[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 33 (Thursday, February 28, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H1170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
   PAYING TRIBUTE TO MICHELLE H. PASCHAL, PRINCIPAL OF STEVENS CREEK 
                               ELEMENTARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Broun) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor and pay 
tribute to a faithful and innovative public school educator in my 10th 
Congressional District of Georgia. Michelle Paschal is the principal of 
Stevens Creek Elementary School in Columbia County, Georgia. Her school 
boasts the county's only foreign language department for elementary 
schools, and that program is extraordinary.
  On January 10, I had the opportunity to observe a first grade class 
under the tutelage of Senora Olga Biancheri. The entire 30-minute 
session was conducted in Spanish, with the teacher doing her teaching 
through song and storytelling. I was utterly amazed to see the children 
comprehending and responding to what the teacher said.
  According to Biancheri, upon completing the fifth grade, these 
students are more conversational than most high school students who 
have studied Spanish for 2 years in any school system. Many of these 
children are fluent.
  Unfortunately, this remarkable foreign language program has fallen 
victim to State budget cuts. The 2007-2008 school year is the first 
year the school received no help from the State. Ms. Paschal kept the 
program alive by petitioning the Columbia County Board of Education and 
parent-teacher organizations for funding. She also used half the salary 
for an enrichment position, about $40,000, to pay for the Spanish 
teacher. Ms. Paschal and the Stevens Creek Elementary facility are to 
be commended for their innovative commitment to the students of 
Columbia County and their academic success.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise, also, to honor and pay tribute to an 
exceptional public school system in my 10th Congressional District in 
Georgia.
  Like so many school systems in Georgia, over the past two decades the 
Habersham County schools have been home to a growing number of 
immigrant students. The State mandates that schools serve these 
students through a program known as ESOL, or English to Speakers of 
Other Languages.
  Since the introduction of the first Laotian family to Habersham 
County schools in 1985, Superintendent Dr. Judy Forbes has been there 
from the very start, although at that time she served as instructional 
supervisor over the program.
  Today, more than 22 percent of the school system's 6,800 students are 
enrolled in ESOL. With just 10 teachers serving 15 schools, the 
Habersham County school system is doing an outstanding job. Many of the 
kindergarten and first grade students are speaking fluent English by 
Thanksgiving and by Christmas.
  For the sixth through 12th graders, Habersham County has a language 
intensive Newcomers Academy. Through innovative teaching techniques, 
including collaborating with North Georgia Technical Institute and the 
Cornelia-Habersham County Library, ESOL instructors report that 
students are learning with enthusiasm, and graduation rates are 
climbing. The message that teachers send to their students is that in 
the United States children have opportunities, and education will give 
them the biggest payoff.
  These educators' dedication to all of their students, especially 
those for who English is their second language, is why at the beginning 
of this calendar year Habersham County schools became one of four Title 
1 Distinguished Districts in Georgia.
  I applaud their achievement and commend Habersham County and its 
educators on a job well done.

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