[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 114 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  CONGRATULATING THE VAIL SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THEIR STRAIGHT A REPORT 
                                  CARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. RON BARBER

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Mr. BARBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Vail School 
District on the high honor of receiving a ``Straight A'' report card 
from the Arizona Department of Education. This is an extraordinary 
accomplishment.
   Vail School District was founded over one hundred years ago as a 
one-room schoolhouse in the middle of a ranching community at a water 
stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Over the last century, the 
district has grown to serve a population over a four hundred square 
mile area in southern Arizona. It currently serves twelve thousand and 
continues to expand, with an eighteenth school under construction.
   The Vail community has shown strong support of its schools, staff, 
and teachers. This has played an important role in helping the district 
achieve its remarkable success.
   The mission of the Vail School District is to provide parents with 
safe and nurturing school communities where their children can obtain a 
quality education. Such a dedication to proven instructional practices 
and great care for the students has led to the accolades we celebrate 
today.
   This success would not have been possible without the exceptional 
leadership of Superintendent Calvin Baker; the school board, Claudia 
Anderson, Randy Kinkade, Margaret Burkholder, Jim Coulter, and Debbie 
King; and the dedicated staff and teachers of the district. I am proud 
to represent such an outstanding public school district which is a 
model of what can be accomplished by providing an environment and 
education that prepares our children for future success.

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