[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16629-16630]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING B. BENEDICT GLAZER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to take this 
opportunity to commemorate the 40th anniversary of B. Benedict Glazer 
Elementary School and to congratulate the principal of Glazer 
Elementary, Florene McMurtry, on her retirement after 20 years of 
dedicated service and leadership. B. Benedict Glazer Elementary School 
celebrates this milestone today as a part of its annual 5th Grade Class 
Day.
  On May 5, 1967, the Michigan House of Representatives passed 
Resolution No. 99 in honor of Dr. B. Benedict Glazer, Rabbi of Temple 
Beth El in Detroit, to formally recognize his 11 years of outstanding 
service to the congregation of Temple Beth El and to the State of 
Michigan. The resolution also paid tribute to the decision to name an 
elementary school in his honor. Dr. Glazer was nationally recognized as 
an exceptional scholar, teacher, and leader, and was well known as an 
advocate for uniting people of different faiths. Dr. Glazer was also at 
the forefront of many struggles for basic human rights, fighting for 
improved conditions in Michigan's mental health facilities and against 
various forms of racial and religious discrimination, among other noble 
causes.
  I am proud to also recognize the many accomplishments of Glazer 
elementary students, which is undoubtedly the direct result of the hard 
work and dedication of its students, faculty and staff. Glazer was 
recently selected as a Leadership School by the Schools of the 21st 
Century and enjoys the distinction of being awarded the $100,000 
Skillman Improvement Grant, the highest award among six elementary 
schools included in the 2007 high performing category out of 300 
Detroit elementary schools. This grant is expected to help fund several 
worthwhile initiatives, including a GED certificate program and the 
purchase of additional computers to assist parents of Glazer students 
who have not completed high school.
  The principal of B. Benedict Glazer Elementary School, Florene 
McMurtry, has served the Detroit Public School system in various 
positions for 35 years. Her passion for education is illustrated by the 
many notable successes she has enjoyed throughout her career as an 
educator. An example of her innovative approach to education was the 
partnership she helped form between Glazer Elementary School and Temple 
Beth El in 1998 to provide financial resources and tutors for students 
through the Glazer Elementary Ada S. and Rabbi B. Benedict Glazer 
Memorial Fund. Mrs. McMurtry also established the tradition of 
presenting dictionaries as the Glazer Memorial Prize to honor the most 
outstanding boy and girl student for Class Day. In 2001, Mrs. McMurtry 
established the InsideOut Literary Arts Project at Glazer with a 
writer-in-residence who integrates creative writing and drama in the 
school curriculum and publishes the students' work. To date, seven 
poetry books have been written and published.
  Mrs. McMurtry has proven herself to be a devoted educator. Through 
her dedicated leadership and the many programs she has initiated and 
led, she has managed to increase parental involvement in school, 
student access to resources, and has served as a liaison between the 
students and the community. In addition, Mrs. McMurtry has received 
many accolades over the years in recognition of her outstanding 
service, including the Principal of the Year Art Award in 1996 and 
2001, the Distinguished Service Award, City of Detroit in 1985 and she 
was a finalist for Michigan Teacher of the Year in 1984-1985.
  I know my colleagues in the Senate join me in recognizing B. Benedict 
Glazer Elementary School on its 40th anniversary and its principal, 
Florene McMurtry, on her impressive record of service to the Detroit 
Public School system.

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