[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 119 (Tuesday, August 7, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF VINTAGE HALL AND ST. HELENA HIGH 
                    SCHOOL IN ST. HELENA, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 7, 2012

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration 
and praise of St. Helena High School, my alma mater and one of the 
oldest public education facilities in northern California, which 
celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
  Founded in June of 1912, upon the completion of what is now known as 
Vintage Hall, St. Helena Union High School represents the culmination 
of a long-standing effort to unify the various school districts of the 
St. Helena area, including those of Pope Valley, Conn Valley and 
Angwin. Early efforts to provide free, public education, beginning in 
the 1890s, combined the regions under a single governing board, but 
classes had to be held in the local Presbyterian Church from 1895 until 
completion of the building nearly 20 years later.
  Today, St. Helena High School's facilities have expanded far beyond 
Vintage Hall to accommodate the demands of the community's growing 
student population. And this year, the school became home to a new 
$13.5 million vocational education complex, complete with a state-of-
the-art culinary facility, animal barn, agricultural mechanics workshop 
and all of the amenities of 21th century classrooms. With these 
facilities in place, students will benefit from a top-flight vocational 
training program, essential to the development of a skilled work force 
and subsequent community improvements.
  Students at St. Helena High School will now be afforded the unique 
opportunity to prepare for careers in the areas of hospitality, 
tourism, the culinary arts, floral design, agricultural husbandry, and 
mechanics, continuing the historic tradition that St. Helena High 
School started so many years ago.
  Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we congratulate the 
students, educators and administrators of St. Helena High School, past 
and present. The centennial celebration in St. Helena is one that is 
well-deserved. We extend our best wishes to the school and community 
for many more years of outstanding public education and the merits that 
come with.