2023 -- S 1130
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
CONGRATULATING AND THANKING THE HONORAB LE HANNA M. GALLO ON THE
OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT FROM THE CRAN STON SCHOOL DEPARTME NT
Introduced By: Senators Ruggerio, Pearson, Lombardo, F. Lombardi, Felag, Sosnowski,
Picard, LaMountain, Lauria, and Ciccone
Date Introduced: June 15, 2023
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration
WHEREAS, The Honorable Hanna M. Gallo was born in Colorado Springs, but shortly 1
thereafter moved to Rhode Island, and grew up in the City of Providence. At a young age, her 2
parents very successfully instilled her with a tremendous work ethic and the desire to pursue 3
higher education; and 4
WHEREAS, Senator Gallo attended a Catholic grammar school, St. Mary's Visitation 5
High School, and earned a degree in Liberal Arts from the Community College of Rhode Island, 6
and later attained a Business degree from CCRI. She and her husband, Russell, chose the Garden 7
City neighborhood in Cranston to make their home and raise their daughters, Julie and Laura, and 8
have lived there for 40 years; and 9
WHEREAS, A devoted mom, when one of the Gallo girls was born with a hearing 10
impairment, Senator Gallo was inspired to pursue a degree in speech-language pathology. She 11
returned to school, earning a Bachelor of Science in Communicative Disorders and a Master of 12
Science in Speech Language from the University of Rhode Island; and 13
WHEREAS, Senator Gallo initially began her teaching career as a Speech Language 14
Pathologist with the South Kingstown School Department in 1997, before joining the faculty of 15
the Cranston School Department in 2005, where she has been a Speech Language Pathologist 16
working with small groups of children in order to help them overcome speech impediments and 17
improve their oral communication skills; and 18
WHEREAS, In addition, Senator Gallo's responsibilities as a SLP included organizing 19
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and implementing therapy programs to meet the needs of the school's speech, language, and 1
hearing-impaired students, and assisting students with a panoply of speech and language related 2
challenges in order to enable them to meet performance standards; and 3
WHEREAS, For Senator Gallo, her family always came first, so teaching became her 4
second career, and in January of 1999, she started her third job as a State Senator where she 5
incorporated her knowledge of children and education in order to very effectively Chair the 6
Senate Committee on Education for many years, and served on both the Board of Regents and 7
Commission on Civic Education; and 8
WHEREAS, The Honorable Senator Gallo will be retiring from the Cranston School 9
Department, but will certainly continue to shape education in our State. Her teaching skills and 10
after-school programs have improved the educational experience and the lives of many young 11
people throughout her twenty-five years in teaching; and 12
WHEREAS, Senator Gallo's accomplishments in support of education and civic 13
involvement have earned her numerous honors over the years including, a Distinguished Service 14
Award for school construction, the Paul Crowley Award, an award for Civic Engagement, and 15
induction into the Community College of Rhode Island Alumni Association's Society of the 16
Knights, which is given to alumni who have been active as community leaders, attained personal 17
and professional success, provided volunteer service to the college community and have brought 18
honor upon themselves and the college, to name but a few; and 19
WHEREAS, The Cranston School system will be losing a valued teacher who has had a 20
positive and rewarding influence on the lives of her students, but there is little doubt that the 21
Honorable Hanna M. Gallo will continue to build a better educational system, a greener planet, 22
and a brighter tomorrow for future generations of Rhode Islanders; now, therefore be it 23
RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby congratulates and 24
thanks the Honorable Hanna M. Gallo as she retires from the Cranston School Department and 25
wishes her continued success and much happiness; and be it further 26
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 27
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Hanna M. Gallo. 28
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