HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 892 Offered February 9, 2007 Commending Joshua Cole.  ---------- Patrons-- Hall, Cox, Ingram, Nixon and Ware, R.L. ----------

WHEREAS, Joshua Cole of J.A. Chalkley Elementary School of the Chesterfield County Public Schools has been honored as the outstanding recipient of the 2006 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award; and

WHEREAS, Joshua Cole’s Milken Family Foundation Educator Award was announced at a surprise ceremony held at Chalkley Elementary School on October 12, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Teacher Magazine describes the coveted Milken Educator Awards as “the Oscars of Teaching,” because of their important recognition of the nation’s best educators for over two decades; the program strives to attract, develop, motivate, and retain talented people to the challenge and adventure of teaching; and

WHEREAS, the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards are designed to reward elementary and secondary school teachers, principals, and administrators who promote excellence and innovation in public education; and

WHEREAS, approximately 100 exceptional educators throughout the United States are considered for the unrestricted financial award of $25,000, without their knowledge, by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by each state’s department of education, and the financial awards are distributed in the spring during the Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference; and

WHEREAS, in 2006, Joshua Cole and another fine Virginia teacher join the 25 other excellent educators in the Commonwealth that have been honored with the distinguished Milken National Educator Award since its inception in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Joshua Cole earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree from Wayne State University, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Virginia Commonwealth University; and

WHEREAS, before coming to live and teach in Virginia, Joshua Cole taught for two years in the Detroit public school system; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his many responsibilities as a fifth-grade teacher at Chalkley Elementary, Joshua Cole is the excellent coordinator of the before and after school programs, the director of the annual community 5K run/walk, and has served as the site coordinator for summer school classes; and

WHEREAS, Joshua Cole has received numerous accolades for his dedication to quality education, including being named as the school’s 2004 Teacher of the Year; and

WHEREAS, Joshua Cole is a motivated, knowledgeable, and innovative teacher, who involves his students and their families, as well as the school community in the learning process in order to provide the best education possible for all of the young people at Chalkley Elementary School; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Joshua Cole on his well-deserved 2006 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Joshua Cole as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration and gratitude for his commitment to education and the young people of Chesterfield County.