[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 27 (Thursday, February 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E112-E113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE BRIGHTON HIGH SCHOOL LEADERSHIP CLASS OF 2023

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 9, 2023

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a group of 
motivated students in Livingston County who have a few things to teach 
the adults in the room. The Brighton High School Leadership Class of 
2023 represents not just some of the best and brightest students in the 
great state of Michigan, but a group that gives me so much hope for the 
future because of the way they have dedicated themselves to improving 
the world around them.
  While this class takes on many projects and endeavors, today I would 
like to highlight one in particular. Every year in October, the 
Leadership Class takes on the planning and execution of a weeklong 
fundraiser to support the local cancer center. But to call this a 
simple fundraiser does not encompass the scope of the endeavor. ``Pink 
Week'' is a citywide engagement initiative designed to unite the 
community around a common cause, and it's entirely student-led.
  At the start of the week, BHS students paint downtown Brighton pink 
with spirit, covering store fronts, businesses and restaurants with 
pink ribbons and supportive messages. The days that follow are a flurry 
of pastel activity at the high school, including daily baked goods and 
t-shirt sales, face painting, driveway decorating, a 5K race, a vocal 
competition, a powder puff football game, and a traditional football 
game complete with a ``Pink

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Out'' in the stands and an emotional Survivor Walk around the field. 
And it's not just a high school activity--every building in the 
district takes part in Pink Week activities, and students solicit 
donations and prizes from the generous local business community. The 
Leadership Class organizes and executes all of this, under the guidance 
and direction of their teacher, Mrs. Kelly Armstrong, and with the 
support and backing of the administration, all while balancing 
challenging coursework, college applications, varsity sports, musical 
endeavors, part-time jobs, and the general ups and downs of high school 
life.
  Pink Week is a cherished tradition in Brighton, annually bringing in 
thousands of dollars to support cancer treatment for local residents. 
But the class of 2023 broke all records, raising close to $55,000 in a 
single week for the Trinity Health Cancer Center, located just a few 
miles from their high school.
  Mr. Speaker, today's high school seniors have had to navigate and 
overcome so much: the massive disruptions of a global pandemic, social 
and political upheaval, a mental health crisis, the very real threat of 
gun violence, and so many more obstacles than they should have had to 
face in just 18 years of life. And yet in Brighton, still they rise in 
the service of others. I submit that these students are not waiting to 
become the leaders of tomorrow; they are stepping up today. I applaud 
the extraordinary accomplishments of the Brighton High School 
Leadership Class of 2023. Long may they continue to lead the way.

                          ____________________