[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 80 (Monday, June 17, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S5629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL HISTORY DAY

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I stand to honor three 
outstanding California students: Michael Crowe, Jennifer McWilliams, 
and Heather Scott.
  These students are finalists in the National History Day Contest. 
They are also among 15 students who have been selected from a national 
pool of 700,000 to display their work at the White House Visitors 
Center this week.
  National History Day is a year-long event in which students prepare 
exhibits, papers, documentaries, and performances to explain not only 
the ``who'' and the ``what'' of history but also the ``why.''
  In his performance ``Castro, Cuba, and the Revolution the World Will 
Never Forget,'' Michael Crowe, a seventh grader at Fruitvale Junior 
High School in Bakersfield, explores the relations between the United 
States, Cuba, and Russia during the Cold War.
  As part of his research, Michael spoke to former Secretary of Defense 
Robert McNamara and to CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite.
  He also gained a unique perspective on the era by interviewing the 
children of Fidel Castro and Nikita Khrushchev.
  Working together, eighth graders Jennifer McWilliams and Heather 
Scott, who also attend Fruitvale Junior High, created an exhibit 
entitled ``On the Trail to Revolution: Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam 
War.''
  In addition to speaking with Robert McNamara and Walter Cronkite, the 
girls interviewed veterans, refugees, and a Vietnamese expatriate who 
lived in Vietnam during the war to understand the conflict and its 
effects on our Nation.
  Like other National History Day participants, Michael, Jennifer, and 
Heather chose their topics last fall. They spent a year conducting 
extensive research and analyzing past events.
  Michael, Jennifer, and Heather then joined over half a million other 
students and entered their National History Day projects in local 
competitions.
  From these local competitions, approximately 2,000 participants are 
chosen to proceed to the national finals. There, they compete for cash 
and scholarships.
  Michael, Jennifer, and Heather are among this year's finalists, an 
accomplishment remarkable in itself. However, these students also 
demonstrated great enthusiasm and superior effort while completing 
their projects.
  This earned them the privilege of exhibiting their work at the White 
House Visitors Center.
  Michael, Jennifer, and Heather performed truly first-rate research 
and demonstrated initiative and dedication beyond their years. Their 
projects are of exceptional quality.
  These young people have earned my sincere admiration, and I 
congratulate them on their achievements.

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