[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 115 (Wednesday, September 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRATULATING KIT CARSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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                        HON. MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 2004

  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to congratulate Kit Carson 
R-1 Elementary School in Kit Carson, Colorado for being chosen as a No 
Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School of 2004. The Blue Ribbon Schools 
program honors public and private K-12 schools that are academically 
superior in their states or have demonstrated dramatic gains in student 
achievement.
  Schools chosen for the Blue Ribbon are meeting the mission of 
ensuring every child is learning and achieving. Blue Ribbon recipients 
are national models of excellence from which other schools can learn. I 
am proud of Kit Carson R-1 Elementary School for serving as a model in 
the great state of Colorado, and throughout the entire nation.
  The Blue Ribbon Schools program requires schools to meet specific 
assessment criteria. It recognizes schools that have at least 40 
percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that 
dramatically improve student performance in accordance with state 
assessment systems. The program also rewards schools that score in the 
top 10 percent on state assessments.
  Kit Carson's 37 students scored in the top 10 percent nationwide in 
math and reading. Additionally, Kit Carson Elementary is only one of 27 
rural schools in the nation that received the Blue Ribbon title.
  It is an honor to announce this award and it is a testament to the 
exceptional students of rural Colorado. It proves that a quality 
education is obtainable when teachers, parents, and students strive for 
achievement. Compared to other elementary schools around the nation, 
Kit Carson may be small in size, but it is prominent in its standing.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer my warmest congratulations to Kit 
Carson Elementary for this achievement.

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