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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Shanna Peeples of Palo Duro High School in Amarillo |
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| 6 | 7 | | has been named the 2015 Texas Teacher of the Year, which is the |
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| 7 | 8 | | highest honor that can be bestowed upon a teacher in the state, and |
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| 8 | 9 | | she is one of four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year |
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| 9 | 10 | | award; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, An English teacher who joined the faculty at Palo |
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| 11 | 12 | | Duro High in 2008, Ms. Peeples was also selected as the 2015 Texas |
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| 12 | 13 | | Secondary Teacher of the Year; she is an exceptionally skilled and |
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| 13 | 14 | | dedicated instructor, and she also serves as a compassionate mentor |
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| 14 | 15 | | to her students, drawing on her own experiences to help them |
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| 15 | 16 | | overcome obstacles; the chair of the English department, she |
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| 16 | 17 | | further benefits the campus as an instructional coach, as National |
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| 17 | 18 | | Honor Society cosponsor, and as a member of the textbook adoption |
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| 18 | 19 | | committee and the D-FORCE positive behavioral support committee; |
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| 19 | 20 | | after school hours, she opens her classroom for use as a safe space |
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| 20 | 21 | | for informal writing and discussion groups; and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, This dynamic educator has been a member of the |
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| 22 | 23 | | Amarillo Independent School District English Language Arts |
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| 23 | 24 | | Standards committee since 2009; moreover, she has conducted |
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| 24 | 25 | | literacy workshops for K-12 teachers, and she has presented |
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| 25 | 26 | | numerous papers at staff development events and professional |
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| 26 | 27 | | conferences of organizations such as the National Council of |
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| 27 | 28 | | Teachers of English, the Texas Council of Teachers of English |
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| 28 | 29 | | Language Arts, and Abydos Learning International; in addition, she |
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| 29 | 30 | | is active in the wider community in initiatives that promote |
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| 30 | 31 | | literacy and the development of writing ability; and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, Before joining the faculty at Palo Duro High, |
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| 32 | 33 | | Ms. Peeples taught seventh grade English Language Arts at Horace |
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| 33 | 34 | | Mann Middle School in Amarillo; she completed her bachelor's degree |
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| 34 | 35 | | in English at West Texas A&M University and went on to earn a |
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| 35 | 36 | | master's degree in education from The University of Texas at |
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| 36 | 37 | | Arlington, specializing in curriculum and instruction with an |
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| 37 | 38 | | emphasis in literacy studies; and |
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| 38 | 39 | | WHEREAS, Shanna Peeples is devoted to providing young Texans |
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| 39 | 40 | | with the knowledge and skills they need to realize their dreams, and |
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| 40 | 41 | | her passion, determination, and commitment to excellence are an |
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| 41 | 42 | | inspiration to her students and fellow educators alike; now, |
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| 42 | 43 | | therefore, be it |
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| 43 | 44 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 44 | 45 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Shanna Peeples on her selection as |
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| 45 | 46 | | the 2015 Texas Teacher of the Year and finalist for National Teacher |
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| 46 | 47 | | of the Year and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued |
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| 47 | 48 | | success in her important endeavors; and, be it further |
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| 48 | 49 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 49 | 50 | | prepared for Ms. Peeples as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 50 | 51 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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