[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1858] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING HAWTHORNE MATH AND SCIENCE ACADEMY, HAWTHORNE, CA ______ HON. MAXINE WATERS of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Hawthorne Math and Science Academy, HMSA, in Hawthorne, CA. HMSA, a dependent charter high school of the Hawthorne School District located in my congressional district, was recently honored with a Blue Ribbon Award by the U.S. Department of Education, a coveted award recognizing high-performing and improving schools across our country. This year, HMSA shares this distinction with 304 other schools among the thousands of schools in the United States. I am very proud of the students, faculty, staff, parents, and community members of HMSA. In addition to receiving this prestigious award--the first school within the Hawthorne School District to do so-- HMSA was also named a California Distinguished School and was listed-- again--as one of the nation's top 100 high schools by U.S. News & World Report. I want to especially honor Principal Esau Beruman, who is only in his first year as principal of HMSA. I suspect we will continue to see great things from HMSA under his leadership, and I look forward to meeting him and one of HMSA's teachers when they come to Washington, DC in November to be officially honored by the Department of Education. HMSA has made great strides to create a rigorous and comprehensive academic regimen that prepares its students for college and helps them become well-rounded young adults. It boasts an impressive 97 percent graduation rate. As its own mission statement reads, ``HMSA is committed to creating a challenging, rigorous, standards-based curriculum for all students, regardless of gender, ethnicity, primary language, or special needs status, within a safe and cooperative learning community.'' I believe the school is not only living up to that standard, but superseding it. The students of HMSA should be particularly proud of their strong work. They are giving their school, our community, our state, and our country a good name through their dedication, their drive, and their excellence. Congratulations to HMSA on this latest, but surely not the last, accolade. ____________________