[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 9, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E612-E613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF WILLIAM PENN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 9, 2018

  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 100th 
anniversary of William Penn Elementary School.
  Opened in September of 1917, William Penn started as a five-classroom 
schoolhouse in the heart of downtown Bakersfield. The tenth school 
added to the Bakersfield City School District, William Penn opened to 
one hundred and sixteen students, from kindergarten to fourth grade 
under the tutelage of then-principal Ms. Eleanor Pavey.
  Much like the city it called home, William Penn quickly grew from its 
humble, small-town roots, adding an additional four classrooms in 1925 
to accommodate a rapidly-growing student body. During World War II, 
William Penn stressed the importance of patriotism in its student body, 
and its teachers instilled a respect for America's Armed Services in 
the young minds humming through the school's corridors. To support the 
American war effort, students at William Penn planted victory gardens, 
collected paper for paper drives, purchased war bonds, and knitted 
afghans to be given to soldiers serving abroad.
  In the summer of 1952, disaster struck. A 7.3 magnitude earthquake 
along California's White Wolf Fault, the third largest in recorded 
California, damaged much of the school and its grounds. The damage was 
so great that William Penn was condemned, and its student body was 
relocated to Wayside Elementary School along with students from other 
Bakersfield City damaged schools. The students of William Penn, 
however, were undeterred and made it their mission to rescue their 
neighborhood school. Each afternoon, students would hold a carnival to 
raise funds to reconstruct William Penn from the ground up, and with 
the help of the Bakersfield City School District, students returned to 
William Penn Elementary in January 1955.
  Today, William Penn serves nearly 300 students from kindergarten 
through fifth grade. The school is currently led by Principal Marshall 
Dillard and its mission could not be possible without his leadership 
and the passion and hard work of a stellar team of educators including: 
Alicia Lifquist, Leticia Pacheco Contreras, Robin Johnston, Adriana 
Humphrey, Sarah Abraham, Janette Hubbell, Nicole Craig, Monica Garza, 
Leonel Gamino, Crystal Ullrich, Sheryl Daniel, Laurie Kessler, Matthew 
Lundin, and Kirsten Roza, as well as office and support staff Theresa 
Blair, Elosia Kelley, Susana Lizardo Hammock, Tina Estrada, Melissa 
Ednalino, Andrew Morales, Maritza Zuniga, and Monica Gonzales.
  The measure of a school like William Penn isn't the mere 100 years of 
its existence; it is the generations of students whose dreams and 
opportunities have been shaped by the

[[Page E613]]

education and influence so passionately driven by their teachers, 
parents, and community. William Penn's story is one of love of country 
and community and dedication to its students. This school is a part of 
what makes Bakersfield such a great place to live and grow up in. As 
one of Bakersfield's oldest schools, it remains an icon in our 
community, and on behalf of our community, I wish William Penn another 
century of academic excellence.

                          ____________________