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[Page S5152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO KATHRYN WEEDEN
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on one final matter, as Senate
majority leader, it is my honor this morning to acknowledge a truly
remarkable legacy of service to the Senate and really to the Nation.
Next month, the Senate Page School will say goodbye to its beloved
principal. After 26 years heading up this unique institution, our very
own Mrs. Kathryn Weeden is starting a new chapter as a very deserving
retiree.
For more than a quarter century, Principal Weeden has been a constant
anchor in a place where rotation and change are par for the course.
The Page School, as we know, welcomes a new class of high-achieving
young people from all across the country every semester. These
students' experience is most famous for the fast-paced, hands-on
exposure to the inner workings of American government it involves, but
in the early mornings and late evenings, when they are not delivering
bill text around the Capitol, assisting Members on the floor, or
engaged in any number of tasks that help this place actually run, they
are also dealing with the academic rigors of the 11th grade.
There are 30 teenagers at a time living, studying, and working full
time on Capitol Hill. Needless to say, keeping this unique arrangement
running smoothly is less than an ordinary job--even a full-time one--
and more like a life's mission. By all accounts, it is a mission
Principal Weeden has executed with constant competence, total
professionalism, and the utmost grace.
Now, if I had to guess, a large share of that grace was spent in 5
a.m. meetings most mornings. That is typically when she would first
encounter what I am sure were the most chipper and alert 16- and 17-
year-olds around. While the hundreds of pages who have worked, studied,
and grown under Principal Weeden's watch may not miss their early
morning math class, they sure will miss her. They are left with lasting
memories of her attentive mentorship and compassion.
Among recent graduates of the Page Program, some of whom I have been
proud to sponsor through my own office, the conclusion is clear:
Principal Weeden is simply the best.
They remember the way she would make time for weekly one-on-one
meetings to check up on their progress and talk about their future
goals. They remember the way she radiated excitement leading the school
in assembling care packages for servicemembers deployed overseas. They
remember her knack for reassuring words and for helping them put the
daily stresses of high school in perspective.
Inevitably, after 26 years, Principal Weeden's legacy is counted in
the flood of letters sharing stories like these following the news of
her retirement, but it is also measured in her commitment to transform
the Page School as a top-notch academic institution.
It is thanks to her no-nonsense leadership that this unique program
has earned and maintained accreditation, that its rigors have earned
the attention and respect of prestigious universities, and that it
continues to attract talented and passionate educators to carry on in
her example.
Unsurprisingly, the colleagues and faculty whom Ms. Weeden has
mentored and supervised are no less enthusiastic in their praise than
her former students. Talking to them about their departing boss, you
hear words like disciplined, nurturing, and patriotic. You are painted
a picture that looks something like a Mother Superior, a no-nonsense
administrator, an exacting leader, and a true friend all in one.
Being entrusted with the care, feeding, education, and maturation of
so many young men and women over so many years would be an
accomplishment no matter where Principal Weeden had worked, but to do
all that at the Senate Page School means something even more. To a
special degree, her legacy will have helped, formed, and shaped
America's civic future for the better.
Because she gave of herself so generously to a special class of young
people--those who are so interested in our American Government that
they just had to come see it firsthand--today, the Senate celebrates
this outstanding legacy and warmly congratulates Principal Weeden on
such a tremendous accomplishment. We thank her for all she has done,
and we wish her nothing but happiness in the years that lie ahead.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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