[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5727-5728]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            BRIDGES ACADEMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 30 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting 
Bridges Academy, a charter school in State Road, North Carolina. The 
school was celebrating the decision by the North Carolina Department of 
Public Instruction unanimously to renew its charter for an additional 
10 years.
  Bridges Academy opened in 1997 as one of the first charter schools in 
North Carolina. Established by a local community group, it is overseen 
by a grassroots, local board of directors. It serves a rural population 
from surrounding systems in Alleghany, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin 
counties, and Elkin city.
  The mission of Bridges Academy is to provide all students with the 
opportunity to develop an academic foundation that empowers students to 
reach their full potential. It has focused on students that are 
struggling in the traditional school setting.
  The school is doing great work, especially in regard to serving 
students with disabilities who, on average, make up 45 percent of the 
student body. There is a teacher assistant in each class providing 
accommodations and modifications to all students. End-of-grade 
proficiency among the subgroup of students with disabilities is in the 
top 3 percent of the State.
  Bridges Academy is fairly unique for a charter school in that it 
provides transportation for students in three counties. When nearly 90 
percent of the student population is considered economically 
disadvantaged, the school offers free breakfast and lunch for all 
students through the Community Eligibility Provision, and a food 
backpack program is offered to the neediest students each Friday.
  All lead teachers at Bridges Academy are highly qualified, while 50 
percent of the regular education teachers also hold licensure in 
special education. New leadership in both governing board members and 
administration several years ago has led to growth in accountability, 
student population, and campus construction.
  We have always known what makes a great school: it is a great 
principal who attracts great teachers and parental involvement. That is 
what you see at Bridges Academy. Don't take my word for it, though. 
Listen to this testimonial from a parent who wrote:
  ``As the new school year approaches, I wanted to take a moment to 
write. I can't thank you enough for being there for my daughter.
  ``You and the Bridges staff have made such a difference in her life. 
Before we moved here and found this wonderful school, my daughter was 
struggling. She was isolated and bullied by her classmates and so 
depressed that she didn't fit in with the other children because of her 
emotional and learning disabilities.
  ``At Bridges, she was welcomed with open arms and she knows that 
everyone on staff is working for her best interests. Finding her 
teacher, who is from our home State, was truly a blessing. She 
understood that my daughter needed to learn in a different way, and you 
helped her adjust to our new community.
  ``Always remember that you and the school that has done so much for 
my daughter will continue to have my support.''
  The power of an excellent education is truly life-changing. I know 
because it changed mine. As a child, I attended public school. It was a 
very poor school, but it provided some very positive experiences. The 
lessons learned and encouragement provided there

[[Page 5728]]

have helped me go further in life and achieve more than I ever dreamed.
  There are countless stories just like mine. Every day, students take 
classes, hear lectures, or receive advice that will have long and 
lasting impacts on their lives. That is why it is so important we 
continue working to improve K-12 education and ensure all students are 
able to benefit from those opportunities.
  Every student in every school deserves an excellent education, but, 
unfortunately, we are falling far short of that goal as a nation. 
Thankfully, innovative charter schools like Bridges Academy are 
providing thousands of families with new hope and opportunity.
  School choice provides real hope to moms and dads, and school choice 
has provided the students at Bridges Academy with a high-quality 
education and a greater chance to succeed in life.

                              {time}  1230

  School choice is a powerful tool to help children succeed, and I am 
encouraged by the momentum that is building. The challenge we face is 
extending the promise of school choice to more students and families.
  As chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, 
that is a challenge I take seriously and one I am committed to tackling 
head-on.
  The bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act includes a number of 
reforms to expand school choice; and across the country, efforts are 
underway to empower families with more educational options, including 
charter schools, home schooling, scholarship programs, and education 
savings accounts.
  We must ensure Federal policies support--rather than discourage--
innovative school choice and explore additional opportunities to expand 
the promise of school choice.
  I look forward to the work ahead and exploring additional 
opportunities to provide parents more choices for their children's 
education.


                       Thank You to NVIZION, Inc.

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, on Monday night, fans across my home State and 
the entire country were ecstatic as we celebrated the University of 
North Carolina's sixth NCAA men's basketball championship. It was a 
thrilling evening.
  But in the Fifth District, one company was getting to work. Five 
minutes after the 71-65 victory against Gonzaga, the presses at 
NVIZION, Inc., in King, North Carolina, started moving and printing 
thousands of championship T-shirts commemorating the national title. 
The company runs two presses on a typical day but ran four presses to 
fill the order of five different championship designs. The dedicated 
staff stayed until the last T-shirt was printed, folded, packaged, and 
picked up.
  Congratulations to the UNC players on their hard-fought victory, and 
thank you to the folks at NVIZION for producing the victory T-shirts 
that I am sure have been quickly snapped up by the university's 
dedicated fans.
  How about them Heels?

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