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“IN RECOGNITION OF DR. BARBARA CHRISTEN, DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR AND FOUNDER OF ``FUTURES AND OPTIONS''” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1296-E1297 on June 14, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN RECOGNITION OF DR. BARBARA CHRISTEN, DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR AND
FOUNDER OF ``FUTURES AND OPTIONS''
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HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Barbara L. Christen, an extraordinary leader and teacher. Her passionate commitment to excellence in education has inspired countless students and colleagues to realize their dreams. Dr. Christen's remarkable career is being celebrated this month at a reception hosted by Futures and Options, Inc., an outstanding program that provides New York City high schoolers worthwhile opportunities for paid, supervised internships in the business world.
Dr. Christen embarked upon her distinguished career by teaching English in New York City's public high schools. In 1970, she was named Assistant Principal for English at the High School of Art and Design on Manhattan's East Side. Five years later she became the founding Principal of the Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers in Lower Manhattan and launched its internationally acclaimed ``magnet'' program to prepare students for both college admission and entry into the workforce.
As the principal at Bergtraum over the course of a decade and a half, Dr. Christen oversaw the education of a student body of 3,000, one of the largest high schools in our Nation's biggest city. As the educational leader of the first American high school with a dual program preparing students both for college admission and for entry into the business world, Dr. Christen presided over Bergtraum's rapidly expanding application pool while managing a complex educational enterprise during New York City's dire fiscal crisis.
Working with the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association, Dr. Christen became a pioneer in establishing public-private partnerships, thereby immeasurably benefitting the school she led as well as its students and teachers. She established a highly successful educational model, introduced an innovative business curriculum, initiated the first high school computer science business program, and secured internships for all Bergtraum students. Dr. Christen thus forged a unique learning experience for her students, one that melded a rigorous and stimulating academic curriculum with exciting opportunities to gain invaluable experience in the business world by working in Lower Manhattan's world-
famous business and financial districts.
Following her retirement from New York City's public school system, Dr. Christen continued to put her flair for innovation and enterprise to work helping others achieve their full potential. As the Vice President for Workforce Development at the Alliance for Downtown New York, she created the Futures and Options, Inc. (FAO) paid internship program that was subsequently cited by the U.S. Department of Labor as a model project. Since then, more than 2,000 students have benefitted from FAO, and its bright future is one of the proudest legacies of her storied career.
A native of the great Empire State, Dr. Christen is a proud graduate of the College of Mount Saint Vincent and performed her graduate studies at the City University of New York, where she earned a masters degree, and at the Teachers College of Columbia University, where she received her Doctorate in Education.
Madam Speaker, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me in recognizing the remarkable successes enjoyed by Dr. Barbara L. Christen in educating and inspiring countless individuals and colleagues.
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