 Thank you very much. Please, well, please sit down. Ladies and gentlemen, Secretary Bell and Dr. David Gardner and distinguished guests and most especially distinguished students. I want to thank all of you for coming here today on this beautiful day. We arranged this just particularly. We always like to plan nice weather for these things so you can have a good time while you're cutting school. We did little checking the other day and found out that this is the 43rd time that I have spoken on education in the past three and a half years. And that and that doesn't include such things as White House meetings on educations and talks with reporters. And I've given education so much time and used the what Teddy Roosevelt said was the bully pulpit of this office to discuss this issue for a very clear and simple reason. It's because we in this administration view education as central to American life. It is central as the family is central as the towns we live in are central and as our churches are central. If a modern detochville came searching for the heart of this country today, I would tell him to go to those junctions where family, church, town and school meet for that's where America is. We came to Washington believing that education was the key to the American comeback that we wanted to bring about. And one of the first things we did was appoint a national commission on excellence in education. And I asked them to study our schools, define their problems and come up if they could with solutions. And I can say you, because the commission is right here, you did just that. Last spring in your report, you documented 20 years of decline, 20 years of declining academic standards and declining discipline. And you were very blunt. You said if a foreign nation had done to our schools what we ourselves have done to them, we would be justified in calling it an act of war. Well, you don't get much blunder than that. But you spoke of hope too. You outlined the reforms needed to put us back on the path of excellence. And you gave us old but enduring advice, get back to basics. And the public response, your report was electrifying. There is a huge and growing public mandate for change. And it's not overstating things at all to say that your report changed our history by changing the way we look at education and putting it back on the American agenda. Virtually every major national organization in this country has supported some aspect of the reform movement. State leadership has been clear and strong. In this past year alone, 35 states raised high school graduation requirements. 21 states are reviewing steps to make textbooks more challenging. Eight states have lengthened the school day and seven have lengthened the school year. Many legislatures are carefully or currently, I should say, developing workable and fair and fair merit pay plans. And 47 states are studying improvements in teacher certification. The private sector too is doing its part. We have new partnerships between community businesses and community schools. Some businesses are adopting local schools, working with students and teachers to make education more rewarding and more exciting. The federal government is doing its part. We're taking a new look at violence in the schools and how to restore the peace and order without which no teacher can instruct and no student can learn. We're taking a new look at the national dropout rate. Estimates show that we're losing roughly a million students a year in the high schools. Now that will surely erode our ability to compete in business and it could lead to a permitted underclass of unskilled new workers who don't have much hope in the job market. We're taking a new look at truancy and across the country there are efforts to cut back on it by using everything from greater discipline to new incentives. You may have heard about one such case in Indiana. The local school board wanted to encourage better high school attendance. So they offered a $100 reward for any student who graduated with a perfect attendance record their senior year. Well, word got around and the kids stopped cutting classes and now the school board has found that close to 200 students made perfect attendance records and they'll have to come up with $20,000 before graduation day. I've been watching our young students over there. They're looking like they think this is a pretty good idea. I hope I'm not contributing to a number of school board bankruptcies with that story. The point I'm making is that education is back on the agenda all over this country. There has been a renaissance of interest in and involvement with the schools and so much of the spirit of this renewal is directly traceable to your report. Last year, Dr Gardner as head of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, I just want to say thank you on