[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 136 (Friday, October 2, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1884-E1885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING THE IMANI SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 2, 1998

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Imani School of 
Houston as it

[[Page E1885]]

celebrates 10 years of excellence at a Gala on November 13, 1998 at The 
Power Center.
  The Imani School is a private, Christian co-educational school 
serving children from preschool through eighth grade. Founded in 1988 
by Windsor Village United Methodist Church, it began with 25 three- and 
four-year-olds. Today, the enrollment for 1998-99 includes 450 
students, with a waiting list of more than 100 applicants each year. 
The school is accredited by the National Private Schools Accreditation 
Alliance, and admission is open to all students on a first come, first 
serve basis.
  The Imani School has earned a national and international reputation 
for academic excellence and service to the community. The School has 
been featured on numerous television programs, including on CBS 
television as a ``Cool School'' for its outstanding community service, 
on NBC Today Weekend, and on a British Broadcasting Company program 
broadcast around the globe. Its success has attracted many dignitaries, 
including First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Texas Governor George W. 
Bush, former Governor Ann Richards, and Houston Mayor (and former 
director of the U.S. Office of Drug Control Policy) Lee Brown, who 
hailed Imani as ``one of the finest schools in the nation''.
  The Imani School's record certainly backs up these claims. Ninety 
percent of all former Imani students who enter area public schools for 
the first time place in classes for the academically gifted. SAT scores 
for the school surpass the national average in both reading and math at 
every grade level. Students in fifth through eighth grades won a gold 
medal for ``Best of Show'', as well as first and second place awards, 
at the Regional Association of Christian Schools International Science 
Fair. In addition, Imani students received seven out of ten of the 
first awards given at the 1997 NTA Regional Science fair sponsored by 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Imani 
students also were awarded first and second place in the primary 
division and first in the intermediate division in the area Juneteenth 
Black History Essay contest.
  The Imani School is also involved in positive school/community 
partnership efforts including a collaboration with the Garden Terrace 
Retirement Home, where students in the third to eighth grades make 
weekly trips to do crafts, entertain, or just visit with elderly 
residents. Also, middle school students join preschoolers and parents 
to repair and paint homes and provide food, clothing, and toys to needy 
families. Each summer, the Imani School provides summer camp programs 
to residents of the Patrice House, a shelter for abused and neglected 
children. Imani students also speak before corporations including Exxon 
and Chevron and at educational events throughout the community.
  The Imani School has also achieved athletic success. At the end of 
Imani's first season in the Private School Basketball League, two 
students were chosen All Tournament Players.
  To the students, their families, and faculty of the Imani School, I 
say congratulations. Your hard work and dedication is paying off. To 
the Windsor Village United Methodist Church, I say thank you for having 
the wisdom to start the Imani School and the fortitude to keep it 
strong. Your efforts have produced a school that is an example of the 
educational success that can be achieved with a supportive community, 
dedicated parents and teachers, and a commitment to innovation and 
excellence.

                          ____________________