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September 28, 2009- Congressman Sires speaks at a press conference on the Bayonne bridge, encouraging the Port Authority to increase access for larger ships to pass through.

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April 24, 2009- Congressman Sires and members of MAST Construction take a tour of the Garden Street Lofts in Hoboken, which is New Jersey's first residential, high-rise, GREEN building.

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January 23, 2009- Congressman Sires and Secretary Salazar listen to a park attendant at Ellis Island during the Secretary's visit to the Statue of Liberty.

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March 2, 2009- Jeane Lutz of Carteret displays her quilts that will be given to wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital.  Pictured L-R: Mayor Daniel Reiman of Carteret, Jeane Lutz, Congressman Sires, and 1st Sgt. Quin Waterman.

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March 4, 2009- Congressman Sires holds his annual meeting with the Jewish War Veterans in his Washington office.

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September 15, 2009- Congressman Sires speaks at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute event titled, "Latinos Leading in the Green Economy and Partnering for the Future."

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September 2, 2009- Congressman Sires presents a check to Mayor Smith of Bayonne to help fund the Police Department's Emergency Operations Center.

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August 31, 2009- Congressman Sires presents a check to the North Hudson Community Action Corporation.  North Hudson CAP received funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve community health centers.

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August 25, 2009- Congressman Sires visit with Coast Sector Captain Robert O’Brien and Rear Admiral Joseph Nimmich of the U.S. Coast Guard.

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September 23, 2009- Congressman Sires discusses the future of NASA with astronauts from the STS-127 crew, including astronaut Dave Wolf and commander Mark Polansky of New Jersey.

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March 12, 2009- Congressman Sires meets with Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones to spread the awareness of the importance of swimming lessons for children.

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June 8, 2009- Congressman Sires speaks at the ARC Mass Transit Tunnel groundbreaking ceremony about the importance of the tunnel to the 13th District.  The project is expected to bring in 6,000 jobs a year, as well as double rail capacity into NYC.

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October 5, 2009- Congressman Sires announces $3.5 million in federal funding for the Bayonne Fire Department.  The Department was awarded the grants through FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

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October 5, 2009- Congressman Sires along with Senators Lautenberg and Menendez present Mayor Smith and the Bayonne Fire Department with a grant from FEMA to assist firefighters.

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February 18, 2009- Congressman Sires greets Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Ferry Captain Britanny Catanzara, who helped to rescue 26 of the passengers of flight 1549.

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October 26, 2009- Congressman Sires and Mayor Sacco discuss health care reform with North Bergen seniors.

Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge

On February 19, 2010, President Obama and the Department of Education announced a new Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge, inviting public high schools across the country to compete to have President Obama speak at their graduation ceremony this spring. The Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge gives schools in New Jersey an exciting opportunity to demonstrate how they are making great strides on personal responsibility, academic excellence and college readiness.    

 

Applications must be completed by students and submitted by a high school’s Principal using the Commencement Challenge Application Form no later than Monday, March 15th at 11:59 pm EST.  Each school may submit only one application and high schools must be public to apply.   Following the application deadline, six finalists will be selected by the White House and Department of Education.  These schools will then be featured on the White House website and the public will have an opportunity to vote for the three schools they think best meet the President’s goal.  The President will select a national winner from these three finalists and visit the winning high school to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2010. 

 

The application’s four essay questions focus on demonstrating how the school is helping prepare students to meet the President’s 2020 goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.  Applications will be judged based on the school’s performance and dedication to providing students an excellent education that will prepare them to graduate ready for college and career choices. Each question must be answered in full to qualify and data that substantiates each answer is strongly encouraged.

 

In addition to the required essay responses, applicants are invited to submit the following materials (these supplemental materials are optional):

           
            -A video -- no more than 2 minutes in length -- showing the school’s culture and character and highlighting how it is a model of educational success for other high schools around the country.
            
            -Supplemental data on key indicators such as attendance, student achievement, graduation rates and where available, college enrollment rates.  This data may be presented in the form of tables, graphs or spreadsheets and should be used to help the school make the most compelling arguments possible.
Please use the Commencement Challenge Application Form to apply.

 

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