[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     CONGRATULATING BURLINGTON CITY HIGH SCHOOL ON ITS GRAMMY AWARD

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                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2001

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and 
congratulate the students and faculty of the Burlington City High 
School Music Department in Burlington City, New Jersey for their 
recognition by the national GRAMMY Foundation as a GRAMMY Signature 
School.
  Burlington City is now one of 100 high schools from across the 
country to receive a certificate of recognition based on its high level 
of commitment to music education. The GRAMMY Signature School Program 
honors high school music students, teachers, principals, and school 
districts that promote and preserve music education--both performing 
and studying music--as a key part of their curriculum.
  The importance of music education in the overall educational 
experience of students is becoming clearer every day. In fact, several 
studies have shown a quantifiable value of the arts in improving 
overall academic performance. According to the College Entrance 
Examination Board, students of the arts continue to outperform their 
non-arts peers on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). In 1995, for 
example, SAT scores for students who studied the arts for four or more 
years were 59 points higher on the verbal, and 44 points higher on the 
math portion of the exam, than students with no course work on 
experience in the arts.
  Moreover, most teachers know that music appreciation and performance 
can often provide a critical mechanism to engage, and stimulate 
interest in, other school activities. Students who otherwise would have 
dropped out of school, and put their long term economic futures at 
risk, have been re-engaged through music and the arts.
  The GRAMMY Signature School Program is developed through the GRAMMY 
Foundation, a non-profit arm of the Recording Academy that is dedicated 
to advancing music and arts-based education across the country. Through 
educational, cultural and professional initiatives, the Foundation aims 
to strengthen our educational system.
  What makes Burlington City's accomplishments so special is the 
knowledge that it successfully competed against 18,000 public high 
schools nationwide. In the end, Burlington City's program was chosen by 
an independent screening committee comprised of university music 
professors, and representatives from professional music organizations 
to receive the Signature School Award for their exceptional job of 
cultivating their arts program.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the faculty and students in the music 
department for their commitment to furthering music education. I would 
like to thank the school and the local school board for their hard work 
and dedication to providing an outstanding music educational program 
that superbly serves the students of Burlington City.

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