[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 138 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1556-E1557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING MATER GARDENS ACADEMY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 13, 2014

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mater Gardens 
Academy and to congratulate the school on being recognized as a 2014 
National Blue Ribbon recipient.
   The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and 
private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall 
academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among 
student subgroups. Every year the U.S. Department of Education seeks 
out and celebrates great American schools, and Mater Gardens Academy 
has earned that distinction.
   This is quite an accomplishment, and a testament to the commitment 
the school has shown to educating its students and providing them with 
the best faculty and resources to succeed. The school has truly taken 
its mission of bringing about meaningful achievement enabling students 
to become confident, lifelong learners.
   Mater Gardens Academy opened its doors in August 2006 as a K-8 
charter school sponsored by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Mater 
Gardens upholds core values that pave the way for student success: 
setting high expectations, valuing individuality, expecting 
accountability, and demonstrating respect, honesty, and integrity. The 
school has consistently been recognized for outstanding achievement. In 
2011 Mater Academy placed sixth in the county on the Florida 
Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Science, and has also won the Gold 
Award from Miami-Dade County Public Schools in 2006 and 2007. In 2012 
and 2013 the school was named one of the top 10 schools in Miami-Dade 
County.
   Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Mater Gardens Academy 
for their tremendous

[[Page E1557]]

service to its students and the tireless work of their faculty, and I 
ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this remarkable school.

                          ____________________