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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1st, 2009   
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STEVEN ENGELHARDT (314) 504-4029

Congressman Clay, U.S. Census Director Dr. Robert M. Groves Kick Off Missouri’s Census in Schools Program at Gateway Elementary in St. Louis

WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) MO-1, and U.S. Census Bureau Director Dr. Robert M. Groves kicked off the Census in Schools program for Missouri today at Gateway Elementary in St. Louis. 

Flanked by St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay, St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kelvin Adams, St. Louis City Comptroller Darlene Green and other community leaders, Mr. Clay, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives said,
"Gateway Elementary is a fantastic school, and that’s why we’ve come here to kick off the Census in Schools program,” said the Congressman. “Each of you in this room represents thousands of dollars in federal funds for St. Louis over the next decade. We need your help. All you have to do is make sure that your family completes, and mails back, their 2010 census form. Your participation in this census is an investment in our nation’s future.”

Dr. Robert Groves, U.S. Director, added, "The Census in Schools program offers creative ways for students of all ages to think about their community and how this important constitutional responsibility can impact it," Groves said. "Kids cannot vote but the census offers a real way they can actively participate in our democracy." 
 

The Census in Schools program, “2010 Census: It’s About Us,” gives schools a wide range of free, optional, standards-based lesson plans on subjects related to the census, ranging from math to social studies. The program is designed for students in kindergarten through 12th grade and will reach all 118,000 schools and 56 million students nationwide.
The innovative project is designed to enlist young people in helping their families participate in Census 2010.

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