| 1 | 1 | | Introduced Version |
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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE CONCURRENT |
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| 3 | 3 | | RESOLUTION No. _____ |
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| 4 | 4 | | DIGEST OF INTRODUCED RESOLUTION |
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| 5 | 5 | | A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION honoring 2024 Rural Teacher of |
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| 6 | 6 | | the Year Jodie Elkins. |
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| 7 | 7 | | MESSMER |
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| 8 | 8 | | , read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 9 | 9 | | 2024 RC 1524/DI JC Introduced |
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| 10 | 10 | | Second Regular Session 123rd General Assembly (2024) |
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| 11 | 11 | | SENATE CONCURRENT |
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| 12 | 12 | | RESOLUTION No. _____ |
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| 13 | 13 | | 1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION honoring 2024 Rural |
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| 14 | 14 | | 2 Teacher of the Year Jodie Elkins. |
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| 15 | 15 | | 3 Whereas, Each year the Indiana Small and Rural Schools |
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| 16 | 16 | | 4 Association, with sponsorship from Indiana Farm Bureau, |
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| 17 | 17 | | 5 honors one Indiana educator with the Rural Teacher of the |
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| 18 | 18 | | 6 Year Award; |
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| 19 | 19 | | 7 Whereas, The Indiana Rural Teacher of the Year Award is |
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| 20 | 20 | | 8 given to a current teacher who collaborates with the rural |
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| 21 | 21 | | 9 community to provide lifelong learning opportunities, leads in |
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| 22 | 22 | | 10 the educational community, and leaves a lasting impact on her |
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| 23 | 23 | | 11 students; |
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| 24 | 24 | | 12 Whereas, Jodie Elkins is a graduate of Pike Central High |
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| 25 | 25 | | 13 School ("PCHS") in Petersburg, Indiana, who returned to her |
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| 26 | 26 | | 14 beloved high school to teach after earning education degrees |
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| 27 | 27 | | 15 from Hanover College and the University of Evansville and has |
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| 28 | 28 | | 16 remained a vital member of the school and local communities |
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| 29 | 29 | | 17 for over 40 years; |
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| 30 | 30 | | 18 Whereas, In 2006, PCHS was selected as one of 45 schools |
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| 31 | 31 | | 19 in the country to be a field test site for Project Lead the Way's |
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| 32 | 32 | | 20 Biomedical Sciences program, with Ms. Elkins at the forefront; |
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| 33 | 33 | | 21 Whereas, Under Ms. Elkins' leadership, the Biomedical |
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| 34 | 34 | | 22 Sciences program at PCHS has grown steadily, being |
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| 35 | 35 | | 23 recognized as a model program in 2012, garnering PCHS |
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| 36 | 36 | | 24 recognition as a Project Lead the Way Distinguished School, |
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| 37 | 37 | | 25 and including in its ranks as much as 40% of the PCHS student |
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| 38 | 38 | | 2024 RC 1524/DI JC 2 |
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| 39 | 39 | | 1 body at a time, many of whom have gone on to careers as |
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| 40 | 40 | | 2 emergency medical technicians, certified nursing assistants, |
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| 41 | 41 | | 3 and physicians; |
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| 42 | 42 | | 4 Whereas, Ms. Elkins leads in her community through her |
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| 43 | 43 | | 5 service on the City of Petersburg Planning Commission and |
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| 44 | 44 | | 6 Parks and Recreation Board, the steering committees for the |
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| 45 | 45 | | 7 Buffalo Trace Festival and Discover Downtown Petersburg, the |
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| 46 | 46 | | 8 Prides Creek Golf Course Board of Directors, the Dubois-Pike |
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| 47 | 47 | | 9 Federal Credit Union Supervisory Committee, and the Pike |
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| 48 | 48 | | 10 County Advisory Council to Memorial Hospital and Health |
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| 49 | 49 | | 11 Care Center in Jasper; |
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| 50 | 50 | | 12 Whereas, With an estimated 90% of PCHS students |
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| 51 | 51 | | 13 expected to take at least one class with her, Ms. Elkins has left |
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| 52 | 52 | | 14 an indelible impact on her students, regularly going above and |
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| 53 | 53 | | 15 beyond what is required of any teacher and supporting her |
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| 54 | 54 | | 16 students wherever and whenever they need, whether at ball |
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| 55 | 55 | | 17 games, band performances, academic competitions, theater |
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| 56 | 56 | | 18 productions, religious confirmations, graduations, weddings, |
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| 57 | 57 | | 19 baby showers, or funerals; |
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| 58 | 58 | | 20 Whereas, Her impact on her students is best summarized by |
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| 59 | 59 | | 21 one student who, after Ms. Elkins helped her through a difficult |
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| 60 | 60 | | 22 personal problem, tearfully remarked, "I just love her so much, |
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| 61 | 61 | | 23 and I don't know what any of us would do without her here"; |
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| 62 | 62 | | 24 and |
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| 63 | 63 | | 25 Whereas, In recognition of her many contributions to her |
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| 64 | 64 | | 26 students, school, and community, Ms. Elkins was named the |
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| 65 | 65 | | 27 2024 Indiana Rural Teacher of the Year and represented |
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| 66 | 66 | | 28 Indiana in the National Rural Teacher of the Year program: |
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| 67 | 67 | | 29 Therefore, |
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| 68 | 68 | | 30 Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly |
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| 69 | 69 | | 31 of the State of Indiana, the House of Representatives |
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| 70 | 70 | | 32 concurring: |
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| 71 | 71 | | 33 SECTION 1. That the Indiana General Assembly honors |
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| 72 | 72 | | 34 2024 Rural Teacher of the Year Jodie Elkins and commends her |
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| 73 | 73 | | 2024 RC 1524/DI JC 3 |
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| 74 | 74 | | 1 for her work in advancing the aims of rural education and |
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| 75 | 75 | | 2 positively impacting the lives of her students. |
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| 76 | 76 | | 3 SECTION 2. The Secretary of the Senate is hereby directed |
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| 77 | 77 | | 4 to transmit copies of this Resolution to Jodie Elkins, Pike |
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| 78 | 78 | | 5 Central High School, and Indiana Farm Bureau. |
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| 79 | 79 | | 2024 RC 1524/DI JC |
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