[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 129 (Friday, October 4, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    A CENTURY OF SERVICE--SAN MATEO HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 3, 2002

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues in the Congress to 
join me in marking a century of service as San Mateo High School 
celebrates its 100th anniversary.
  Mr. Speaker, a century ago, the city of San Mateo and the rest of the 
Peninsula looked dramatically different than they do today. At its 
creation, the first high school in the San Mateo Union High School 
District required only three teachers to educate the fourteen students 
who attended the school, which was housed in a three-bedroom cottage. 
During the next twenty-five years of its existence, San Mateo High 
School moved three times, finally settling into its present location on 
Delaware Street, in San Mateo, California, in 1927.
  Like the rest of the Peninsula, the school has witnessed exceptional 
growth during the last one hundred years, and today San Mateo High 
School boasts an enrollment of 1,425 ethnically and socially diverse 
students. It is that remarkable diversity, that is a major part of what 
makes San Mateo High School a great institution of learning. According 
to the most recent figures, the school includes African American, 
Hispanic, Caucasian, Filipino, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and 
Native American students.
  Mr. Speaker, in addition to this melting pot of American students, 
San Mateo High School's student body also includes many international 
students. For many years the school participated in the American Field 
Service's exchange student program. This program facilitates 
international understanding by sending American students to study 
abroad, and bringing foreign students to study in the United States. A 
testimony of the success of San Mateo High School's commitment to the 
benefits of diversity is the fact that at one time the student body was 
comprised of individuals from 80 different nations. This diversity 
certainly enriched the educational experience of the pupils and 
fostered international understanding among its students. As Jacqueline 
McEvoy, who became the school's 13th principal in 2000, commented, ``it 
was like walking into a microcosm of the world.''
  Mr. Speaker, San Mateo High School and its students have also 
established an outstanding record of community service. The school was 
the recipient of international recognition when the Guinness Book of 
World Records certified that the 214,713 pounds of food collected by 
the students at the school was the largest food drive ever put together 
by a non-charitable organization. This extraordinary feat is testament 
to the intelligence, drive, determination, and commitment to service of 
the students that make up San Mateo High School.
  Mr. Speaker, during the past century, San Mateo High School has 
actively pursued and achieved excellence in academic, vocational, 
performing arts, and athletic programs. It has provided countless 
opportunities for the enrichment of students on the Peninsula and 
around the globe. I am greatly honored to have the privilege of 
representing this excellent institution in the United States Congress. 
I urge all of my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 100th 
anniversary of San Mateo High School.

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