By:  Shapleigh                                         S.R. No. 265

 1-1                                       1

 1-2                              SENATE RESOLUTION

 1-3           WHEREAS, It is indeed a privilege for the Texas Senate to

 1-4     recognize Donna L. Kvapil, recipient of the Mike A. Myers Teaching

 1-5     Award, 1997 Texas Excellence Award for Outstanding Teacher; and

 1-6           WHEREAS, Presented by The University of Texas at Austin

 1-7     College of Education and The Ex-Students' Association, the award

 1-8     honors Mrs. Kvapil for her exceptional contributions to her

 1-9     profession; and

1-10           WHEREAS, An instructor of business education at Andress High

1-11     School in El Paso, Donna Kvapil has taught in public schools for 14

1-12     years; after completing her course work for an associate degree in

1-13     education at El Paso Community College in 1979, she continued her

1-14     studies at The University of Texas at El Paso, earning a bachelor

1-15     of business administration degree in 1983; and

1-16           WHEREAS, The eldest daughter in a family of eight children,

1-17     Mrs. Kvapil helped her parents care for her brothers and sisters

1-18     from the time she was six years old; her earliest teaching

1-19     experiences began in her home when she taught her siblings basic

1-20     tasks; and

1-21           WHEREAS, Encouraged by her parents to get a high school

1-22     diploma so she could help with family finances, young Donna lacked

1-23     the motivation to apply herself until her senior year when a

 2-1     shattering experience caused her to want to become a teacher so

 2-2     she could make a difference in the lives of her students; and

 2-3           WHEREAS, Although her dreams of being a teacher took 17 years

 2-4     to become a reality, Donna never lost her desire to accomplish her

 2-5     goal; because she sees each child as special and treats all of them

 2-6     with trust and respect, her students thrive on her nurturing and

 2-7     the positive impact she has on their work; and

 2-8           WHEREAS, Her belief in each child enables her to see the best

 2-9     qualities in a student's character; willing to spend untold hours

2-10     working with those students who are having difficulties, she has a

2-11     special gift for motivating her students to do their best; and

2-12           WHEREAS, Her dedication, attention to details, and total

2-13     commitment to Andress High School's quest for excellence have earned

2-14     her recognition from her colleagues; elected state president of the

2-15     Texas Business Teachers Association for 1996-1997, she was chosen

2-16     as the organization's District 19 Teacher of the Year in 1994; her

2-17     fellow teachers at Andress High School honored her with the Teacher

2-18     of the Year Award in 1992, and she was selected for the El Paso

2-19     Independent School District Top 10 Teacher of the Year Award in

2-20     1987; now, therefore, be it

2-21           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,

2-22     75th Legislature, hereby extend congratulations to Donna Kvapil for

2-23     receiving the Mike A. Myers Teaching Award; and, be it further

2-24           RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for

2-25     Mrs. Kvapil as an expression of the high regard and appreciation of

 3-1     the Texas Senate with best wishes for continued success in the years

 3-2     ahead.

 3-3                                  ______________________________________

 3-4                                          President of the Senate

 3-5                                       I hereby certify that the above

 3-6                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate

 3-7                                  on March 3, 1997.

 3-8                                  ______________________________________

 3-9                                          Secretary of the Senate

3-10                                  ______________________________________

3-11                                           Member, Texas Senate