[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22009]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     CORRAL DRIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
congratulate the Corral Drive Elementary School in Rapid City for being 
recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a ``Blue Ribbon 
School.''
  The Federal Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes schools that make 
significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students 
achieve at very high levels. Corral Drive Elementary School clearly 
meets those high standards. Last year, 90 percent of its students were 
proficient or advanced in reading, and 84 percent were proficient or 
advanced in math.
  South Dakota also has one other Blue Ribbon School this year: The 
Challenge Center School in Sioux Falls.
  If you visit Corral Drive Elementary School--as I had the pleasure of 
doing last spring--it's clear why the school is so successful. It is a 
lively place where each child's spark of curiosity is nurtured and 
valued. The walls are covered with students' work and teachers and 
parents are eager to talk about the children's progress. Overseeing it 
all is a thoughtful and energetic principal, Mrs. Nancy Whitcher.
  Like communities across America, Rapid City has had to cut a number 
of programs for students, in order to meet budget constraints as well 
as the new mandates in the No Child Left Behind Act. The fact that 
Corral Drive Elementary School has achieved such success in the face of 
such significant challenges makes the Blue Ribbon School designation 
all the more impressive. Parents, teachers, administrators and everyone 
in the Corral Drive community can be very proud of Blue Ribbon School 
designation and, more importantly, of everything they are doing to make 
sure that their children have the opportunity to develop their God-
given skills and abilities.
  Education is something South Dakotans take very seriously, and we are 
proud of how well our schools are doing. About three-quarters of our 
children demonstrated proficient on the latest No Child Left Behind 
exams, and our state ranks among the top 10 in the country on the 
National Assessment of Educational Progress.
  Good, strong public schools like Corral Drive are pillars of hope. 
They are also the cornerstone of American democracy. They are what has 
helped America create the most innovative, powerful economy the world 
has ever known. It's important to let our educators and parents know 
that we value their efforts and celebrate their successes. So today, I 
am pleased to send my congratulations to the educators and families of 
the Corral Drive school. Keep up the great work!

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