[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 19, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1151-E1152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE NATIONAL ACADEMIC TEAM OF THOMPSON INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 19, 2001

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Thompson Intermediate 
School National Academic Team, on the occasion of recent victory in the 
National Academic League Finals.
  The National Academic League is a nationwide contest between middle 
school academic teams that is set up like an athletic game. Each 
competition is broken into four quarters, and students answer questions 
about math, science, social studies, and language arts. The competition 
is a fun and educational way to develop fundamental skills.
  Thompson Intermediate School's victory marks their third championship 
and fifth trip to the National finals. The victorious 7th and 8th 
graders included Tiffany Lily, Vishal Patel,

[[Page E1152]]

Christine Tran, Van Nguyen, Lam Lei, Wesley Bennett, Minh Bui, Ana 
Lopez, Justin Lai, Courtney Grimes, Grace Kim, Michael Cole, Adrian 
Ingalls, Tracie Thompson, Rustain Abedinzadch, Ryan Fox, Ryan Dawson, 
Bruce Lee, Henry Dao, and Richard Quach. The team was under the veteran 
leadership of coach Carolyn Carmichael, and Thompson Intermediate 
School Principal Greg Jones.
  The finals were the culmination of hard work and rigorous training by 
the students. The Pasadena School District, the only Texas school 
district to compete, adopted the program in 1993 in order to motivate 
students and encourage academic acheivement. After thirteen matches 
with the nine other district teams, Thompson went on to the National 
Competition with the strong support of all of their classmates. The 
students prepared for the competition in a separate National Academic 
League class. This advanced level class prepared the students for 
competition with a fast-paced and diversified curriculum.
  Mr. Speaker, the members of the Thompson Intermediate National 
Academic League Team have seen their dreams and hard work come to 
fruition as they have captured the National title. I applaud the hard 
work and diligence of these students, and wish them continued success 
in their studies.

                          ____________________