HR0918 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0918 LRB098 20579 MST 56826 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Joy Allen on the occasion of her retirement from her position as Central Catholic High School principal after 23 years of service; and

WHEREAS, Joy Allen began serving as Central Catholic High School principal in June of 1991, and will step down on June 30, 2014; and

WHEREAS, Joy Allen has brought many changes to Central Catholic during her tenure; she has developed a broader curriculum to better serve all academic levels of learning at her school, increased AP offerings, and brought Heartland Community College to the school's campus; she planned and managed the study of a new school campaign, oversaw the direction of an active campaign in 2001, helped design and make decisions on a new school campus on Airport Road, and was actively involved from the beginning to end with the construction of a new building, with Central Catholic opening its new doors in the Fall of 2003; she has seen enrollment go from 213 students in 1991 to a high of 423 in 2009, and now stands at 346; and

WHEREAS, Joy Allen also oversaw developments in numerous other departments at Central Catholic; she supervised the campaign and construction of the Bill Hundman Memorial Stadium for the football and track programs, with it opening in the Fall of 2005; and her commitment to Fine Arts is apparent with the band and music program growing from 9 students in 1991 to 47 students in the choir and 43 in the band as of this year; and

WHEREAS, Joy Allen has looked towards new and innovative strategies to support the school's financial needs; she started the Dream House Raffle in 1993 and successfully ran the raffle to fund tuition scholarships and a student work program for those qualifying for financial assistance, with the fund now at over $1,000,000; and

WHEREAS, Joy Allen has received many awards and recognitions over the years; she received the Benemerenti Medal in the Fall of 2013 for her long and exceptional service to the Catholic Church, her most cherished of them all; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Joy Allen as she retires from her position as Central Catholic High School principal, and we wish her the best in all her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Joy Allen as an expression of our esteem and respect.