[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 155 (Saturday, September 27, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF MARY CARPENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware-

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2008

  Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise 
today to recognize Mary Carpenter for her 50 years of support to the 
Pilot School in Wilmington, Delaware. As the principal founder of the 
Pilot School, Mary has seen her dream blossom into a reality: an 
innovative, individualized learning facility that has impacted the 
lives of countless children and their parents in the Delaware Valley 
area.
  The Pilot School serves to provide a learning environment for 
children who need individualized, therapeutic attention to build basic 
academic and social skills. In 1957, the Pilot School began as a class 
of five young boys and two teachers who met at the Christ Church Sunday 
School in Greenville, Delaware. One of these students was Keith 
Carpenter, Mary's fourth child. Mary's vision for a school that could 
meet her son's learning needs inspired four other parents, who 
supported Mary in realizing this vision. The groundbreaking teaching of 
these instructors proved so successful, the teachers, parents, and Mary 
recognized that this ``pilot'' program must become an established, 
ongoing school. Pilot has grown into a teacher-designed facility with 
50 staff members educating approximately 160 students ages 5 to 14 each 
year.
  Today, Mary serves on the Board of Trustees to the Pilot School, 
helping to set school policy, manage finances, raise financial support 
for tuition aid, and oversee maintenance to the school's facility. As 
such, she serves on the Financial Aid Committee and the Executive 
Committee. While she remains heavily involved in the overall workings 
of Pilot, Mary still reaches out to the teachers and parents of Pilot 
students as a person who understands the challenges that face those who 
seek to properly intervene for children with language-based learning 
difficulties. If she hears of a need, Mary meets that need, often 
sending supplies, materials, and thoughtful gifts to teachers for their 
classrooms.
  I acknowledge and thank Mary Carpenter for her many years of service 
and numerous contributions to the Pilot School and education in the 
State of Delaware. I am confident that she will remain an influential 
part of the Pilot School for many years to come.

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