[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 15, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E797]]
            CONGRATULATIONS, KID WITNESS NEWS AWARD WINNERS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2001

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleagues here in the 
United States House of Representatives to join me in paying special 
tribute to a very talented group of students at the Gordon Parks 
Academy, located in my Congressional district in East Orange, New 
Jersey. On May 15th, they will be honored at the 11th annual Panasonic 
Kid Witness News Vision Awards Ceremony, to be held in our own Newark 
Museum in Newark, New Jersey.
  The Gordon Parks Academy, K-8, is this year's special Technical 
Vision Award winner for producing a video with the best special 
effects. This winning video, ``Reading: Destination Unlimited'', used 
especially creative and innovative special effects to create its 
message that books can transport the mind and the imagination. Two 
students wander into their school's book fair looking for a 
recommendation. They are invited by the mysterious librarian to take a 
trip across the United States. To the tune of Nat King Cole's ``Route 
66,'' the students experience a fun-filled cross-country odyssey. The 
special effects reinforce the point that reading a good book can be as 
vivid as living what you are reading. Mrs. Sharman Howe Nittoli, the TV 
Production Teacher and KWN coordinator, should be commended for her 
outstanding work with the very talented young people who produced this 
video. Kid Witness News is a hands-on video education program in more 
than 200 primarily inner-city schools in 120 U.S. cities. Using 
Panasonic-supplied equipment to create video projects, young people are 
encouraged to develop their creative, communication and technical 
skills through video production. Annual awards are presented to student 
teams in various categories, including Best Video, Documentary, Local 
Hero, Multiculturalism and News at a special program held in New Jersey 
each spring. It is apparent that The Gordon Parks Academy is proud to 
be a participant in Panasonic's KWN student news program. I know Ms. 
Joyce F. Howard, the school's principal, clearly recognizes the 
importance for young people of diverse backgrounds to seek new 
experiences and examine themselves in different roles as they prepare 
for their own future. I truly am proud to say congratulations to her, 
to the program advisors, and especially to the students of Gordon Parks 
Academy for a job well done. As a former teacher and lifelong advocate 
of youth, I am pleased to support Panasonic's Kid Witness News program. 
I commend Don Iwatani, Panasonic's Chairman and CEO of North American 
operations, for his support and leadership of such a commendable 
program. The excitement surrounding this program is that we actually 
will see ``The World Through Their Eyes'' in years to come as the 
participants become the future newsmakers of tomorrow. The 2001 New 
Vision Awards are a testament to the great future of today's youth as 
they prepare for the 21st Century. I am proud that Panasonic is in New 
Jersey and proud of its efforts to make a difference in the lives of 
children both in New Jersey and across the country.

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