By Hochberg H.R. No. 165 74R5589 PAN-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, With the opening of The Rice School/La Escuela Rice 1-2 in the fall of 1994, the Houston Independent School District has 1-3 ushered in an exciting new era of educational opportunity for 1-4 future generations of Texas schoolchildren; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A collaborative effort between the school district 1-6 and Rice University, the state-of-the-art institution was initially 1-7 envisioned in 1990 as an attempt to alleviate overcrowding in 1-8 nearby schools and has since evolved into a school that combines 1-9 within its curriculum all of the elements needed to offer its 1-10 students the finest public school education available in the United 1-11 States today; and 1-12 WHEREAS, From its architecture to its curriculum, this 1-13 remarkable new facility has been 100 percent community planned; 1-14 hundreds of parents, teachers, and volunteers came together to 1-15 participate in designing every aspect of the school and Rice 1-16 faculty members not only helped to develop the curriculum but 1-17 remain an integral factor in the school's success, offering their 1-18 expertise to teachers on a regular basis as well as teaching 1-19 minicourses on campus; and 1-20 WHEREAS, The school is both an elementary and a middle school 1-21 and clusters grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 to foster leadership among 1-22 the older children within each level, to provide role models to the 1-23 younger set, and to allow all children to develop a sense of 1-24 community; and 2-1 WHEREAS, A small percentage of slots are reserved for the 2-2 children of Rice University faculty members, while the majority of 2-3 the 1,307 children in attendance at the school have been drawn from 2-4 neighborhood schools and other parts of the city through a lottery 2-5 system; the school's dress code, which requires the children to 2-6 wear a uniform, has enabled children from all walks of life to take 2-7 pride in their appearance and come together as equals, regardless 2-8 of their family's financial resources; and 2-9 WHEREAS, The school also has eliminated University 2-10 Interscholastic League athletics from its campus, preferring 2-11 instead to have students participate in intramural sports in a move 2-12 that will enable them to reap the positive benefits that team 2-13 sports have to offer without concerns of championship tournaments 2-14 stealing in to deplete their enjoyment; and 2-15 WHEREAS, The HISD-Rice campus is a dual-language school at 2-16 which all students are expected to become fluent in both English 2-17 and Spanish over the course of their education; all classes are 2-18 taught in English and Spanish, and every sign in the school has 2-19 been printed to reflect both languages; children also will become 2-20 well-versed in community service, as all students are required to 2-21 participate in annual community service projects and to uphold the 2-22 tenets of a school honor code that was drafted to emphasize high 2-23 expectations and strong community values; and 2-24 WHEREAS, A place of learning for teachers and students alike, 2-25 the school employs an excellent staff of 70 educators and serves as 2-26 a districtwide professional development center that focuses on 2-27 effective teaching strategies for urban students; and 3-1 WHEREAS, Every aspect of the 167,000 square foot structure 3-2 has been built with its mission in mind, from small conveniences 3-3 like sinks in the kindergarten rooms to its focal point, an 3-4 enormous library and resource center serving parents, students, and 3-5 all HISD teachers; and 3-6 WHEREAS, The Rice School/La Escuela Rice has dedicated itself 3-7 to the total development of its students, helping to develop 3-8 tomorrow's leaders with pride and determination; on the momentous 3-9 occasion of its dedication ceremony, it is an opportune time to 3-10 honor the many people who have played a part in the establishment 3-11 of this shining example of excellence in education; now, therefore, 3-12 be it 3-13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 3-14 Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of The Rice School/La 3-15 Escuela Rice and commend all who have given generously of their 3-16 time and talent over the past four years to ensure the success of 3-17 this remarkable institution of education; and, be it further 3-18 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-19 prepared for prominent display at the school as an expression of 3-20 highest regard by the Texas House of Representatives.