[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 22732-22733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          LAKE MARION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, LAKEVILLE, MINNESOTA

 Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Lake Marion 
Elementary School, in Lakeville, MN, which recently earned an Award for 
Excellence in Education for its exceptional and innovative achievements 
in educating children.
  Lake Marion Elementary School is truly a model of educational 
success. Three factors that make the school particularly outstanding 
include: a high level of involvement by parents, innovative programs, 
and academic achievement.
  Lake Marion Elementary School takes great pride in involving parents 
in their children's school experiences. Lake Marion's Parent Teacher 
Organization has provided volunteer and financial support for the 
Artist of the Month program, for which parent volunteers teach a class 
about an artist and his/her works; the Junior Great Books program; the 
Lake Marion Yearbook, which has set the standard for elementary school 
yearbooks; the fifth-grade trip to Camp Saint Croix Environment Camp; 
the school directory; Family Fun Night; cultural awareness programming; 
mini-grants for selected staff projects; and field trip transportation 
costs.
  Lake Marion Elementary provides the children innovative programming 
outside the school day. Targeted Services offers additional reading and 
math support in classes which run before school and are very popular 
with the children and their families. Additional programs include 
before- and after-school athletics, art, and world languages.
  The school's many successes are reflected in the pupils' outstanding 
academic accomplishments. Lake Marion Elementary School's Math Masters 
Teams have finished first two times, second four times, and third five 
times in Regional Math Masters competitions. In addition, Lake Marion 
Elementary has received a five-star rating from the Minnesota 
Department of

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Education in reading and math every year since the inception of the 
Minnesota School Report Card system.
  Much of the credit for Lake Marion Elementary School's success 
belongs to its principal, John W. Braun, and the dedicated teachers. 
The pupils and staff at Lake Marion Elementary School understand that, 
in order to be successful, a school must go beyond achieving academic 
success; it must also provide a nurturing environment where pupils can 
develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for success throughout 
life. All of the faculty, staff, and children at Lake Marion Elementary 
School should be very proud of their accomplishments.
  I congratulate Lake Marion Elementary School in Lakeville for winning 
the Award for Excellence in Education and for its exceptional 
contributions to education in Minnesota.

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