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2023 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 554
Commending Patricia Zissios.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 23, 2023
Agreed to by the Senate, January 26, 2023

 

WHEREAS, after five decades of service to young people as an educator and school administrator, Patricia Zissios will retire as principal of Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy in Old Town Alexandria in 2023; and

WHEREAS, Patricia Zissios holds master’s and doctoral degrees from George Mason University and gained more than 30 years of teaching and leadership experience in Northern Virginia schools before joining Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy in 2004; and

WHEREAS, Patricia Zissios previously spent six years developing an innovative and engaging curriculum based on the Core Knowledge system at an elementary school in Fairfax County and established a similar curriculum at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy; her vision and dedication helped the institution become one of the highest-achieving schools in the region, the Commonwealth, and the nation; and

WHEREAS, under Patricia Zissios’ leadership, Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy was recognized by the Core Knowledge Foundation as a Core Knowledge School of Distinction in 2006, 2015, and 2021, and the school earned the prestigious Virginia Board of Education Excellence Award for its high performance on state exams for the 10th straight year in 2019; and

WHEREAS, Patricia Zissios also helped Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy become a seven-time gold-status winner in the Governor’s Award for Best Practices in Nutrition and Physical Fitness, achieve recognition for its environmentally friendly practices through the Virginia Naturally program, and earn the 2012–2014 National School of Character award from the Character Education Partnership, demonstrating her emphasis on developing the whole child, beyond academics; and

WHEREAS, Patricia Zissios was selected as the Springfield Citizen of the Year in 2001, the first runner-up for Virginia’s National Distinguished Principal in 2003 and 2007, and Alexandria City Public Schools Principal of the Year in 2009, among many other awards and accolades; and

WHEREAS, Patricia Zissios has also offered her wisdom and expertise to other educators and administrators as a member of the board of the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals, from which she received the 2017 Don Lacey Award for Excellence, recognizing her unwavering commitment to student achievement and instructional leadership; and

WHEREAS, Patricia Zissios has touched countless lives through her personal integrity and passion for lifelong learning, and she has given generations of students the tools and support they need to achieve success in higher education and careers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Patricia Zissios on the occasion of her retirement as principal of Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Patricia Zissios as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for her outstanding achievements in service to students in Alexandria.