[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO MERCYMOUNT COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL, 1997 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF 
                      EDUCATION BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL

 Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
achievement of Mercymount Country Day School of Cumberland, RI, which 
was recently honored as a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon 
School.
  As I think all in this chamber know, it is a highly regarded 
distinction to be named a Blue Ribbon School, since these schools 
represent some of the cream of our educational crop. Through an 
intensive selection process beginning at the State level and continuing 
through a Federal Review Panel of 100 top educators, many of the very 
best public and private schools in the Nation are identified as 
deserving of this honor. These are schools that are particularly 
effective meeting local, State, and national goals. But, Mr. President, 
this honor is not about determining who is best, it is about learning 
what works in educating today's children--the leaders of tomorrow.
  Now, more than ever, it is important that we make every effort to 
reach out to students, that we truly engage and challenge them, and 
that we make their education come alive. At the Mercymount Country Day 
School in Rhode Island, partnerships between parents and teachers have 
made an enormous difference in the education of their students. They 
have understood that the quality of education depends not only upon the 
efforts of schools and government; it also depends upon the ideas and 
innovation of parents and community. At Mercymount, parent-teacher 
cooperation has brought computers into the classroom, and their ``Pull 
the Plug'' on TV initiative has helped students get away from 
television sets and into reading and other challenging activities. 
Mercymount has also developed a wonderful fine arts program, and as 
research has shown, the pursuit of education in the arts at an early 
age improves a child's cognitive ability. Again, Mercymount is making a 
huge difference in the lives of its students.
  Mr. President, the Blue Ribbon School initiative shows us the very 
best we can do for students, and the techniques that can be replicated 
in all schools to help all students learn. I am proud to say that in 
Rhode Island we can look to a school like Mercymount Country Day. Under 
the leadership of its principal, Sister Martha Mulligan, its capable 
faculty, and its improved parents, Mercymount will continue to be a 
shining example for years to come.

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