[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


CONGRATULATING THE LINCOLN MAGNET SCHOOL ON BEING NAMED A 2011 NATIONAL 
                           BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. AARON SCHOCK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 5, 2011

  Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lincoln Magnet School 
in Springfield, Illinois for being named a 2011 National Blue Ribbon 
award winner in high academic performance. Lincoln Magnet School was 
only one of 17 public and private schools in the state of Illinois and 
one of 304 schools nationwide to receive this prestigious honor.
  Lincoln Magnet School serves 321 students in sixth, seventh and 
eighth grade. It incorporates technology in the classroom by providing 
each student with an individual laptop. The school has previously been 
recognized as an Apple Distinguished School, one of a select number of 
schools nationwide to receive that elite honor. Their vision is to 
``prepare students to be outstanding global citizens in an ever-
changing technological world.'' Lincoln Magnet School has not only met 
this goal, but has exceeded it.
  Lincoln Magnet School is the type of institution more schools should 
emulate. Students at the school have also consistently demonstrated 
high academic performance--outscoring their peers at the state level in 
every category. For example, 95% of students in 2010 met the State of 
Illinois' benchmark in mathematics with 44% of students exceeding the 
benchmark. In reading, 96% of students achieved the reading benchmark 
and 33% exceeded it.
  The staff and leadership of Lincoln Magnet School have also partnered 
with local agencies in order to offer numerous educational 
opportunities to their students. At a time when employers in my 
district lament the lack of skills in the workforce, I am proud to see 
schools such as Lincoln Magnet School utilize laptops, virtual lab 
experiences and other types of technology to better prepare their 
students for the technical demands of the future.
  The one-to-one laptop environment present at Lincoln Magnet School 
offers students the ability to answer their own questions while also 
incorporating real-world experiences into the classroom. Virtual 
science laboratories make difficult concepts easier to understand. The 
prevalent use of different types of technology means a student never 
stops learning.
  Once again, I congratulate the teachers, staff, students, parents and 
community members of Lincoln Magnet School for all of their hard work 
in achieving the National Blue Ribbon award.

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