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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Tom Torkelson was nominated for inclusion in TIME |
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magazine's 2009 TIME 100 list of the world's most influential |
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people; and |
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WHEREAS, In selecting nominees, TIME turned to newsmakers and |
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past TIME 100 honorees, including Teach for America founder and CEO |
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Wendy Kopp, who named Mr. Torkelson for his outstanding |
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contributions to education as the chief executive officer and |
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co-founder of IDEA Public Schools; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Torkelson, who holds an economics degree from |
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Georgetown University, taught fourth grade in Donna with Teach for |
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America for three years, during which he joined with colleague |
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JoAnn Gonzales to found the IDEA Academy as an after-school program |
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to help resolve some of the educational deficiencies that were |
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holding back their students; their focus on high expectations and |
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college readiness brought immediate success, and in 2000, the state |
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granted IDEA a charter, making Mr. Torkelson, then 24, the youngest |
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charter school founder in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, IDEA serves nearly 4,000 students at its |
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flagship campus in Donna and at schools in Brownsville, |
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McAllen/Edinburg, Mission, and San Benito; another school is set to |
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open in San Juan in August 2009; IDEA College Preparatory was ranked |
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19th in the nation in the 2008 US News and World Report list of top |
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high schools and ranked 6th among charter schools; it has been |
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featured in numerous publications, among them USA Today and Parade |
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magazine, and in 2008, Mr. Torkelson received the Freddy Fender |
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Humanitarian Award honoring his work in behalf of the children of |
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the Rio Grande Valley; and |
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WHEREAS, This dynamic educator and civic leader serves on the |
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board and executive committee for The University of Texas-Pan |
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American Foundation and on the boards of the McAllen Chamber of |
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Commerce and Encore, a community-based organization working to |
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shift attitudes on college readiness in the Valley; in addition, he |
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served as chair of the 2007 National Charter Schools Conference; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Through his commitment to excellence and belief that |
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all children deserve a college preparatory academic program of the |
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highest caliber, Tom Torkelson is making a profound difference in |
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the Rio Grande Valley and has won the respect and admiration of |
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education professionals across the country; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Tom Torkelson on his nomination for |
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inclusion in the 2009 TIME 100 list of the world's most influential |
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people; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Torkelson as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |