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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHE |
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REAS, Shanna Peeples of the Amarillo Independent School |
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District has been named the 2015 National Teacher of the Year by the |
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Council of Chief State School Officers; and |
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WHEREAS, The chair of the English department at Palo Duro |
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High School, Ms. Peeples teaches AP English and English III; she |
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has distinguished herself through her exceptional dedication to |
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helping students from all backgrounds realize their full potential; |
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she also serves as a compassionate mentor to her students; she |
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further benefits the campus as an instructional coach, as National |
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Honor Society cosponsor, and as a member of the textbook adoption |
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committee and the D-FORCE positive behavioral support committee; |
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after school hours, she opens her classroom for use as a safe space |
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for informal writing and discussion groups; and |
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WHEREAS, This dynamic educator has been a member of the |
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Amarillo Independent School District English Language Arts |
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Standards committee since 2009; moreover, she has conducted |
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literacy workshops for K-12 teachers, and she has presented |
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numerous papers at staff development events and professional |
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conferences of organizations such as the National Council of |
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Teachers of English, the Texas Council of Teachers of English |
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Language Arts, and Abydos Learning International; in addition, she |
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is active in the wider community in initiatives that promote |
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literacy and the development of writing ability; and |
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WHEREAS, Before joining the faculty at Palo Duro High School, |
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Ms. Peeples taught seventh grade English Language Arts at Horace |
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Mann Middle School in Amarillo; she completed her bachelor's degree |
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in English at West Texas A&M University and went on to earn a |
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master's degree in education from The University of Texas at |
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Arlington, specializing in curriculum and instruction with an |
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emphasis in literacy studies; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Peeples works vigorously to understand the |
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challenges faced by each of her students and tailors the learning |
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environment to meet their needs; she uses these skills to guide the |
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college-bound, assist those who come from foreign nations and have |
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spent little time in classroom settings, and advises parents about |
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the importance of education to the future prospects of their |
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children; and |
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WHEREAS, It could be said that Ms. Peeples is in the hope |
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business; she assists students in coping with the trials of |
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adolescence by encouraging self-expression in writing exercises; a |
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kind and caring mentor, she devotes countless hours to advising |
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youngsters, and she conveys her respect for their traditions by |
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accepting invitations to cultural events; she was previously |
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selected as 2015 Texas Teacher of the Year and 2015 Region 16 |
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Secondary Teacher of the Year; and |
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WHEREAS, Shanna Peeples is devoted to providing young Texans |
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with the knowledge and skills they need to realize their dreams, and |
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her passion, determination, and commitment to excellence are an |
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inspiration to her students and fellow educators alike; and |
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WHEREAS, In her role as National Teacher of the Year, |
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Ms. Peeples will travel extensively as a spokesperson for her |
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profession, sharing her knowledge, experience, and passion for |
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education to inspire her colleagues across the country; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby congratulate Shanna Peeples on her selection as the 2015 |
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National Teacher of the Year and extend to her sincere best wishes |
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for continued success in her important work; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. Peeples as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives and Senate. |