[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 67 (Friday, May 22, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           TRIBUTE TO MIDWOOD HIGH SCHOOL AT BROOKLYN COLLEGE

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                          HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 22, 1998

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the students, 
parents, and faculty of Midwood High School at Brooklyn College. On May 
22, 1998, the United States Department of Education selected the school 
as one of 166 winners of the Blue Ribbon Award. These outstanding 
individuals have not been celebrated as sports heroes and entertainment 
celebrities; but a tradition of academic excellence has been 
established at Midwood High School. These students, parents and 
educators have tirelessly dedicated themselves to achieving academic 
excellence that is necessary to prepare our young people for the 
challenges of the next century.
  Midwood High School at Brooklyn College, a secondary school of 4,000 
students in Brooklyn, New York, is located in a middle class, urban 
environment. It is a model school of academic excellence within an 
integrated instructional setting. The student population consists of 
43% African American students, 10% Latino students, 17% Asian students, 
and 30% students of other nationalities. Students wishing to attend 
Midwood High School may apply to one of three programs: the Medical 
Science Institute, the Humanities Program, and the Collegiate Program.
  Mr. Speaker, I feel some degree of personal pride in this 
achievement. For the last five years I have been a guest of the annual 
Midwood Student Congress. At their Congress students debate issues and 
take votes. A bill to greatly increase taxes on tobacco won a narrow 
victory this year. This activity is just one more example of the 
comprehensive excellence of the program at Midwood.
  During the 1986-87 school year, Midwood High School was named a 
School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, In 
1994, the school was also selected by Redbook Magazine as one of 
America's fifty outstanding high schools. Of the 1997 graduating class:
  Ninety-eight percent of the students went to college.
  Over seventy percent of the students earned Regents endorse diplomas.
  The school's SAT mean scores were significantly above the national 
mean.
  The school was rated as one of the top fifty high schools in America 
by the College Board Advanced Placement Program.
  Students were awarded $28 million in college scholarships.
  For the fourth year in a row, Midwood ranked among the ten top 
schools in the nation in the Westinghouse Research Competition.
  Sixty-four students were ranked Advanced Placement scholars by the 
College Board.
  Two Midwood seniors were selected as National Merit finalists.
  Ten Midwood students received commended status in the 1997 
Achievement Program.
  The National Council of Teachers of English presented a writing 
achievement award to a Midwood senior--the tenth year in a row that 
this prestigious award was presented to Midwood High School.
  In the New York Academy of Science 1997 Science and Technology Expo, 
eight Midwood students received awards.
  Ten students received awards in a science competition sponsored by 
the Rockefeller Foundation.
  University students at Midwood High School are enriched in various 
ways by the academic and physical resources of Brooklyn College:
  They are encouraged to enroll in courses at the college campus, if 
qualified.
  They have the opportunity to use the college library.
  They participate in appropriate college cultural and career programs.
  They conduct research under the tutelage of college professors.
  They take Midwood High School laboratory classes on the college 
campus.
  They hear distinguished scholars from the college who visit Midwood 
as guest lecturers.
  We must create an atmosphere where our students are inspired and 
given incentives to strive for excellence. I salute Midwood High School 
for their outstanding academic performance. Each student, teacher and 
parent is part of a process of creating an environment in America where 
education is exalted, where academics and intellectual activities are 
raised to a new level.
  Midwood High School students are provided with a great Opportunity-
To-Learn and they use it well. We salute Principal Lewis Frohlich and 
all of the teachers and students of Midwood High School.

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