[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 69 (Friday, May 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO MARQUETTE AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ON THE OCCASION OF THE SCHOOL 
                      DISTRICT'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 23, 2002

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call your attention and that 
of our colleagues to a special event which took place in my northern 
Michigan congressional district this past month. In April the Marquette 
Area Public School District, the largest school district in the Upper 
Peninsula of Michigan, marked 150 years of service to the local 
community and to the region.
  Here in Congress the debate and discussion of education is often 
moved to an abstract level, where, we discuss programs and dollars. In 
northern Michigan, as in much of this young nation, education has 
traditionally been viewed as a means of personal enrichment, 
achievement and advancement. In Marquette, a town settled by loggers, 
miners and the tradesmen who followed them to build a community, 
education still serves that basic social role.
  It remains the belief of the Marquette Area Public School District, 
as outlined in its mission statement, that ``all students can learn and 
achieve mastery of basic skills.'' The school district, the board and 
the administrators, pledge to ``teach all students so that they can 
attain their maximum educational potential and become responsible, 
contributing members of society.''
  The Marquette Area Public School District covers an area of 123 
square miles and serves a population of approximately 31,000, according 
to its 2000-2001 annual report. During that period, 246 teachers in six 
elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school provided 
public education to more than 4,100 students in grades kindergarten 
through 12.
  Clearly, Mr. Speaker, Marquette Area Public Schools has come a long 
way as a civic institution since Marquette's first school began in a 
home in 1849 with just four students. This focus on education is even 
more important today to prepare students for tomorrow, because 
Marquette itself has changed. Hallmarks of the community today include 
a fine university, Northern Michigan University, and a fine hospital, 
Marquette General Hospital, which as a key resource in a rural area has 
been working on the cutting edge of telemedicine.
  Jacqueline Winkowski, administrative assistant to the superintendent 
and the school board, noted in a recent document that Marquette Area 
Public Schools is often called up by other school districts in 
Michigan's Upper Peninsula to share its practices and procedures and to 
provide expertise and professional development. Teachers from this 
district have continued to serve on state-level panels and committees 
on the topics of reading, literacy, social studies and science.
  Dr. Patrick Smith, superintendent of Marquette Area Public Schools, 
recently told the Marquette Mining Journal that the district was happy 
to be celebrating its first 150 years and looks forward to the next 
150. If this first century and a half are any indication, this school 
district, ably assisted by community members serving on its board, will 
continue to provide vision and leadership in the field of education for 
this region.

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