[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S365-S366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION PRESENTED TO MANKATO WEST HIGH 
        SCHOOL, YOUTH SERVICE LEARNING CLASS, MANKATO, MINNESOTA

 Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, today I honor last fall's Youth 
Service Learning class, at Mankato West High

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School, in Mankato, MN, which recently earned an Award for Excellence 
in Education for its exceptional and innovative achievements.
  The Youth Service Learning class at Mankato West High School is truly 
a model of educational success. As part of its fall curriculum, the 
class embraced Project Homecoming, a statewide effort to raise money to 
help pay for the cost of bus transportation from Camp Shelby, MS, to 
Minnesota, for 400 Minnesota National Guard soldiers. The soldiers had 
been training at Camp Shelby for deployment to Iraq in early 2006. 
Although they were given 10 days leave for the holidays, no funding was 
available through the military or National Guard to provide round-trip 
transportation to Minnesota and back.
  The Youth Service Learning class, which focuses on volunteerism and 
the functioning of nonprofits in the community, gained some real life 
experience by helping Project Homecoming raise $75,000 in just under 4 
weeks. The students learned how to establish a tax-exempt fundraising 
effort, engage the media in an event, and raise significant money for a 
cause they considered extremely important to their communities. In less 
than 3 days, the students raised over $1,500 from their schoolmates, 
made telephone calls to potential donors, and asked their own employers 
to help in the effort. With the students' help, Project Homecoming 
reached its $75,000 goal.
  Much of the credit for the Youth Service Learning class's success 
belongs to Mr. Bruce Borchers, Mankato West principal; Mr. Tim Walz, 
Youth Service Learning teacher; and Mr. Pat Griffiths, Project 
Homecoming coordinator. The students and staff who participated in the 
class understand that in order to be successful, a school must go 
beyond achieving academic success; it must also provide a nurturing 
environment where students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes 
for a lifetime of success. All of the faculty, staff, and students 
should be very proud of their accomplishments.
  I congratulate the Youth Service Learning class at Mankato West High 
School in Mankato, MN, for winning the Award for Excellence in 
Education and for its exceptional contributions to education in 
Minnesota.

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