[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 22 (Thursday, February 9, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING THE SESQUICENTENNIAL OF SAN RAFAEL CITY SCHOOLS

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                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 9, 2012

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 150th anniversary 
of San Rafael City Schools, an institution with a long and proud legacy 
of service to the young people of Marin County. San Rafael City Schools 
dates almost to the foundation of our county itself, and its history 
reminds us of the powerful role our system of public education has 
played in shaping the character and direction of our communities.
  The first of the San Rafael City Schools--the fourth public school in 
the county--was opened in San Rafael in 1861, just over a decade after 
Marin County was founded and California was admitted into the Union. In 
a city numbering only several hundred residents, this first school 
counted 25 students in its first year, and it remained the city's only 
public school for 26 years.
  As San Rafael began to assume its role as Marin County's population 
center, the school system expanded rapidly to meet new demand. A second 
elementary school was added in 1887, and in 1888 the county's first 
high school, which expanded further in 1899. New elementary schools 
were added again in 1904 and 1909, followed by an even more intense 
series of construction projects mid-century, eventually numbering over 
a dozen new, expanded, or retrofitted facilities. Today, 12 schools 
serve San Rafael's nearly 6,000 students, including separate districts 
for K-8 and high school education.
  Since its founding, San Rafael City Schools has been an anchor for 
local families. It has played an integral role in the strength and 
success of San Rafael and Marin County, sending generations of Marin 
young people into the world with the preparation necessary to tackle 
our country's challenges. More recently, the special role of San Rafael 
City Schools has been recognized in the bond measures city voters have 
supported to support extensive infrastructure modernization projects.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in celebrating the sesquicentennial 
of San Rafael City Schools. This is an institution that represents the 
democratic promise of public education to empower every individual, and 
in so doing foster and uplift an entire community.

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