[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    A TRIBUTE TO THE ST. MAXIMILIAN MARIA KOLBE SCHOOL OF RIVERHEAD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 5, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the St. 
Maximilian Maria Kolbe School of Riverhead, Long Island as it 
celebrates its 25th year of keeping the Polish language and culture 
alive on the east end of Long Island. In just a quarter century, St. 
Maximilian Maria Kolbe School has established an integral role in Long 
Island's Polish tradition, and as a beacon of pride to the Polish 
community around the world. The school educated 99 students this past 
year, all of whom have benefited from the simple dream of parents in 
1972--to instill the language and culture of the Polish people in their 
children.
  The school's patron saint gave his life in the Oswiecim concentration 
camp during World War II, and the school was aptly named in honor of a 
man who sacrificed so much for his people. It is a great and worthy 
honor of his memory that Feliksa Sawicka, the school's principal since 
its inception, has made it her goal to create an environment in which 
children of Polish descent can be instilled with the pride and the 
storied legacy of their ancestors. Ms. Sawicka has been honored on 
numerous occasions for her work on behalf of Polish-American children. 
Just last year, Poland's President Aleksander Kwasniewski bestowed upon 
her the honorable Gold Cross of Merit, and she has received a 
commendation from the Polish Institute of Education.
  St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe School has taken is students and educators 
around the world in pursuit of greater cultural and historical 
knowledge. In 1982, students journeyed to Rome, where they witnessed 
the canonization of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe. The school's teachers 
participate in Polish American Congresses throughout the United States, 
where they have reached out to members of the Polish community from 
different walks of life, and have enriched their own cultural 
awareness. Students toured Ellis Island, where they traversed the same 
ground where their ancestors first stepped foot on America--and 
envisioned the educational opportunities for their grandchildren and 
great-grandchildren that so many are receiving at the St. Maximilian 
Kolbe School.
  Students are introduced to traditional Polish dances and songs, and 
participate in cultural events such as Manhattan's annual Pulaski 
Parade. Furthermore, they learn the importance of community involvement 
while performing traditional Polish dances and songs at Long Island 
nursing homes, fairs, and schools, parents and students volunteer to 
represent the school at Polish fairs throughout the year. The St. 
Isidore's School in Riverhead has displayed great and contagious 
generosity by allowing the Polish school to operate within its own 
facilities for the past 25 years.
  On the occasion of the school's 25th year in educating Polish 
students, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join 
me in applauding the efforts of Ms. Sawicka, of her fellow educators, 
and of the parents who have enrolled their children in the St. 
Maximilian Maria Kolbe School, keeping their culture and language alive 
through the next generation of Long Islanders.

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