Reprinted with permission of
the Journal-News
By Linda Ebbing
HAMILTON — Federal, state and local officials today will
dedicate a bronze and granite sculpture plaza at Hamilton High School that commemorates
President Bush’s signing of the No Child Left Behind Act at the school two
years ago.
Rod Paige, U.S. secretary of education, will join U.S. Rep.
John Boehner, R-West Chester Township, and Hamilton City Schools Superintendent
Janet Baker at the ceremony.
Paige and Boehner — the chief author of the No Child Left
Behind Act — will speak at the ceremony, scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.
outside the high school. “It’s certainly an honor for Secretary Paige to visit
the place where it all began — Hamilton High,” said Steve Forde, a Boehner
spokesman. “It’s also an honor for the Carruthers family to think highly enough
of No Child Left Behind, the historical significance of the President’s visit
in 2002, and the role Hamilton High continues to play in Butler County and
beyond to make these statues possible.”
Local philanthropists Donna and Pat Carruthers provided the
$400,000 for the sculpture plaza. The sculptures, created by Jarrett Hawkins of
Deer Park, show Bush surrounded by children and dignitaries. “It is education
we are talking about, so I think it is appropriate that the secretary of
education accepted our invitation to come to the ceremony and say a few words,”
Donna Carruthers said. “The most important thing really is that the No Child Left
Behind bill was signed in Hamilton thanks to John Boehner. ... They could have
chosen any place in the United States. It was an exciting day.”
The act is designed to hold schools accountable for student performance. By not reaching a mandated level of improvement through Adequate Yearly Progress — an accountability piece of the No Child Left Behind act — school districts are at risk for losing additional funding. The sculpture project would not have been possible without the vision and generosity of the Carruthers family, Baker said. “It will be a lifetime reminder of the unity and hometown pride of Jan. 8, 2002,” Baker said. “It is our hope that the sculpture plaza will not only enrich the lives of students, but the entire community.”