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2010 SESSION

10104618D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 254
Offered February 9, 2010
Commending Our Lady of Mount Carmel School.
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Patrons-- Oder, Abbott, BaCote and Pogge
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WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School was honored as a United States Department of Education No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School on September 15, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School is one of only 50 private schools nationwide and 314 schools in the country to receive the 2009 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School designation; the school received a plaque and a flag signifying its Blue Ribbon status; and

WHEREAS, the Blue Ribbon Schools Program evaluates schools on various factors, including standardized test results, breadth and depth of curriculum, in-depth examination of the reading program, review of a selected additional curricular area, and instructional methods and school leadership; and

WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School opened in 1954 under the direction of the Carmelite Fathers; the School was transferred from the Carmelite Fathers to the Diocese of Richmond in 1990; and

WHEREAS, since the school’s inception, the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation have ably operated the school, which is composed of students from preschool through eighth grade; and

WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School was the first school in the Diocese of Richmond to be awarded Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Virginia Catholic Education Association recognition with an exemplary rating; and

WHEREAS, the outstanding students of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School scored in the top 10 percent nationwide on standardized test results for a five-year period, a result of the strong academic program and commitment of the students and teachers; and

WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School has a prestigious science program that includes an ongoing project with Cornell University to classify the distribution of the ladybug beetle population in the United States and an outdoor classroom where students can plant flowers and vegetables; and

WHEREAS, students also have the opportunity to grow and release butterflies in the outdoor classroom and maintain a continuous flow water fountain, while eighth grade physical science students design and construct a compound machine; and

WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School offers Spanish, German, and Italian instruction as well as a variety of extracurricular opportunities for students to explore their interests; and

WHEREAS, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School’s distinguished Blue Ribbon School award is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the students, parents, administration, teachers, and staff and the support of the Diocese of Richmond; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend and congratulate Our Lady of Mount Carmel School as a recipient of the United States Department of Education No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School award; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Sister John Paul Myers, the principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration and gratitude for the school’s commitment to the young people of Newport News and the Commonwealth.