Saturday, September 28, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING ALVIN R. BELL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL G. OXLEY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 27, 1996

  Mr. OXLEY. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Alvin R. Bell a 
constituent of mine who participated in CIVITAS@Bosnia-Herzegovina, an 
intensive program to train local teachers in education for democracy. 
Mr. Bell was part of a team of 18 American educators and 15 teachers 
from the Council of Europe who were assigned last July to key cities 
throughout the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  The summer training program was developed by the Center for Civil 
Education as part of a major civic education initiative in Bosnia and 
Herzegovina. The goals of the program are to help prepare students and 
their communities for competent and responsible participation in 
elections and other opportunities in the political life of their 
communities. Achieving this goal will contribute to the reconstitution 
of a sense of community, cooperation, tolerance and support for 
democracy and human rights in this war torn area.
  I am also pleased to announce that the curricular materials being 
used for the program in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been adapted from 
the We the People * * * the Citizen and the Constitution and Project 
Citizen programs that have been very successful in may congressional 
district. Initial reports evaluating the summer program indicate the 
materials and teaching methods were enthusiastically received and can 
be adapted for use in classrooms throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  Alvin Bell is a teacher at Findlay High School in my hometown of 
Findlay, OH. Over the years Mr. Bell has brought five different teams 
of students to Washington, DC to compete in the We the People * * * the 
Citizen and the Constitution national finals, an academic competition 
involving simulated Congressional hearing to test the knowledge of your 
youth in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend Alvin Bell for his dedication and 
commitment during the CIVITAS@Bosnia-Herzegovina summer training 
program. His work, is helping to achieve the overall objective to 
building support for democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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