[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6052-6053]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING DONALD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR RECEIVING THE NATIONAL BLUE 
                              RIBBON AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 9, 2007

  Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Donald Elementary 
School, located in Flower Mound, Texas, for being awarded the 
prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award.
  The National Blue Ribbon Award is presented to schools that reflect 
the goals of our Nation's highest education standards. The program 
requires schools to meet one of two assessment criteria. It recognizes 
schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged 
backgrounds, who dramatically improve student performance in accordance 
with state assessment system. It also rewards schools that score in the 
top 10 percent on state assessments. Donald Elementary's scores on the 
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test have consistently 
exceeded the national average in all subjects.
  Donald Elementary School was built in 1989. Although relatively new, 
the school has made a significant impact on the local community and has 
unique attributes induding a P.E.P. Squad (Parents as Educational 
Partners Volunteer Program) as well a publishing company, ``Dolphin 
Tales,'' to assist students in taking their writing to the complete 
published stage. Donald Elementary received Gold Performance 
Acknowledgments from the Texas Education Agency in the 2004-2005 school 
year for attendance and was commended for its work in the fields of 
Reading/ELA, Mathematics and Science.
  The National Blue Ribbon Award acknowledges the hard work of 
students, staff members, families, and the community in raising student 
proficiency and closing the achievement gap. I extend my sincerest 
congratulations to Principal Cheryl J. Close, the Lewisville 
Independent School District, and the community of Flower Mound. I also 
want to congratulate the fine students of Donald Elementary for this 
outstanding achievement.
  I wish them the best of luck as they continue to strive for 
excellence. I am very proud and honored to represent them in the 26th 
District of Texas.

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