[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 83 (Monday, May 21, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CHRISTOPHER RYAN COOMES

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 21, 2007

  Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, 11-year-old Christopher Ryan Coomes, or Ryan, 
as he is more familiarly called, is an outstanding young man. A native 
of Texas, born in Houston and raised in the suburb of Spring, Texas, 
Ryan lives a normal, average American life with his father, Tim, 
mother, Brenda, big sister, Candance, and little brother, Chase.
  Ryan is finishing the 5th Grade at Salyers Elementary in Spring, 
Texas; however, he is no ordinary 5th grader because Ryan has a gift 
for excelling in school. In December 2005, when Ryan was a 4th grader, 
he competed in the Salyers Elementary Spelling Bee. Spelling the word, 
``walrus,'' Ryan was named the champion of the spelling competition. 
When he competed the following year, in 2006, Ryan beat out 30 other 
participants and would-be spelling bee champion hopefuls to win by 
spelling the word ``staccato''--which is a musical term, meaning to cut 
short or crisply. Ryan also competed in the Spring ISD District 
Spelling Bee competition in February of 2007.
  Spelling is not the only thing Ryan excels in. Ryan is also an 
outstanding student, who has been and is on the honor roll at Salyers 
Elementary. His favorite subjects are history (which also happens to be 
mine), science, and math. While most kids scheme to get out of going to 
school in the morning, Ryan eagerly gets up and goes. Currently, he is 
trying to maintain a perfect attendance record for the 2006-2007 school 
year. Ryan has a love of reading and is very skilled at writing, having 
his work continually used by his teacher as an example. He participates 
in several extra-curricular activities, such as the Chess Club and the 
Safety Patrol.
  Already at 11, Ryan has set goals for himself: He wants to make Eagle 
Scout--an honor only 5 percent of Boy Scouts ever achieve; he wants to 
attend college at either Texas A&M, Rice, or an Ivy League college 
(Yale); he wants to visit England and see Stonehenge.
  Ryan has been a long time member of the Cub Scouts, which is a 
division of the Boy Scouts. The Cub Scouts were formed for boys in the 
first through fifth grades and was established to promote character 
development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Boys involved 
with Cub Scouts are required to go through 5 different award levels of 
the Cub Scouts before they are promoted to the highest award level, 
Arrow of Light.
  To be awarded the Arrow of Light, the Cub Scout must demonstrate the 
specific skills and activities of each of the previous Cub Scout 
levels. The Cub Scout is also required to learn the Scout Promise and 
Scout Law. Finally, the Cub Scout is required to attend one Boy Scout 
Troop meeting and one Boy Scout Troop Activity. Ryan Coomes has met all 
of these requirements and on March 3, 2007, he was awarded the Arrow of 
Light for the Cub Scouts of America, Pack 355.
  Madam Speaker, Ryan Coomes is a remarkable young man. An honor 
student, spelling bee champion, and Cub Scout recipient of the Arrow of 
Light award, Ryan is an example to his fellow students, his fellow 
citizens of Spring, and his fellow Texans. We need more young people 
like Ryan. I congratulate Ryan on being awarded the Arrow of Light for 
the Cub Scouts and I am proud to pay him this tribute today.
  And that's just the way it is.

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