H.R. No. 1344


R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Houston's Sydney Lanier Middle School and M. B. Lamar High School have been named International Baccalaureate Schools; and WHEREAS, This designation places these Houston ISD campuses among an exceptional group of 1,485 schools worldwide and establishes that the institutions are committed to the exemplary academic performance and overall success of their students; and WHEREAS, The designation is conferred by the International Baccalaureate Organization, a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, that works to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect; and WHEREAS, The organization's Middle Years Programme aims to provide students ages 11 to 16 with discipline, skills, and challenging standards, but also with creativity and flexibility, and stresses development of a personal values system by which young people may guide their own lives as thoughtful members of local communities and the larger world; and WHEREAS, For students in their final two years of high school, the Diploma Programme emphasizes critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and exposure to a variety of points of view; it has a reputation for rigorous assessment and giving graduates access to the world's leading universities; and WHEREAS, With the able guidance of Central District superintendent Ray Reiner, the students and faculty at Sydney Lanier Middle School and M. B. Lamar High School have performed admirably in their quest for educational excellence, and their superlative achievement truly merits special recognition; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate the students, teachers, and administrators at Sydney Lanier Middle School and M. B. Lamar High School, whose outstanding efforts contributed to their schools' selection as International Baccalaureate Schools; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for each school as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Wong ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1344 was adopted by the House on April 26, 2005, by a non-record vote. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House