[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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 RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DUCKWATER SHOSHONE ELEMENTARY 
                                 SCHOOL

 Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the 
50th anniversary of the Duckwater Shoshone Elementary School and the 
important place this school occupies in our great State's history. The 
Duckwater Shoshone Elementary School exists because parents wanted to 
provide their children with the best education possible and help them 
take pride in their heritage. The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe came 
together in 1973 to create their own school, founded on the principle 
of self-determination, to better oversee their children's instruction, 
and preserve their culture. And the Duckwater Shoshone Elementary 
School has continued that legacy ever since.
  The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe is located in the Railroad Valley of 
central Nevada near the Big Warm Spring, one of the largest geothermal 
hot springs in the State. Taking their children's education into their 
own hands, the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe formed an education committee, 
which became the Duckwater Shoshone School Board, on July 26, 1973. The 
parents and community of the Duckwater Shoshone were committed to their 
children receiving every opportunity, no matter who they were or where 
they lived and worked hard to establish their own school. This 
commitment is reflected in a statement hanging on the main hallway of 
the school: ``The mission of the Duckwater Shoshone Elementary School 
is to provide a learning environment that promotes individual student 
success and develops lifelong learners.''
  On November 26, 1973, the Duckwater Shoshone Elementary School opened 
its doors. The school remains a centerpiece of the Tribe's efforts to 
support its families and stands as a testament to the value the 
Duckwater Shoshone Tribe places on supporting future generations. On 
the wall of the school, there hangs an accounting of the school's 
formation written in longhand by former Duckwater chairman Paul Walker, 
and it reads in part: ``What is hard to convey is the determination and 
work of a whole rural Indian Community to see that their children 
receive a better education than they obtained and to witness a general 
betterment of our people.''
  I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Duckwater Shoshone 
Elementary School for 50 years of service to the Duckwater Shoshone 
Tribe and surrounding communities and the important role the school 
plays in educating children and preserving traditions.

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