SLS 16RS-2400 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 115
BY SENATOR LONG
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Dr. Patrick Widhalm as he concludes his dedicated
service to the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend Patrick Widhalm, Ph.D. as he concludes his dedicated service to the Louisiana
3 School for Math, Science, and the Arts.
4 WHEREAS, Dr. Widhalm has served the Louisiana School, as the school is known,
5 as executive director for the past fifteen years, serving as the school's sixth executive
6 director; and
7 WHEREAS, the Louisiana School was established by the state legislature in 1982
8 and is located on the campus of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, this state-supported residential high school with competitive admissions
11 was established to serve Louisiana's high-achieving, highly-motivated students in grades ten
12 through twelve; and
13 WHEREAS, Dr. Widhalm began his leadership at the Louisiana School in 2001,
14 having held administrative positions at similar schools; and
15 WHEREAS, Patrick Widhalm grew up in Nebraska and he credits public school
16 music programs for inspiring him to a rewarding education and career in music and bringing
17 music to children in public schools; and
18 WHEREAS, Dr. Widhalm earned his doctor of music degree in piano performance
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SLS 16RS-2400 ORIGINAL
1 from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and holds degrees and certificates from the
2 University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, the Ravel Academie in France and the
3 Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna, Austria; and
4 WHEREAS, prior to accepting the position as executive director of the Louisiana
5 School, Dr. Widhalm served in an administrative capacity at the Conservatory for Music at
6 Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and before that as the founding dean of Arts and
7 Academics at the South Carolina Governor's School for Arts and Humanities in Greenville,
8 South Carolina; and
9 WHEREAS, while leading the Louisiana School, Dr. Widhalm served six years as
10 vice chair for education on the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts board of directors and as
11 the liaison for Louisiana's affiliation with the Kennedy Center Arts Education Network; and
12 WHEREAS, Dr. Widhalm led the Louisiana team selected to participate in the 2008
13 Education Leaders Institute, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts; and
14 WHEREAS, in 2009, Dr. Widhalm received the Louisiana Culture Award for
15 "Education Innovator", he has participated in Leadership Louisiana and was recently
16 appointed by the governor to the state's arts council; and
17 WHEREAS, throughout his tenure, Dr. Widhalm has guided the faculty, staff,
18 students and alumni to establish the Louisiana School's reputation as one of the best high
19 schools in the country; and
20 WHEREAS, the Louisiana School was recently ranked as the ninth best public school
21 in the nation and as the best high school in Louisiana by Niche's "2016 Best Public High
22 Schools in America", both achievements of which Dr. Widhalm can be very proud; and
23 WHEREAS, upon his departure from the Louisiana School, Dr. Widhalm has
24 accepted a position as the new head of school at Benjamin Franklin High School in New
25 Orleans, another high-achieving school in Louisiana; and
26 WHEREAS, Dr. Widhalm frequently quotes Peter Drucker when addressing students
27 about achievement stating, "the best way to predict your future is to create it", an axiom that
28 would appear to hold true for Dr. Widhalm's own career; and
29 WHEREAS, on a personal note, Dr. Widhalm and his wife Betsy have raised two
30 daughters, Katie and Mary Beth; and
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SLS 16RS-2400 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, having led the state's premier residential high school concentrating on
2 math, science and the arts, Dr. Patrick Widhalm now redirects his career to face the
3 challenge of maintaining and improving the state's best nonresidential high school, while
4 leading students to prepare for academic and personal success throughout college and their
5 adult lives; and
6 WHEREAS, Dr. Patrick Widhalm has served the citizens of Louisiana through his
7 tenure at the Louisiana School and through his tireless efforts in support of arts education
8 in Louisiana's public schools and his overall support of the arts.
9 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
10 does hereby commend Patrick Widhalm, Ph.D. as his dedicated service to the Louisiana
11 School for Math, Science, and the Arts comes to a conclusion.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Dr.
13 Patrick Widhalm.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Dozier O'Brien.
DIGEST
SR 115 Original 2016 Regular Session Long
Commends Patrick Widhalm, Ph.D., as he concludes his dedicated service to the Louisiana
School for Math, Science, and the Arts.
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