[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 96 (Thursday, June 14, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1296-E1297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF DR. BARBARA CHRISTEN, DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR AND 
                   FOUNDER OF ``FUTURES AND OPTIONS''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 14, 2007

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Dr. 
Barbara L. Christen, an extraordinary leader and teacher. Her 
passionate commitment to excellence in education has inspired countless 
students and colleagues to realize their dreams. Dr. Christen's 
remarkable career is being celebrated this month at a reception hosted 
by Futures and Options, Inc., an outstanding program that provides New 
York City high schoolers worthwhile opportunities for paid, supervised 
internships in the business world.
  Dr. Christen embarked upon her distinguished career by teaching 
English in New York City's public high schools. In 1970, she was named 
Assistant Principal for English at the High School of Art and Design on 
Manhattan's East Side. Five years later she became the founding 
Principal of the Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers in 
Lower Manhattan and launched its internationally acclaimed ``magnet'' 
program to prepare students for both college admission and entry into 
the workforce.
  As the principal at Bergtraum over the course of a decade and a half, 
Dr. Christen oversaw the education of a student body of 3,000, one of 
the largest high schools in our Nation's biggest city. As the 
educational leader of the first American high school with a dual 
program preparing students both for college admission and for entry 
into the business world, Dr. Christen presided over Bergtraum's rapidly 
expanding application pool while managing a complex educational 
enterprise during New York City's dire fiscal crisis.
  Working with the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association, Dr. Christen 
became a pioneer in establishing public-private partnerships, thereby 
immeasurably benefitting the school she led as well as its students and 
teachers. She established a highly successful educational model, 
introduced an innovative business curriculum, initiated the first high 
school computer science business program, and secured internships for 
all Bergtraum students. Dr. Christen thus forged a unique learning 
experience for her students, one that melded a rigorous and stimulating 
academic curriculum with exciting opportunities to gain invaluable 
experience in the business world by working in Lower Manhattan's world-
famous business and financial districts.

  Following her retirement from New York City's public school system, 
Dr. Christen continued to put her flair for innovation and enterprise 
to work helping others achieve their full potential. As the Vice 
President for Workforce Development at the Alliance for Downtown New 
York, she created the Futures and Options, Inc. (FAO) paid internship 
program that was subsequently cited by the U.S. Department of Labor as 
a model project. Since then,

[[Page E1297]]

more than 2,000 students have benefitted from FAO, and its bright 
future is one of the proudest legacies of her storied career.
  A native of the great Empire State, Dr. Christen is a proud graduate 
of the College of Mount Saint Vincent and performed her graduate 
studies at the City University of New York, where she earned a masters 
degree, and at the Teachers College of Columbia University, where she 
received her Doctorate in Education.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me in 
recognizing the remarkable successes enjoyed by Dr. Barbara L. Christen 
in educating and inspiring countless individuals and colleagues.

                          ____________________