[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8550]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF ST. MARTIN OF TOURS SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 6, 2012

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of St. Martin of 
Tours School, a distinguished primary Catholic school located in Maple 
Heights, Ohio that is closing after 49 years of serving the community.
  St. Martin of Tours was founded in 1963 under the leadership of 
Pastor John J. Gerrity. The school originally had just three grades. 
One grade was added each year until each grade, from kindergarten 
through eighth, was represented. The first principal was Sister Mary 
Electa Coleman, a member of the Humility of Mary Sisters.
  Students at St. Martin of Tours participate in many activities that 
are educationally, spiritually, and socially enriching. The 6th, 7th, 
and 8th graders maintain pen-pal relationships with residents of a 
local senior care facility. The Liturgy Team collaborates with the West 
Side Catholic Center. Twice a month students in grades 4 8 travel to 
the Center to volunteer their service. Since 1989, students have 
participated in the DARE program, a program that teaches children how 
to avoid drugs and violence. The school also has a Peace Pole in their 
Memory Garden, around which students and faculty gather each Memorial 
Day, Veteran's Day, and for special prayer services to commemorate 
loved ones who have passed away.
  In 1997, the school won the National Blue Ribbon of Excellence Award 
from the United States Department of Education. Despite the outstanding 
education students at St. Martin of Tours have received for almost 
fifty years, this year will be the school's last.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring St. Martin of 
Tours, a school that has provided education of the highest quality for 
decades. It will certainly be missed by the community it served.

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