[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 29662]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              HONORING MILWAUKEE PRINCIPAL DIANE NEICHERIL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS M. BARRETT

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 10, 1999

  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to 
acknowledge and commend Diane Neicheril, known in our community as the 
``woman on a mission.'' For 14 years Ms. Neicheril's mission has been 
serving as the principal of the Clarke Street School in Milwaukee, 
setting high expectations of her students and teachers, and holding 
even higher standards for herself.
  I have known Diane Neicheril for many years, well enough to 
understand how her dogged determination to achieve goals affects 
others. The teachers and students at the Clarke School all hold her in 
high esteem and acknowledge that Diane Neicheril provided inspiration 
for them to strive for excellence.
  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel proclaimed that the Clarke Street 
School, ``might be the most successful school in the Milwaukee Public 
Schools system.'' Its students scored 10 percentage points above the 
statewide average and more than 30 percentage points above the 
Milwaukee average on reading proficiency tests.
  This accomplishment is made all the more remarkable given the many 
challenges facing the Clarke Street School in past years. Working far 
longer hours than expected of her, Ms. Neicheril fought to keep her 
students away from the scourge of drugs and violence that lay just 
beyond the schoolyard fence.
  Ms. Neicheril will be sorely missed at the Clarke Street School, but 
I have no doubt that she will continue to be an integral part of the 
Milwaukee community and that her legacy will continue to inspire 
educators and citizens in our city and beyond.

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