By: Barrientos S.R. No. 659 1-1 SENATE RESOLUTION 1-2 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is proud to 1-3 recognize Ortega Elementary School for its recent selection by 1-4 Redbook magazine as one of the best schools in the country; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Ortega Elementary School is located in a low-income 1-6 Austin neighborhood and was one of nine schools to be chosen 1-7 throughout the state and the only school to be chosen from Central 1-8 Texas; and 1-9 WHEREAS, It was named one of the 177 best elementary schools in 1-10 the country and was one of 72 schools cited for overall excellence; 1-11 and 1-12 WHEREAS, In meeting the criteria for overall excellence, 1-13 the 72 schools were cited for offering students a success-oriented 1-14 mix of a creative curriculum and varied extracurricular activities, 1-15 nurturing teachers, and supportive parent and community members; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Traits common among the winners also included a 1-17 principal who is deeply committed to the students and an emphasis in 1-18 the classroom on the written word and innovative use of technology; 1-19 and 1-20 WHEREAS, Ortega has used a $741,000 grant from the RJR Nabisco 1-21 Foundation to purchase computers, has extended its school day by 45 1-22 minutes, and has increased its extracurricular activities; and 1-23 WHEREAS, The school's achievement test scores have been rising, 2-1 despite the poverty of most Ortega students and the crime present in 2-2 the neighborhood; and 2-3 WHEREAS, In recent years, the school has focused on providing 2-4 resources, programs, and experiences that would inspire excellence in 2-5 student performance; and 2-6 WHEREAS, The principal, faculty, and staff of Ortega have 2-7 consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication to their students 2-8 and to their work in the field of education; now, therefore, be it 2-9 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 2-10 73rd Legislature, hereby commend Ortega Elementary School for the 2-11 high standards the school upholds and for the outstanding educational 2-12 opportunities it provides students in the community; and, be 2-13 it further 2-14 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for Ortega 2-15 Elementary School as a token of high regard from the Texas Senate. 2-16 _____________________________________ 2-17 President of the Senate 2-18 I hereby certify that the 2-19 above Resolution was adopted by 2-20 the Senate on April 21, 1993. 2-21 _____________________________________ 2-22 Secretary of the Senate 2-23 _____________________________________ 2-24 Member, Texas Senate