[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[October 11, 2005]
[Page 1542]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to Reporters in Pass Christian, Mississippi
October 11, 2005

    Listen, first I want to thank the superintendent for inviting us 
here. The schools of Pass Christian are blue ribbon schools. And they 
have been blue ribbon schools before, and they'll be blue ribbon schools 
in the future. Part of the health of a community is to have a school 
system that's vibrant and alive. And in spite of the fact that a lot of 
equipment was damaged and homes destroyed and teachers without places to 
live and--this school district is strong, and it's coming back. And it's 
a sign that out of the rubble here on the gulf coast of Mississippi is a 
rebuilding, is a spirit of rebuilding.
    And thank you all for having us. I want to thank the principals and 
teachers for understanding the quality of education--the quality of the 
education in a community helps define the nature of the community. And 
one of the things that's interesting is the high school 
principal told Laura 
and me that the--and Madam Secretary--
that the high school was deemed to be a blue ribbon high school after 
Katrina hit. And yet a lot of the students don't know that yet. And so 
when the high school comes back next Monday, the first thing the 
principal is going to tell them is that the school that they go to, even 
though the building is different--the buildings are different--is a blue 
ribbon high school.
    And the superintendent says, blue ribbon 
high school last year, this year, and next year. And I appreciate your 
spirit. Thanks for letting us come by.
    Thank you all. Bye-bye. Good to meet you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:54 a.m. at DeLisle Elementary School. In 
his remarks, he referred to Sue Matheson, superintendent, Pass Christian 
School District; Cathy Broadway, principal, Pass Christian High School; 
and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.