behalf of your country and on behalf of the generations that will benefit from your great work. And now the high point of my day. One of the things we did this past year was start a new award for students who have strived to reach their potential and worked hard to learn, study, and get good marks. You remember that some years back, President Kennedy was concerned about the physical fitness of all Americans. And a few years later, President Johnson followed up that concern by creating the President's Physical Fitness Award. Well, this year, we instituted the President's Academic Fitness Award. And I am pleased to announce that more than 220,000 graduating high school seniors are recipients of the first awards. And today, we have here around 60 representatives of all the winners from all the states. And I'm aware of how hard you worked for these awards. You are meeting your potential through your scholarly attainments. You are leaders, good students, and you've worked hard to learn study. As a matter of fact, I happen to believe you're the most priceless asset this country has. You are America's future. You've made us very proud. And I'm not only delighted to give these awards, I feel deeply honored to be the first president to do so. And now, Secretary, Secretary Bell will you be so good as to help us begin. And I'll go over on my mark. Very good. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, it's my great honor to present to you, Mr. President, the class of 1984. As you indicated, they represent their states, and I'll call their names out by state. And they represent all of the Academic Fitness Award recipients from their state. So if the students will come forward, it'll be my pleasure now, Mr. President, to present to you the 1984 recipients of the Academic Fitness Award. First of all, from Alabama, Charlene Williams, from Alaska, Dwayne Toth, and Mr. President, if I can pause just a minute on Arizona, representing Arizona, the whole state of Arizona, as Stephanie Parzik. Stephanie is profoundly deaf. And in spite of that handicap, she won this award. And so I especially want to salute Stephanie as she comes up to receive this. Arkansas, Lewis Soloff, from California, Brian Webb, and also from California, Cheryl Lynn Sheenall, from a private school, Mr. President. And Mr. President, Juliana Prather, from Studio City, California, and from the great state of Colorado, Alan J. Tanaka. Mr. President from Connecticut hasn't been in this country very long, is the valedictorian of her class, Rosette Nugent, from the District of Columbia, excuse me, from Delaware, Cornelia Henry, almost missed you, Cornelia, from the District of Columbia, Laura Collins, and Sean Shears from the District of Columbia, from Florida, Elizabeth Board, also from Florida, Luella Jennings, and from Georgia, Raymond Randall Weiss, from Hawaii, My Lee Jean Lu, and from Idaho, Christian Peterson, from Illinois, Michael Manson, from Indiana, Laura Dunlap, and representing the high school seniors from Iowa, Sue Ryder, and from Kansas, Kenneth Gilbert, from Kentucky, Cathy Renfrow, from Louisiana, David Wiggins, and from Maine, Elaine Michaud, and from Maryland, Stephen John Snyders, also from Maryland, Dina Hilsenrod, and from Massachusetts, Heidi McDonald, from Michigan, Richard Ewell, and from Minnesota, Cynthia O'Crenovich, from Mississippi, a basketball player, Gary May, also a great scholar, Mr. President, from Missouri, Mr. President, the youngest of this group, age 15, Jill McDonald, and from Montana, Elizabeth Muse, from Nebraska, Jill Kinsey, and representing the state of Nevada, Kellith Allen Broadway, from New Hampshire, Paul Carr, from New Jersey, Jane Stackpole, from New Mexico, Marsha Wright, and from New York, Lauren Levy, and from North Carolina, Martha Jean Waller, from North Dakota, Carol Joy Royce, and from Ohio, John Max Gay, from Oklahoma, Brian Thompson, and from Oregon, Linda Rail, also from Oklahoma, from Chemawah Indian School, Janeth Golagaren, and then from Panama, one of our overseas defense schools, Mr. President, Richard Weinigar, from Pennsylvania, Kenneth Ames, and from Puerto Rico, Wilberto Neavis, from Rhode Island, Catherine Silvestre, from South Carolina, John Norton, from South Dakota, Michael Toppins, from Tennessee, Amy, Amonette, from the great state of Texas, Teresa Cahonic, and from my home state of Utah, Kelly Stone, from Vermont, Christopher Brady, from Virginia, Stephen Edwards, also from Virginia Thomas P. Ferguson, and from Washington, Bruce Barkot, from West Virginia, Nora Lalk, and from Wisconsin, Beverly Hayes, and last but not least, Mr. President, from the great state of Wyoming, is Sally Chase, from Cody. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I'll bring home one thing from our trip to China. And that is that after applause of that kind, I applaud you.