[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 149 (Thursday, October 30, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN RECOGNITION OF TOM FLAHERTY AND CHATHAM HIGH SCHOOL

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                        HON. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 30, 1997

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Tom Flaherty, a 
constituent of mine from Eastham, MA, who has been actively involved in 
the government-sponsored civics education program known as ``We the 
People.'' This program focuses on teaching students the importance of 
the freedoms guaranteed in our Bill of Rights and Constitution.
  Each year, this program brings together high school students from 
across the Nation. In the spirit of competition, they test their 
knowledge of the Constitution and Bill of Rights learned through the 
``We the People'' program. The program focuses on ways to challenge 
students to learn in creative and innovative ways, which make learning 
fun and help students retain what they have learned. They then have the 
opportunity to showcase their knowledge at the local, State, and 
national level.
  Tom is a history teacher at Chatham High School on Cape Cod who also 
serves as the district coordinator of the ``We the People'' Program for 
the Tenth Congressional District of Massachusetts. His most recent 
competition this past spring yet again yielded winning results as his 
team returned to the national level, winning the category for ``Best 
Team for Expertise on the Extension of the Bill of Rights.'' I was 
proud to welcome students and a teacher who are so committed to 
learning the fundamental fabric of our Nation's government.
  Most recently, Tom also participated in the Civitas Program, which is 
jointly run by the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Information 
Agency, along with teachers from the Council of Europe. This project 
seeks to provide teachers in Bosnia and Herzogovina with the tools to 
prepare students and their communities to be responsible citizens 
through participation in elections and by becoming actively involved in 
the political process. Tom went through an intensive 2-week program to 
train over 500 teachers throughout Bosnia and Herzogovina with 
materials and methods developed from ``We the People'' to educate and 
teach democratic principles.
  Traveling to a war-torn area to help construct the fundamental 
building blocks for a burgeoning society truly shows Tom's commitment 
to our democratic principles and his genuine dedication to teaching 
these principles. Mr. Speaker, I commend Tom and his Chatham High 
School class for their passion for learning and hope they both realize 
they may be directly helping to build democracy in Bosnia and 
Herzegovinia.

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