FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
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The White House - Office of the Press Secretary
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President and Mrs. Bush Visit Elementary School in Mississippi |
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Delisle Elementary School
Pass Christian, Mississippi
10:54 A.M. CDT
THE
PRESIDENT: Listen, first I want to thank the Superintendent. We're delighted to
see that the schools of Pass Christian are Blue Ribbon schools. 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.
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