[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H8639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO CARLINVILLE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL DICK SPOHR

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, the building was destroyed by fire. The 
walls were the only thing left standing. In September 1987, the 
Carlinville High School, which lies in the 20th District of Illinois, 
was destroyed by fire.
  In a move that is common in my area of Illinois, Carlinville High 
School Principal Dick Spohr rallied students, parents, and community 
leaders. Principal Spohr organized a community-wide effort to rebuild 
the school so that classes could resume immediately.
  Ten years later, Mr. Spohr was named the 1997 Illinois Principal of 
the Year by Metlife Insurance and the National Association of Secondary 
School Principals. However, this kind of effort is nothing new for Mr. 
Spohr, who believes that people make up the real school. It is the 
teachers, the parents, the staff, and especially the students.
  As Congress tackles the tough issues, like the voucher system, 
national testing, and higher education reauthorization, each Member 
must keep in mind Mr. Spohr's sacrifice and resolve. Principal Spohr 
believes in the system and is always willing to give the students the 
freedom to make their own mistakes and rejoice in their own victories.

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