President Bush waves as he board Air Force One, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008, at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The president is traveling to California, Nevada, Colorado and Nevada for the next two days.
Mrs. Bush's Remarks at Holy Redeemer Catholic School
This is Catholic Schools Week, and that's one of the reasons why I'm here today. It's the perfect time to recognize the contributions that Catholic schools make to students all across our country.
Students here at Holy Redeemer are among the 2,300,000 students in the United States who are currently attending Catholic schools. The education you're receiving builds on a tradition of academic excellence older than the United States itself, dating back nearly four centuries.
Today, 99 percent of Catholic-school students graduate from high school -- and 97 percent go on to college. That's an unbelievable record, so congratulations to everyone. (Applause.) But just as Archbishop Wuerl said, not only do Catholic educators develop young minds, but they also prepare children for lives of compassion and service.