SLS 16RS-81 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 11
BY SENATOR PEACOCK
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Dr. Sandra McCalla on her retirement.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend outstanding educator, Sandra McCalla, EdD, of Shreveport, Louisiana, for her
3 many contributions made on behalf of public education and to congratulate Dr.
4 McCalla upon her well-deserved retirement after fifty-five years in the education
5 profession.
6 WHEREAS, in June 2015, Dr. Sandra McCalla announced her retirement from
7 Captain Shreve High School after a stellar career as a teacher of mathematics for ten years,
8 as assistant principal for two years, and two terms as its principal; she has amassed over
9 thirty years of devoted service to the institution whose annual enrollment tops twelve
10 hundred students; and
11 WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla postulated that her responsibility as an administrator has
12 always been to be the best educator possible for every student at every opportunity and she
13 felt an obligation to provide inspiration and encouragement for her students that they would
14 develop a lifelong interest in mathematics and would master a useable skill set of math
15 proficiency in everyday life; and
16 WHEREAS, Sandra McCalla possesses a gracious demeanor and a keen intellect and
17 holds exceptional academic credentials having earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics
18 from Northwestern State University, a Master of Arts in mathematics instruction and
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SLS 16RS-81 ORIGINAL
1 curriculum with computer science enrichment from the University of Northern Colorado,
2 and a Doctor of Education in educational administration from Texas A&M University; and
3 WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has been the recipient of several outstanding fellowships
4 for her scholarly pursuits that include the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Public School
5 Administration Scholarship, and as a finalist for the T. M. Stinnett Academic Fellowship
6 Award from Texas A&M University and as a Danforth Foundation Fellow; and
7 WHEREAS, during her interim away from Captain Shreve from 1988 until 1994,
8 Sandra McCalla held an essential leadership position at her alma mater, Northwestern State
9 University, as dean and professor of its College of Education, director of its Louisiana
10 Principal Assessment Center, and director of Louisiana LEAD, an enhanced certification
11 program for school administrators; and
12 WHEREAS, during this time, Dr. McCalla also acted as an educational industry
13 specialist for IBM and taught college-level mathematics as an adjunct professor at Louisiana
14 State University Shreveport; and
15 WHEREAS, for over five decades, Dr. McCalla has applied her tireless work ethic
16 for the benefit of public school students throughout Caddo Parish and the state of Louisiana
17 with improvement in classroom instruction and, in particular, enhancement of school
18 administrative leadership capabilities; and
19 WHEREAS, the ascent of Dr. Sandra McCalla through the hierarchy of secondary
20 education has precipitated a myriad of recognition and awards for her competent leadership
21 skills; and
22 WHEREAS, at the state level, Dr. McCalla has been named on several occasions as
23 Principal of the Year, High School Principal of the Year, and Principal of the Year by the
24 Association of Student Councils, and was selected for the Leadership Louisiana Academy;
25 and
26 WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has witnessed advancements in educational practices
27 during her career and implemented numerous innovations in mathematics instruction; and
28 WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has lent her innovative talents to include participation in
29 the Louisiana High School Redesign Principal Leadership Team, the School and District
30 Accountability Commission, Louisiana Tech Educational Leadership Program of Studies,
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SLS 16RS-81 ORIGINAL
1 LSUS/Caddo Parish School Board Partnership Task Force, the Task Force on Secondary
2 Alternative Certification, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Louisiana
3 Middle School Journal, and the Committee for Improvement of Educational Leadership in
4 Louisiana; and
5 WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has also held membership on the boards of the Louisiana
6 School for Mathematics, Science and the Arts, the North Louisiana Regional Service Center,
7 Louisiana Association for Colleges of Teacher Education, High School Literary Rally, and
8 the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, District 2-AAAA; and
9 WHEREAS, at the national level, her expertise has been recognized by the National
10 Association of Secondary School Principals, the Dean's Academy of the American
11 Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Phi Delta Kappa Honor Fraternity, the
12 National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the National Council of Teachers
13 of Mathematics, and the United States Department of Education that ranked Captain Shreve
14 as one of the top one hundred outstanding public secondary schools in the nation; and
15 WHEREAS, throughout her lengthy career, Dr. Sandra McCalla has received copious
16 awards and citations far too numerous to count; however, some noteworthy accolades
17 include the Path to Excellence Award for Outstanding Student Achievement from the
18 Alliance for Education, the Life Service Award from the National Parent-Teacher
19 Association, and inclusion in the Hall of Distinguished Educators in the College of
20 Education at Northwestern State University; and
21 WHEREAS, in her hometown of Shreveport, Dr. McCalla has been honored as the
22 Caddo Parish School Board Educator of the Year in both the teaching and administrative
23 categories and has served the community as a board member for the YWCA, KDAQ Public
24 Radio, The Extra Mile organization, Volunteers of America, and the Shreveport Women's
25 Commission; and
26 WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla has served as a special education advocate in conjunction
27 with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and functioned as consultant to the
28 Acadia Parish School Board, the National Review Panel for the Coca-Cola Scholars
29 Program, and the National Honor Society; and
30 WHEREAS, Dr. McCalla is most praiseworthy for her exceptional dedication to the
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SLS 16RS-81 ORIGINAL
1 teaching profession, a vocation that resonates in every fiber of her being, for her intense
2 involvement in improved scholastic achievement, academic excellence, mathematic
3 curriculum development, and enhanced administrative leadership in secondary education;
4 and
5 WHEREAS, Dr. Sandra McCalla has proved to be an educator of boundless energy
6 and ability, a person of great empathy and vision, and a teacher whose devotion to education
7 has been a priceless gift to the public school system of Caddo Parish and the state of
8 Louisiana.
9 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
10 hereby commend and congratulate Sandra McCalla, EdD, for her many contributions to
11 further the pursuits of mathematic education and school administration and hereby
12 recognizes her for a lifetime of devotion to the education profession.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Dr. Sandra McCalla leaves an indelible mark
14 on the character of those students and faculty with whom she has shared a lifetime of
15 learning.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Dr. McCalla experience great success in all her
17 future endeavors.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
19 Dr. Sandra McCalla.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry Guillot.
DIGEST
SR 11 Original 2016 Regular Session Peacock
Commends Dr. Sandra McCalla upon her retirement.
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