Page 1 of 2
Regular Session, 2014 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 56
BY SENATOR CLAITOR
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To commend and to congratulate Donna Lamonte of Baton Rouge upon receipt of the
Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and to
recognize her many contributions to education and the teaching profession.
WHEREAS, Donna Lamonte, a first grade teacher at Louisiana State University
Laboratory School, was among one hundred eight elementary school educators selected for
the prestigious award; and
WHEREAS, as a teacher, Mrs. Lamonte believes that the focus of a primary
mathematics curriculum should be seated in teaching young students to think and reason
logically about math and to engage a child's innate ability to use number theory in the
discovery of useful mental mathematics techniques to solve challenging real world
problems; and
WHEREAS, Donna Lamonte also acts as mentor for new teachers and student interns
and imparts firm teaching tenets based on well-tested instructional practices; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Lamonte is a member of the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics; she holds the Hines Family Endowed Professorship for the LSU College of
Human Sciences and Education and also serves on the leadership team for the Partnership
for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers for the college of education; and
WHEREAS, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and a
Master of Education degree in elementary reading from LSU; she is certified in the
elementary grades as a language arts reading specialist and is a National Board Certified
Early Childhood Generalist; and
WHEREAS, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science
Teaching recognizes outstanding individual achievement in classroom instruction in these
disciplines and exemplifies the highest national honor bestowed on educators for teaching
excellence; and SCR NO. 56 ENROLLED
Page 2 of 2
WHEREAS, the award is administered through the National Science Foundation, an
independent federal agency, that supports all manner of educational research within the
realm of science, mathematics, and computer science studies; and
WHEREAS, the Presidential Awards program issues a ten thousand dollar grant to
each recipient as an expression of how much her educational contributions are valued and
appreciated; and
WHEREAS, during the first week of March 2014, Mrs. Lamonte attended a
week-long conference in Washington, D.C., that afforded her the opportunity to network
with other award-winning teachers and to compare instructional techniques and curricula
options that make mathematics more relevant to today's students; and
WHEREAS, upon the citation President Obama commended her "for embodying
excellence in teaching, for devotion to the learning needs of the students, and upholding the
high standards that exemplify American education at its finest".
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend and congratulate Donna Lamonte on her receipt of the Presidential Award for
Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
recognize her contributions to further mathematics education and the teaching profession.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Donna Lamonte.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES