HR0252 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0252 LRB095 11747 KXB 34560 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Joe Fatheree on being named the Illinois Teacher of the Year for 2006-2007 by the Illinois State Board of Education; and

WHEREAS, Joe Fatheree began his teaching profession in 1990 as an English teacher at Effingham High School; in 1994 he became a history teacher, and in 2000 he accepted the position of technology instructor; and

WHEREAS, Three years ago he started a program that exemplifies his passion for helping students become successful learners and citizens; the program "No Barriers Project-creating opportunity through education" was designed to help students understand how extreme poverty impacts student success; and

WHEREAS, His first effort was recruiting a group of students to pilot a poverty literacy program; during the program's first year, students collected over 2500 coats for homeless children living in the St. Louis Area; in the second year, the students collected over 4000 books and partnered with KCET, a PBS station in St. Louis, to find a literacy expert to take the books into homes of disenfranchised children to help them improve their reading skills; Joe Fatheree also formed a partnership with a school in East St. Louis where his students strengthen their skills by teaching visual story-telling skills to students from East St. Louis; and

WHEREAS, The program is now in its third year, and students from both schools are working cooperatively to develop media projects; those participating in the program are learning about other cultures and breaking down the barriers of miscommunication and misunderstanding; and

WHEREAS, Joe Fatheree received a Bachelor's degree in history from Eastern Illinois University and a Master's degree in Educational Administration; he will have the opportunity to take some time off from teaching and will spend the 2007 spring semester speaking at teacher workshops, educational conferences, and civic and community meetings; and

WHEREAS, Joe Fatheree will receive a lifetime tuition waiver to State universities and a one-semester paid leave to pursue coursework or develop an educational project that will benefit students statewide; he will also represent Illinois at the NASA Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama and in the National Teacher of the Year program sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers, Scholastic, Inc., and ING; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Joe Fatheree and wish him continued success in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Joe Fatheree as a symbol of our respect.