[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16856-16857]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 TRIBUTE TO WEST HERNANDO MIDDLE SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KAREN L. THURMAN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 11, 2001

  Mrs. THURMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to pay tribute to the 
remarkable students and faculty of West Hernando Middle School. West 
Hernando Middle is located in Hernando County, Florida which is one of 
the fastest growing counties in the state and the nation. The faculty 
at West Hernando Middle works extremely hard to serve students with 
highly diverse educational needs, with 23% of its students receiving 
Exceptional Student Education services ranging from Educational 
Alternative Treatment classes to classes for gifted students.
  In 1995, West Hernando resembled many other middle schools in the 
district. It was hindered with problems such as overcrowding and poor 
socioeconomic conditions and it became evident that change was needed. 
In that same year, Ken Pritz was appointed the new principal of the 
school. Along with their new principal, students at West Hernando 
Middle received a new approach to learning. This new approach was 
founded on the shared vision of the staff that, ``We at West Hernando 
Middle believe that all students can and will learn.''
  Building on this vision, Ann Bristol, the graphic arts instructor at 
the school, came up with the theme known as ``Dream Extreme.'' Ms. 
Bristol, a teacher known for her infectious enthusiasm and ability to 
motivate, encouraged her students to learn by creating many different 
exciting activities. Her unique teaching methods soon spread throughout 
the school, consuming the faculty and students.
  ``Dream Extreme'' became reality when in the 1998-99 school year the 
sixth-grade Gemini Team accepted a challenge to build an 87-foot wooden 
foot bridge over a water retention area adjacent to the school. 
Students began using the Internet as well as cable television 
technology to research and implement the design and construction of the 
bridge. The project, known as ``Bridging the Gap in Education,'' was a 
huge success and the bridge was honored as the cover story for the 
March 2000 issue of Cable in the Classroom. The entire project was 
evidence that the transformation of abstract knowledge to an actual 
applied and concrete learning process had indeed ``bridged the gap in 
education.''
  During the 1999-2000 academic year, the Gemini Team embarked on a 
second project, equally as interesting, just as difficult and even more 
ambitious than the first. Working alongside the Southwest Florida Water 
Management District, students began researching the process of 
xeriscaping (a form of landscaping involving drought resistant 
vegetation) as well

[[Page 16857]]

as the compatibility of various species of plants and animals for the 
construction of a 60x40x30-foot aviary to be placed in the center of 
the school grounds. Students then selected the appropriate plant life 
and ground cover native to the region in order to recreate a natural 
habitat for tropical birds which would live in the aviary. By actively 
involving the students, the faculty at West Hernando Middle School 
provided their students with a better understanding of environmental 
concepts. The students have enjoyed the hard work involved with 
building and maintaining the aviary. In fact, they are so proud of 
their accomplishment that they provide tours. West Hernando sixth 
graders contact elementary schools, set up dates and times, conduct 
tours, and actually teach younger students about the importance of the 
environment in our lives.
  The imagination and determination of West Hernando Middle School has 
not stopped there. Students and faculty are currently working on a 
``Birds and Beyond`` unit which involves students in plant and bird 
care as well as developing a market for the sale of young birds raised 
in the aviary. The project also is meant to serve as an adoption agency 
for unwanted birds. Other projects undertaken by the Gemini Team 
included an iguana habitat and a prairie dog encounter.
  The success of the Gemini Team has inspired other teams such as the 
Saturn Team and the seventh grade Navigator Team to undertake such 
projects as a butterfly garden encircling a 2,500 gallon koi fish pond. 
That project increases student knowledge of drought tolerant plants and 
water consumption. The garden has been dedicated to the memory of a 
former West Hernando student whose life was taken by a drunk driver. A 
new hoop greenhouse supplies plants and bushes used to landscape the 
campus and there are plans to implement a working nursery to teach 
entrepreneurship and economics. Through other projects, students can 
learn about hydroponic gardening and aqua farming. A group of seventh 
graders is constructing a live coral reef and the eighth grade Voyager 
Team has designed and constructed a memorial garden in memory of 
children who died in the Holocaust.
  This innovative approach to teaching has carried over from academics 
to the physical education department as well. The department now offers 
alternative activities, such as the design and construction of a 
25x100-foot climbing wall, a mountain bike trail and a kayaking 
program.
  Ken Pritz, along with his assistant principals, Mary Krabel and 
Joseph Clifford, and the rest of the faculty at West Hernando Middle 
School, firmly believe that the instructional changes which they have 
implemented have had a profound influence on the students. They have 
witnessed an increase in knowledge and enthusiasm that could not have 
been imagined at the outset of ``Dream Extreme.'' The results are 
evident. West Hernando Middle School students have shown a lower 
failure rate, lower retention rate and fewer disciplinary problems as a 
result of innovative changes in the school's instructional methods.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring West Hernando Middle School 
for its exceptional and creative efforts to connect students with 
important learning experiences. The school's clear commitment to 
enhancing the quality of education for all of its students is really 
making a significant difference.

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