Remarks to Reporters in Pass Christian, Mississippi,
October 11, 2005

Listen, first I want to thank the superintendent for inviting us here. The schools of Pass Christian are blue ribbon schools. And 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. Good to meet you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:54 a.m. at DeLisle Elementary School. In his remarks, he referred to Sue Matheson, superintendent, Pass Christian School District; Cathy Broadway, principal, Pass Christian High School; and Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling.