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“RECOGNIZING THE BICENTENNIAL OF FRANKLIN ACADEMY” mentioning Mark Kelly was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on page E87 on Feb. 2.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING THE BICENTENNIAL OF FRANKLIN ACADEMY
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HON. TRENT KELLY
of mississippi
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the Bicentennial of Franklin Academy in Columbus, Mississippi--the state's first Public School. In its two hundred years, Franklin Academy has had a profound impact on education in our state.
In December of 1821, construction was completed on the first schoolhouse. A 20x30 foot wood framed structure was erected to house the first classes, and in 1835 a second structure was built to separate the boys and girls. In 1866, a fourteen-room, three-story building became the new home of Franklin Academy. An adjoining chapel allowed for religious services and education.
In November of 1909 President Taft visited Franklin Academy as a stop on a national tour. Nine years later, the school adapted to elementary students when Stephen D. Lee High School was completed. It wasn't until 1939 that the current two-story building was constructed under the Public Works Administration.
Franklin Academy was integrated in September of 1965. It has since been named a Mississippi landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
I commend all current and former faculty, staff, and administration at Franklin Academy for preserving educational excellence and continuously striving for the best quality education for our young people.
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