[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 79 (Wednesday, June 17, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     A SPECIAL SALUTE TO EAST TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL FIRST PROGRAM 
                              PARTICIPANTS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 17, 1998

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call the attention of my 
colleagues to a very special event taking place on Capitol Hill this 
week. On Thursday, June 18, 1988, Capitol Hill will host a staged 
robotic competition, the ``Capitol Hill Robotics Invitational''. This 
invitational will involve eleven high school robotics teams from across 
the nation. This even underscores an innovative program known as FIRST. 
FIRST, (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), is 
a national nonprofit group founded to promote interest in math, 
science, and technology. It partners engineers from major corporations 
and small businesses, scientists from the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration, the military, and mentors from universities, with 
high school students around the country.
  Regarding the ``Robotics Invitational,'' I would also like to take 
this opportunity to share a story with my colleagues. a story of a 
school that five years ago implemented this new program dedicated to 
improving students proficiency in science and math. Five years later 
this high school has an attendance rate of 82 percent. The enrollment 
has increased to 1400. Seventy-one percent of the students pass the 
State Proficiency Tests. When the Robotics Invitational is held on 
Capitol Hill I plan to be on hand to cheer on a very special team from 
this school. The name of this school is East Technical High School, and 
I am proud to say that this school is located within my Congressional 
District.
  Mr. Speaker, permit me to tell you more about the success story that 
is East Tech High School. Today, students run to their math and science 
classes, and many work hard to obtain the 3.00 Grade Point Average 
necessary to become involved with the FIRST program. All twelve members 
of the initial FIRST team have graduated and are now enrolled in four 
year engineering programs at university levels. East Tech High School 
is the epitome of a phoenix rising from the ashes, considering it was 
scheduled for closing those short five years ago.
  The East Tech Student Engineering/FIRST Team currently has 40 
members. It was this team that recently finished 9th out of 150 teams 
at the National Science and Math Competition in Orlando, Florida. And 
it is this team, selected from 200 other teams, to have their Robotics 
team along with eleven other teams from across the country, participate 
in the robotics competition this week on Capitol Hill.
  East Technical High School, along with the aid of the NASA/Lewis 
Research Center who introduced FIRST to the School, has sparked the 
intelligence in these students that came so close to being extinguished 
with the slated closing of their high school. This team is indicative 
of the talents that lie beneath the surface of many young people in 
urban environments who never receive a chance or get the impact of a 
program like FIRST.

  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to share stories of programs like FIRST that 
exist and get our young people involved in the fields of math and 
science. In fact, I am now told that more students try out for East 
Tech's FIRST team than they do for basketball and football combined. 
This program was the spark, but I feel that the students in East 
Technical High School had it in them all along. These students need to 
be commended today for the perseverance and hard work they have shown. 
I am sure these students have even more success awaiting them in the 
future.
  Thank you Mr. Speaker for allowing me the opportunity to share this 
special success story with my colleagues. Once again, I would like to 
congratulate the students of East Technical High School for their 
achievements and for a job well done.

                   East Technical High School Members

       Orlando Antongiorgi, Michael Bors, Kaishaelia Brown, Jaria 
     Chatmon, Rita Greeham, Sha'Lawnda Griffe, Breesha James, 
     Jesse Mathis, Aja Maxwell, Mario Mendes, Drew Odum, Kanita 
     Parra, Khadijah Qadaar, Shakina Shields, Sierra Smith, 
     Christi Sutton, Sophia Syed, Bobby Vannoy, Sharonda Whatley, 
     and Tiffany Neal.


                  East Technical Faculty Team Members

       Jan Berlin, Sarah Broadnax, Terry Butler, Mary Carter, and 
     Jerome Seppelt.


        National Aeronautics and Space Administration Employees

       Donald Campbell, Director, Joann Charleston, Alicia 
     Gonzalez, Larry Greer, John Hairston, Dan Kocka, and Mary 
     Palumbo.


                           Corporate Sponsors

       Lora Johnson/TRW and Julie Rehm/Battelle.

       

                          ____________________