[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S5445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING FREDERICKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL

 Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, today I highlight an innovative and 
incredible education program started by science teacher Brett Williams 
from Fredericksburg High School in Fredericksburg, TX. The SystemsGo 
Aeroscience program promotes engineering, strong workforce skills, and 
improved academic performance by teaching high school students how to 
design, develop and launch rockets.
  The program is a 2-year, junior/senior program in which first-year 
students design and develop remotely operated vehicles and unmanned 
aerial vehicles for research or industrial applications. Second-year 
students design and fabricate rockets for testing at altitudes from 
80,000 feet to 100,000 feet. Through successes and failures, students 
picked up valuable life skills such as problem solving, testing, 
analysis, documentation, reporting, project management, teamwork, and 
communication.
  We are facing shortages of high-skilled workers in our country. The 
S&P, Standard & Poor's, top 500 companies alone report over 140,000 
vacancies for these positions. By developing workforce skills in tandem 
with engineering studies, the SystemsGo Aeroscience programs is 
training the next generation of scientists that will keep our country 
globally competitive.
  More than a decade after Mr. Williams and his students launched their 
first rocket, Fredericksburg High School has received many accolades 
including being the first high school to design and develop rockets 
exceeding Mach 2. However, the statistic I find most impressive is that 
80 percent of students in the aeroscience program continue to pursue 
degrees in engineering in college.
  By inspiring the next generation of scientists, we are not only 
investing in individual students' success but also to the overall 
wellbeing of our economy. America's most valuable asset is her human 
capital. It is critical that we continue to encourage exceptional 
teachers like Mr. Williams, and programs such as the SystemsGo 
Aeroscience in order to maintain our global leadership in 
innovation.

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