[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 5, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E164-E165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN RECOGNITION OF FRELINGHUY- SEN TOWNSHIP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 1997

  Mrs. ROUKEMA.  Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Frelinghuysen 
Township Elementary School in Warren County, NJ, for its innovative and 
creative techniques of teaching young people about our Nation's history 
and culture.
  On January 25, students at Frelinghuysen Elementary staged an 
inaugural ball with the theme ``Presidents Past and Present.'' This 
formal evening of music, dance, and food included fifth- and sixth-
grade students dressed as each of our 42 Presidents and their wives. 
The students presented mini-museums and speeches depicting the lives of 
the Presidents they portrayed. Period-appropriate dance music ranged 
from the Minuet for Presidents Washington and Jefferson to the Macarena 
for President Clinton. Approximately 250 parents, teachers, veterans, 
students, and VIP's attended.

[[Page E165]]

  This event was more than just a one-time affair. It was the 
culmination of the school's thematic enrichment program--an 80-minute 
weekly class for the fifth and sixth grades that uses hands-on 
techniques to make history and culture exciting and students eager to 
learn.
  ``The goal of our political enrichment theme this year is to not only 
provide a strong education in government and politics but to inspire 
the students to develop an interest and appreciation in our country,'' 
school officials said in the invitation to the inaugural ball. ``We are 
developing the educated voters of the future.''
  The class is run by fifth-grade teacher Sue Hocking and sixth-grade 
teacher Patricia Meyers under the supervision of Chief School 
Administrator Eugene Cioffi. About two dozen parents were actively 
involved in this year's event, organized by volunteer parent 
coordinator Rene Jensen, mother of a sixth-grader.
  The class began 3 years ago with World War II as its theme, prompted 
by the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. Students worked with the 
World War II Commemorative Society of the Department of Defense to put 
on a Flag Day celebration with local veterans and elected officials. 
They planted a victory garden, learned dances and music of the era, and 
ended the class with a USO dance.
  Last year, medieval history was the theme as students studied knights 
and castles. A medieval fair complete with jousting and a banquet 
marked the end of the class. Students played human chess with children 
as chess pieces on the school gym floor, redone with huge black and 
white square to make a chess board. Mr. Cioffi was dubbed ``King Eugene 
III'' and his freedom ransomed when kidnaped by an opposing kingdom.
  In preparation for this year's inaugural ball, students staged a mock 
election between President Clinton and former Senator Bob Dole. (Dole 
won 79-73.) In other preparation and research, local Lincoln expert 
Joseph Garrera organized a display to help students understand the 
Civil War President.
  For the remainder of this year, the class will study archeology. The 
school's victory garden has been seeded with objects and will be the 
site of an archaeological dig in the spring.
  The thematic enrichment class is not the only innovative program at 
Frelinghuysen Elementary.
  In the Families Read Every Day program run by first-grade teacher 
Linda Banta, students take home a book each night to read with their 
parents, then receive scrip-like awards in class the next day that can 
be saved up to buy prizes from a classroom store.
  At a Valentine's Day tea, fifth- and sixth-graders will be visited by 
senior citizens who will discuss their favorite Presidents in an 
interactive, intergenerational learning process.
  The school has begun a Native American Cultural Center by building an 
authentic teepee in the schoolyard and teaching classes about native 
American culture inside. A second teepee and a bark lodge are planned 
for the future.
  Frelinghuysen Elementary was one of several schools in Warren County 
that recently joined together to purchase ``Star Lab,'' an inflatable, 
portable planetarium that allows students to learn about astronomy at 
their own school from their own teachers.
  A buddy program pairs kindergartners with fifth-graders as mentors 
and lunch partners.
  All of this is even more impressive when you consider that 
Frelinghuysen is one of the smallest school systems in our State. With 
171 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, it is a single-school 
school district. Beyond sixth grade, students go to North Warren 
Regional Middle School and North Warren Regional High School. Chief 
School Administrator Cioffi wears the dual hats of principal and 
superintendent, guiding a staff of 13 full-time and three part-time 
students, plus a nurse and librarian.
  These accomplishments clearly show that adults who care--teachers and 
parents alike--count far more than money in delivering a quality 
education. These teachers and parents are the heroes, mentors, and role 
models who hold up the historic value of public education in America. 
They are an excellent example of a community working together to 
develop and educate our citizens of tomorrow. Citizen involvement has 
made America the leader in democracy around the world and their work 
will keep us in the forefront.

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