[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 81 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING CATHY GIOVANDO, CELESTE HALL, AND CAROL SIEBE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 14, 2004

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 3 teachers who are 
retiring from Two Rock Union School in a rural community near Petaluma, 
CA. Cathy Giovando, Celeste Hall, and Carol Siebe are special teachers 
who have worked together at the school for many years. But beyond that, 
they will always be remembered for their successful efforts to preserve 
the Two Rock Coast Guard Training Facility.
  Now the West Coast training center for the Coast Guard's new role in 
the Department of Homeland Security, the Two Rock facility has 10 
schools offering 50 courses to 4,000 students a year. It is hard to 
believe that this center was on the chopping block in cost-cutting 
efforts in the 1990s--and not just once, but twice. And twice, 
Giovando, Hall, Siebe, and others on the Save the Base Committee 
rallied elected officials and the local community as well as children 
and parents from the small Two Rock School, to preserve a facility that 
was originally established by the War Department in 1942.
  As their representative in Congress during the 1990s, I knew how 
important this base was to the fabric of this small community and to 
the security of our Nation. However, without the passion of these 
teachers, it would have been difficult for me to convince the Coast 
Guard and the entire California Congressional Delegation of this. It is 
for sure that Clinton administration officials were especially 
impressed with the art work and stories sent to them by children from 
the school. In the world of politics, these children proved that the 
personal can make a difference.
  And, as teachers, these women were instrumental in Two Rock School's 
recognition as a California Distinguished School. Their legacies 
include one of the first school gardens in the area and, with the 
entire staff, creation of an assessment program that enables teachers 
to work with each child's strengths and weaknesses.
  Retirement will include everything from travel to real estate 
classes. Coincidentally, the families of all three are from the same 
area in Northern Italy which will figure prominently in their travel 
plans.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to honor Cathy Giovando, Celeste Hall, 
and Carol Siebe whose warmth and dedication exemplify the best that 
teachers can offer to our Nation's children. Their commitment extends 
beyond the classroom to an appreciation of the significance of all the 
key elements--including the Coast Guard Training Facility--that are 
essential to a community's well-being. These women will be missed at 
their school and by their students, but we all know they will bring the 
same energy and heart to all their future endeavors.

                          ____________________