[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7388]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




ORANGE GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF SERVING CHILDREN 
                          IN SEMINOLE, FLORIDA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 2010

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, Orange Grove Elementary School, 
in Seminole, Florida, which I have the privilege to represent, tomorrow 
will celebrate 50 years of serving Pinellas County students.
  The school opened in 1960 in nearby Madeira Beach where classes were 
held until the school building was erected at its present site in 1961. 
That six-room school house expanded to 12 rooms 10 years later and 
became one of Pinellas County's first air conditioned schools.
  The school was named Orange Grove because at the time, Seminole was 
surrounded by orange groves. Although the groves are gone now, the 
staff motto remains, ``Orange Grove Elementary--Where We Have the Pick 
of the Crop!''
  From the school's first principal, Margaret Abbott, to its current 
principal, Nanette Grasso, Orange Grove has remained a student-focused 
school whose mission statement is ``to establish a safe learning 
environment which supports a love of learning, respect, responsibility, 
honesty and motivation in our students, so that we can reach their 
personal and academic potential.''
  In this day and age when the focus of a school goes well beyond 
academics, Orange Grove Elementary also stands as a model for 
encouraging students to develop early habits for a healthy lifestyle.
  Madam Speaker, in recognition of this milestone 50th anniversary 
celebration, I took the liberty of having a flag flown over the Capitol 
today for presentation to Ms. Grasso, the students, the teachers and 
the staff at Orange Grove Elementary in honor of the school's enduring 
commitment to providing the best possible education for its students 
and the most nurturing environment for learning.
  For half a century, Orange Grove has turned out generation after 
generation of our community's, our state's, and our Nation's leaders 
and I know that its proud and rich tradition will continue to turn out 
our Nation's future leaders for generations to come.

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