By: Goolsby H.R. No. 255 73R4453 JLZ-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to join 1-2 the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of Westwood Junior High 1-3 School in commemorating the 20th anniversary of the school's 1-4 founding and in celebrating its two decades of dedication to 1-5 excellence in academic and extracurricular pursuits; and 1-6 WHEREAS, In the two decades since its founding, Westwood 1-7 Junior High School has earned an outstanding reputation for high 1-8 standards of scholastic achievement in large part because of the 1-9 exceptional level of support it has received from the community and 1-10 the unwavering commitment of its dedicated faculty and school 1-11 administration; and 1-12 WHEREAS, Among the first of the countless men and women who 1-13 helped establish the school's tradition of perseverance in the 1-14 pursuit of excellence was Bob Stamps, the current athletic director 1-15 for Richardson Independent School District and the first to serve 1-16 as principal at Westwood Junior High School; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Appointed to that post in May 1972, Mr. Stamps 1-18 worked tirelessly throughout the summer amid soaring temperatures 1-19 and the chaos of ongoing construction work to prepare for the 1-20 school's scheduled opening in the fall; thanks to his hard work and 1-21 that of everyone involved in launching the new school, Westwood 1-22 Junior High School opened its doors in the fall of 1972; and 1-23 WHEREAS, Having surmounted the difficulties of establishing a 1-24 new school, the administration and faculty immediately faced 2-1 another great challenge on opening day, when more than 900 students 2-2 arrived; although the school had been prepared to greet 2-3 approximately 550 pupils, the faculty and staff responded in 2-4 exemplary fashion, hurriedly assembling classes in every available 2-5 space to accommodate the unexpected number of new students; and 2-6 WHEREAS, Undaunted by the difficulties attendant to the 2-7 school's opening, the faculty and administration not only coped 2-8 with but thrived from the experience, developing a close-knit sense 2-9 of community that has endured into the present as a shared vision 2-10 of the school's purpose; and 2-11 WHEREAS, In 1976, Ron Parks succeeded Mr. Stamps, taking over 2-12 the administration of a junior high school with a growing 2-13 enrollment of more than 1,200 students; within three years of 2-14 Mr. Parks's arrival, Westwood Junior High School reached an 2-15 all-time high enrollment of 1,540 students; and 2-16 WHEREAS, During Mr. Parks's tenure, the school's reputation 2-17 for outstanding achievement also continued to grow as Westwood 2-18 students excelled in district and statewide competitions; the 2-19 Westwood Junior High School band and orchestra particularly 2-20 distinguished themselves and brought honor and prestige to the 2-21 school by being named Texas Best Band and Texas Best Orchestra at 2-22 this time; and 2-23 WHEREAS, In the fall of 1980, Jacky Russell was appointed to 2-24 the post of principal, in which capacity Mr. Russell continues to 2-25 serve today with the same degree of dedication and success as his 2-26 worthy predecessors; under his capable leadership, the school has 2-27 undergone tremendous changes, both in its facilities and in its 3-1 student population, but despite these changes has maintained and 3-2 added to its superior record of achievement; and 3-3 WHEREAS, In the last five years alone, the school has 3-4 garnered such prestigious honors as the Governor's Excellence 3-5 Exemplary Performance Award, a Texas State Board of Education 3-6 Certificate of Achievement for superior mastery on all TEAMS test 3-7 areas, and a Presidential Academic Fitness Award; the school also 3-8 was recognized as a demonstration school by the President's Council 3-9 on Physical Fitness and Sports; and 3-10 WHEREAS, The school's tradition of quality extends to all 3-11 areas of scholastic endeavor, as evident in the school band's 3-12 receipt of the Sudler Cup award, in the school choir's designation 3-13 by the Texas Music Educators Association as a Select Performing 3-14 Choir for the State of Texas, and in the numerous individual and 3-15 team trophies in district, regional, and national art, science, 3-16 mathematics, Latin, and academic pentathlon competition; and 3-17 WHEREAS, This consistently high level of achievement is 3-18 attributable not only to the hard work and dedication of the 3-19 school's students, teachers, and administrators, but to the 3-20 steadfast support they have received from parents who desire the 3-21 best education possible for the community's youth as well, and 3-22 special recognition is due to the stellar role played by past PTA 3-23 presidents Ed and Sue Long, Jim and Valerie Coffee, Marv and Joan 3-24 Lane, Dennis and Bettye Stripling, and John and Julie Price; and 3-25 WHEREAS, The occasion of Westwood Junior High School's 20th 3-26 anniversary is indeed a joyous moment in the school's history and 3-27 an appropriate time to salute the dedicated teachers and 4-1 administrators, past and present, and the generations of 4-2 schoolchildren who have contributed to the school's enduring spirit 4-3 of pride and accomplishment; now, therefore, be it 4-4 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas 4-5 Legislature hereby commemorate the 20th anniversary of the opening 4-6 of Westwood Junior High School and commend the entire community on 4-7 its two decades-long record of commitment to excellence in 4-8 education with best wishes for continued success in the future; 4-9 and, be it further 4-10 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 4-11 prepared for Westwood Junior High School principal Jacky Russell as 4-12 an expression of high esteem by the Texas House of Representatives.