[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 145 (Thursday, October 16, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO OYSTER BILINGUAL SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RUBEN HINOJOSA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 16, 2003

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, as the Hispanic Heritage Celebration--2003 
draws to a close, I rise to pay tribute to Oyster Bilingual Elementary 
School, a pearl right here in the Nation's Capital. For over 30 years, 
Oyster School has proudly served the Hispanic community in Washington, 
DC.
  The Oyster School, named after former D.C. Public Schools 
Superintendent, James F. Oyster, first opened its doors in the 1920's.
  By 1970, the Oyster School was home to many immigrant families from 
Central America who began to settle in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in 
the District of Columbia.
  These new parents along with community activists pushed for the 
creation of a bilingual program, one that would best instruct their 
children, whose first language was Spanish.
  In the spring of 1971, the D.C. Public School Board approved a two-
way bilingual program at the Oyster School. From the beginning, the 
Oyster School program was a partnership effort.
  In addition to support from D.C. Public Schools, Oyster Bilingual 
Elementary School received Federal funding and a grant from the Ford 
Foundation for teacher training, curriculum development, and program 
evaluation.
  As a result, a generation before the ``No Child Left Behind Act'' 
weaved ``scientifically-based research'' into the education lexicon, 
Oyster School put into place a scientifically-based model for teaching 
children to achieve to high standards in two languages--Spanish and 
English.
  At the Oyster Bilingual Elementary School, approximately half the 
students speak Spanish as their first language and half the students 
speak English.
  Students come from diverse ethnic and socio-economic groups. This 
year, 35 percent of Oyster's students are eligible for free or reduced-
price lunch. All students are expected to master the D.C. Public 
Schools content in both languages. Oyster students measure up and test 
well in both languages, consistently placing Oyster Bilingual 
Elementary School in the top ten of the over 100 elementary schools in 
the District of Columbia.
  The Oyster Bilingual Elementary School is a model for the Nation. It 
has received numerous accolades, including a citation for excellence 
from the U.S. Department of Education and an Exemplary School Award 
from the National Association for Bilingual Education.
  Perhaps a more significant measure of the value of the Oyster 
Bilingual Elementary School experience is the fact that until D.C. 
Public Schools introduced a lottery system for admission, hundreds of 
parents would camp out for days in order to get a coveted ``first come, 
first serve'' slot at the school.
  Oyster Bilingual Elementary School has fostered a sense of community 
and shared values between the immigrant community and the largely 
upper-middle class residents of the Woodley Park neighborhood. When the 
school faced closure in the early 1990's because of its dilapidated 
facilities, the community rallied and formed the 21st century school 
fund.
  Through this community-public-private partnership, the financing was 
made available to build the first new school building in the District 
of Columbia in 20 years--a beautiful new facility that will serve both 
the growing Hispanic community and the D.C. community at large.
  Oyster Bilingual Elementary School's long-term success is a product 
of community involvement and public-private partnerships.
  The school has produced many distinguished alumni who serve as role 
models and continue to serve the Hispanic community in our nation's 
capital. Among them are:
  Mirna Amaya, a child development specialist who works at Mary's 
Center for Maternal and Child Care in D.C.;
  Nathanial Beers, a doctor at Children's Hospital Medical Center;
  Olga Artiga, a kindergarten teacher at Oyster. Her sister Connie 
Artiga Oliver runs the after-school care program at Oyster; and
  Cecilia Arce, a library assistant and a parent of three children at 
Oyster.
  As Oyster Bilingual Elementary School begins to serve a new 
generation of students I commend it for staying true to its mission, 
which states:
  ``We believe that native Spanish-speaking children will learn to 
perform better in English in an environment that respects their native 
language and provides continued growth in their native language. In 
addition, we believe that the education of English speaking children 
will be enriched by achieving competency in a second language at an age 
when achieving such competency is easiest.''
  Mr. Speaker, the administration at Oyster School is fulfilling this 
mission and I urge my colleagues in Congress to commend them for their 
efforts.

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