[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 515]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

 Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Riverside 
Elementary School, in Brainerd, MN, which recently earned an Award for 
Excellence in Education for its exceptional and innovative achievements 
in educating children.
  Riverside Elementary School is truly a model of educational success. 
On my recent visit to Riverside, 10 fourth-graders shared with me their 
essays on what makes Riverside a special place to learn. Toni Gohman, 
Amanda Kunde, Allison Morris, Tom Stoxen, Kallie Konklin, Gretchen 
Gramer, Paige Phillips, Kaela Middleton, Anna Razidlo, and Emma 
Higgenbothem are to be commended for their exceptional writing ability 
and for superbly reading their essays at an all-school assembly.
  I would like to quote briefly from several of the essays to offer a 
true flavor of the exceptional educational achievements at Riverside 
Elementary.
  Amanda Kunde writes, ``I feel safe and happy here at Riverside. . . . 
Mrs. Engler, the teachers and the teachers' assistants are awesome. 
It's nice to know that people care about me.''
  Allison Morris writes, ``Our teachers make learning fun, interesting 
& exciting. They . . . not only teach the standard subjects like 
reading and math, they help teach us to be responsible for our actions, 
and to respect one another.''
  Gretchen Gramer writes, ``Every student has a different personality. 
We help each other when we are stuck and when we are hurt. . . . We get 
rewarded when we are good by a new program called `Caught Being Good.' 
. . . We have other great helpers at our school. The custodians, the 
nurse, the office staff and the cooks all do a great job.''
  Toni Gohman writes, ``Riverside is an awesome school. It has an 
awesome principal, great teachers, and respectful and kind students.''
  Tom Stoxen writes, ``All of the people at our school are really 
friendly and helpful to all of the kids. . . . The cooks are really 
nice and cook good food. We even get seconds sometimes, but not on the 
dessert.''
  Paige Phillips writes, ``Every day when I come to school I feel safe, 
and to me that is very important. . . . When I get hurt I always know 
someone's ready to take care of me.''
  Kaela Middleton writes, ``I am going to tell you what we do in our 
everyday school day so you know that it is not always fun and games, 
but that it can also be very hard work.''
  Anna Razidlo writes, ``Riverside deserves this award because we have 
so many kind, fun and exciting teachers! . . . Almost every student 
gets a great score . . . on their tests because we learn so much . . . 
we don't even notice how hard we are working to learn. . . . I feel 
lucky to go to a great school.''
  Emma Higgenbothem writes, ``Riverside makes you want to come to 
school everyday because we have nice people, kind teachers, and we 
learn a lot of things. . . . We also have kind custodians who work hard 
to clean our school. I like coming to a clean school everyday.''
  And, finally, Kallie Konklin captures the overall success of 
Riverside by writing, ``If you are wondering why Riverside is a school 
of excellence, I think you came to the right person to ask. . . . Our 
teachers are very kind, caring and patient with our needs and different 
personalities. . . . Last, but not least, we have Mrs. Engler, our 
principal. She is the one who keeps everything running smoothly, and 
deals with all of the politics associated with running a large grade 
school.''
  As Kallie and several other pupils noted, much of the credit for 
Riverside Elementary School's success belongs to its principal, Cathy 
Engler, and her dedicated teachers. The students and staff at Riverside 
Elementary understand that, in order to be successful, a school must go 
beyond achieving academic success; it must also provide a nurturing 
environment where students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes 
for success in life. All of the faculty, staff, and students at 
Riverside Elementary should be very proud of their accomplishment.
  I congratulate Riverside Elementary in Brainerd, MN, for winning the 
Award for Excellence in Education and for its exceptional contributions 
to education in Minnesota.

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