[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H3618-H3619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2020

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Malinowski) for 5 minutes.

[[Page H3619]]

  

  Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, over the last 3 months, the people in my 
State of New Jersey have pulled together in extraordinary ways to fight 
the coronavirus. Our leaders made good decisions. But, more important, 
all of us understood that public health had to come first.
  The sacrifices we made were worth making. Today, all our numbers are 
looking good. The rate of spread of the infection, testing positivity 
are way, way down. If all of America were New Jersey, we could stand 
here today and say that America is beating COVID-19. But that doesn't 
make the sacrifices any less hard to bear.
  And among those who sacrificed were our young people who were looking 
forward to graduation; not just the formal ending of their high school 
education, but the celebration of it with family and friends, the 
dances, the big games, the rites of passage that all of us experienced 
when we were their age and that we want for our kids.

                              {time}  0930

  Many of our graduating seniors did end up having outdoor graduations, 
but they came late and with social distancing. And let's face it, a 
socially distanced graduation is kind of an oxymoron. But we have also 
seen our communities come together in creative ways to celebrate the 
accomplishments of our young people, and I want to recognize those 
efforts today.
  In Hunterdon County in my district, the parents, teachers, and school 
administrators implemented an Adopt a Senior program, where volunteers 
adopted a graduating student to send a letter, a card, or a gift to let 
them know their communities are rooting for them.
  In Berkeley Heights, the light poles downtown are decorated with 
seniors' pictures, announcing what college they will be attending in 
the fall.
  In Bridgewater, an administrator visited the home of every senior in 
a bus with a banner celebrating the class of 2020, dropping off a 
graduation package and a personalized Bridgewater-Raritan High School 
lawn sign for each senior.
  In Mount Olive, posters celebrating the graduating class were placed 
throughout town.
  In Springfield, the school surprised students with a display of 
personalized banners on the fence outside of the high school, each one 
bearing the name and photo of a member of the graduating class.
  In Westfield, a video slideshow played in the window panels of the 
historic Arcanum Hall, with montages of senior portraits, pictures from 
school events, and a countdown clock to graduation.
  These efforts from our communities are wonderful to see and, I am 
sure, are tremendously appreciated by the recipients.
  During my time in Congress, I have worked hard to reach out to young 
people to encourage their interests and involvement in the 
conversations that are happening every day here in Congress. I have 
visited dozens of schools throughout the 75 towns of my district and 
have hosted two classes of my youth advisory council.
  This year, about 170 kids in my youth council spent the entire year 
breaking up into congressional committees and proposing legislation. I 
intend to introduce some of their proposals in this body this year. 
Their questions are always thoughtful, and they are always eager to get 
involved and make a difference.
  It is tough to see them graduate in a time of so much uncertainty and 
fear, but throughout the many crises our country has faced in recent 
months, I have seen our young people step up and lead time and time 
again. If the students in New Jersey's Seventh District are any 
indication of young people around the country, the future of America is 
in good hands.
  Congratulations to all of our 2020 graduates. I can't wait to see 
everything they are going to accomplish in the years ahead.

                          ____________________