Bill Clinton: “I hope you enjoyed your tour of the White House. And I'm sorry we had to start a little late, but as I'm sure you know…”

“I hope you enjoyed your tour of the White House. And I'm sorry we had to start a little late, but as I'm sure you know, a very important debate is now occurring in the United States Senate on the administration's economic plan, and I had to make a call or two. Congressman Beilenson, it's good to see you. I bet you're glad you're not involved in that this afternoon and glad to be here with your folks. It's a real honor for me to welcome to the White House a group of true student athletes: the gold, silver, and bronze medal-winning teams in the 1992-93 United States Academic Decathlon. The gold medalists are from Plano East High School of Plano, Texas; the silver medalists from Taft High of Los Angeles; the bronze medal winners of Mountain View High School of Mesa, Arizona. These students have experienced the excitement of competition and the thrill of victory. And they should be a source of pride for young people all across our country. They've competed for medals in 10 different events, from math and science to language and literature, in an innovative and inclusive program which fosters competition, enhances self-image, and shows how truly exciting the pursuit of knowledge can be. As I understand it, the team members also are required to give speeches, both prepared and impromptu--that's a good preparation for being President--write essays and experience interviews. These young people are equipped not with javelins or shotputs but with intellect and knowledge and the ability to think creatively but with discipline. The importance of this kind of pursuit of educational excellence cannot be overemphasized. We're at a moment in our history when we have to increase the educational ability of all Americans and in which it is not simply important how much our people know but what they are capable of learning and how quickly and well they are capable of thinking through complex problems that may face them tomorrow but are even unpredictable today. Because of these kinds of challenges, we cannot meet our educational excellence goals through Government mandates. We have to meet them through incentives and through environments which promote excellence and leadership from teachers and principals, the kind of group work that we see in this academic decathlon. I applaud the academic decathlon, its president, John Foley, and its executive director, Ann Joynt. At this time, I want to say a special word of congratulations to the national champions, Plano Senior High School from Plano, Texas--Plano East. They're right behind me, right? In the center. When I was in high school, Plano had a great high school band. Do you still have a good band? It won a lot of national awards. Of course, that was back in the dark ages, but anyway. Under the coaching of Joyce Gillam and Jack Worsham, Plano East amassed the highest total score, capturing seven gold and five silver medals. One particular youngster, Sunny Chu, deserves special mention. Sunny's father suffered a severe stroke just days before the national competition. Nonetheless, Sunny still managed to win the gold medal for highest overall score in the Nation. And I'm pleased to report that Sunny's dad is back home recovering. Congratulations to you. Let's give him a hand. [Applause] Now, the group from Taft High in Los Angeles. That's you, right? Coached by Michael Wilson, Taft High pulled in seven gold and six silver medals. Mara Weiss achieved the second highest total score in the Nation, earning a gold medal in the essay event and a bronze in fine arts. In fact, I understand Mara recently wrote to my wife expressing her frustration that intellectual pursuits in high school are still seen as the domain of the male student. Mara, where are you? Did you really do that? Ms. Weiss. Yes, I did.”