[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 53 (Thursday, April 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING ALTON MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR BEING NAMED A 2010 ``SCHOOL TO WATCH'' 
             BY THE ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS MIDDLE SCHOOLS

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                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 15, 2010

  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to 
join me in congratulating Alton Middle School, in Alton, Illinois, for 
being recognized as a ``School to Watch'' by the 2010 Illinois Horizon 
Schools award program.
  Schools across Illinois, and across the country, are constantly 
looking for ways to improve their quality of education. One way for a 
school to improve is by taking what has been successful in other 
schools and adapting it to their environment. Toward this end, the 
Association of Illinois Middle-Level Schools has implemented a program, 
the Illinois Horizon Schools to Watch Initiative, which identifies 
those schools that have developed processes and educational programs 
that have led to academic success. The criteria for this program 
includes academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social 
equity and the establishment of norms, structures and organizational 
arrangements that will support and sustain efforts to achieve 
excellence.
  Alton Middle School is one of only seven schools in Illinois to 
receive this prestigious designation this year and one of only two 
outside the Chicago area. In recognizing Alton Middle School, the 
Executive Director of the Association of Illinois Middle-Level Schools 
noted the sense of community created at Alton Middle School as well as 
its work in enhancing social justice and embracing diversity. As a 
Horizon School to Watch, Alton Middle School will now serve as a model 
for other schools from around the state of Illinois in developing their 
processes for academic improvement.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the 
board members of Alton Community Unit School District # 11 as well as 
the administration, faculty, staff and students of Alton Middle School 
for their recognition as a 2010 Illinois Horizon School to Watch.

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