INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., and HARBEL, Liberia, West Africa (Dec. 6, 2010) — Speaking over a driving rainstorm in a school gymnasium in Harbel, Liberia, this fall, Dan Adomitis, President of Firestone Natural Rubber Company, LLC (FSNR), enthusiastically commended the graduating seniors assembled before him in green and yellow gowns.

“You have taken advantage of the opportunities afforded you as children of Firestone employees and you have done well. For that, I applaud you,” Adomitis told the students.

As keynote speaker for the second annual commencement ceremonies of Firestone Senior High School, which along with Firestone’s Liberian rubber farm is operated by FSNR’s Firestone Liberia, Inc. subsidiary (FSLB), Adomitis was sincerely congratulatory in his remarks. And he certainly had good reason. After all, every one of the 218 Firestone students who took the West African Examinations Council examinations in May 2010 successfully qualified for graduation by passing, a remarkable achievement for a school system that was destroyed during Liberia’s long civil conflict.

“As we looked to rebuild our operations in Liberia, we knew schools and education were going to be a key part of our efforts,” said Adomitis. “I knew we would eventually build some of the finest schools in Liberia, but I didn’t think we would have so much success so soon.”

Beyond the perfect passing rate on the WAEC exams, Firestone Senior High School also accounted for four of the top five individual student scores in the country on the tests.

Mulbah Gayflor, Principal of Firestone Senior High School, attributes these successes to the company’s strong support of the system and unparalleled commitment to education in Liberia.

“We have facilities and instructors that are second to none in this country,” Gayflor said. “Our high school has computer and science laboratories, and our teacher-to-student ratio is quite low. With this support, there is no reason Firestone should not have the best schools and the top students in all of Liberia.”

Firestone’s commitment to education in post-war Liberia extends beyond the walls of its K-12 school system. The company offers both an Adult Literacy Program and an Education Ministry-designed Accelerated Learning Program, which provides an elementary education in a highly condensed timetable, to aid those members of the Firestone community whose educational progress was derailed by the country’s 14-year civil war. The latest graduation ceremonies for both of these programs was cause for celebration during the summer.

In addition, and reaching beyond the Firestone community, the Firestone Liberia Scholarship Program provides scholarships for primary, secondary and university-level studies to qualifying students across the country; more than 100 such scholarships were awarded this fall for the 2010-2011 school year. These scholarships are a significant part of the company’s educational initiatives, considering the cost of education is often beyond the financial means of Liberian families surviving in a country with an estimated 80 percent unemployment rate.

“The Firestone Liberia Scholarship Program contributes immensely to the growth of some of the best students in this country, many of whom could not otherwise afford to pursue education,” said William F. Gizi, Margibi County Education Officer. “This program and the company’s commitment to the Firestone School System truly demonstrate how this company values and believes in the powerful role education can play in Liberia’s future.”

The K-12 Firestone School System enrolls more than 15,000 students annually, and employs more than 400 full-time instructors, making it one of the largest single school systems in the country. Children of FSLB employees attend free of charge, one of many benefits the company provides its employees.