[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 12, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  FAMILY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY GRADUATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. VAN HILLEARY

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 11, 2002

  Mr. HILLEARY. Mr. Speaker, last month, a group of home school 
students from Tennessee won the National Mock Trial Championship. The 
team represented Family Christian Academy, a network of home schoolers 
based in Tennessee.
  This Saturday, Family Christian Academy will hold a commencement 
ceremony for over 100 graduates. These graduates are part of a growing 
movement in Tennessee and across the nation. In our country, over 
850,000 children are being educated at home.
  Home schooled students come from all walks of life, and more often 
than not, they are excelling in academics. In May, the Wall Street 
Journal noted, ``In recent years, home-schoolers have been 
disproportionately represented in spelling and geography bees. But 
their victory this month in the National High School Mock Trial 
Championship, held in St. Paul, Minn., is more intriguing still, 
because this contest--designed to foster appreciation for the U.S. 
system of law cannot be written off as an exercise in mere 
memorization. As the competition's Web page states, it is based on 
`critical thinking, reading, speaking, and advocacy.' ''
  I believe one of our highest priorities is to make sure every child 
has the opportunity to receive: a quality education, one that will 
allow each to pursue his or her dreams. The genius of America is that 
we provide a free public education to everyone while also giving people 
the freedom to pursue other forms of educational excellence, whether it 
be in private, parochial, charter or home schools.
  Home schooling has proven itself to be a very good option for 
educating our children and youth. I congratulate the graduates of 
Family Christian Academy, and I pay tribute to their parents and the 
many others who have provided them with strong educational foundations 
that give them the tools they need to pursue their dreams.

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