[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 126 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1706-E1707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CONGRATULATING THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE HOUSE FELLOWS PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 1, 2007

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate the participants of the House Fellows Program on the 
completion of their weeklong program. As an initiative of the Office of 
the Historian, this has been a unique opportunity for a select group of 
secondary education teachers of American history and government.
  This week-long workshop is designed to help educators improve the 
knowledge and understanding of the ``People's House.'' One of the goals 
of the program is to develop curricular materials on the history and 
practice of the House for use in schools. Each Fellow will prepare his 
or her brief lesson plan on a Congressional topic of their choosing, 
and these plans will become part of a teaching resource database on the 
House.
  During the school year following their participation in the House 
Fellows Program, each Fellow will have the responsibility to present 
their experiences and lesson plans to at least one in-service institute 
for teachers of history and government.
  Over the next 5 years, in selecting a teacher from every 
congressional district, the House Fellows Program will be able to 
impact over 10,000 high school teachers, providing an inside account of 
how the House of Representatives functions, energizing thousands of 
students to become informed and active citizens.
  I had the honor of meeting the Fellows last night and know that all 
Members will join me in congratulating the following teachers who have 
successfully participated in this week's program:
  Mr. Frank Coburn, Red Bird Mission School, Beverly, Kentucky (KY05, 
Rogers); Ms. Jennifer Collier, Mt. Diablo High School, Concord, 
California (CA07, Miller); Ms. Deborah Hejl, Fishers High School, 
Fishers, Indiana (IN05, Burton); Mr. Paul Hodges, PikeView High School, 
Mercer County, West Virginia (WV03, Rahall); Mr. Rick Kelm, Ripon High 
School, Ripon, Wisconsin (WI06, Petri); Ms. Tisha Menchhofer, Lakota 
East High School, Liberty Township, Ohio (OH08, Boehner); Mr. 
Christopher Lazarski, Wauwatosa West High School, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin 
(WI05, Sensenbrenner); Mr. Christopher Swanson, Cloquet Senior High 
School, Cloquet, Minnesota (MN08, Oberstar); Ms. Robin Wanosky, Weston 
High School, Weston, Massachusetts (MA07, Markey); Ms. Erin Wigginton, 
Pulaski County High School, Dublin, Virginia (VA09, Boucher).

  As many of my colleagues already know, the first bill I sponsored 
upon becoming a Member of Congress in 1999 was the History of the House 
Awareness and Preservation Act, which directed the Librarian of 
Congress to oversee the writing of a history of the House of 
Representatives. Once this bill was signed into law (P.L. 106-99), the 
Librarian of Congress very wisely chose the eminent historian and 
author, Dr. Robert V. Remini, to write the history, which was published 
in 2006 under the title of The House. The project was

[[Page E1707]]

so well received that the Speaker of the House re-established the 
Office of the Historian in 2005 and appointed Dr. Remini as the House 
Historian.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to urge all of my colleagues to join me 
in thanking the Office of the Historian for sponsoring this program. 
Under the leadership of Dr. Remini and Dr. Fred Beuttler, along with 
their staff; Michael Cronin, Anthony Wallis, interns Michael Weiss and 
Laura Neff; the Office of the Historian is dedicated to fulfilling the 
goals of the History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act by 
conserving and presenting the history of the House of Representatives, 
the ``People's House.''

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