[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 93 (Thursday, June 8, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         HONORING YVONNE McCALL

                                 ______


                          HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 7, 1995
  Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today and 
pay tribute to an outstanding educator from Fairfax County, VA, who is 
retiring this month.
  S. Yvonne McCall, is the principal of Silverbrook Elementary in 
Fairfax Station, VA. She was selected as the National Distinguished 
Principal of Virginia 1993.
  I first met Mrs. McCall in 1981 when she brought in private and 
charitable donations to build a new playground at Glen Forest 
Elementary School, where she was principal.
  Mrs. McCall encourages her students to strive for academic 
excellence. Her motto is: ``Reach for the moon. If you don't make it, 
then you'll at least land among the stars.''
  McCall has designed a number of innovative programs at Silverbrook. 
They include: PEP [Parents Energizing Parents], a parent support group; 
PLUS [Parents Lending Us Support], a program designed to train 
volunteer parents; RESPECT [Rules Expected at Silverbrook--Plans 
Everyone Can Trust], a schoolwide discipline program designed to reward 
positive behavior; Social Skills, a program that encourages good 
cafeteria behavior by rewarding well-behaved students with a 
complimentary lunch at a local restaurant; and, a mentor program with 
employees of the school's business partner, HFSI, through which the 
partners communicate via electronic mail.
  Mrs. McCall began her career in Fairfax County in 1971 as a reading 
teacher at Fairview Elementary School. In 1980, she assumed the post of 
principal at Glen Forest Elementary School and later served as 
principal at Dogwood Elementary School, where she remained until 
assuming the reigns at Silverbrook Elementary in 1988.
  Throughout her career, Mrs. McCall has earned honors. She received 
the Outstanding Principal Award from Mount Olive Baptist Church in 
1985. From 1986 to 1993, McCall was nominated seven times for the 
Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award. She 
received the Department of the Army's Outstanding Civilian Service 
Medal in 1991. In 1991, McCall was also a finalist in the National 
Distinguished Principal of Virginia program. In 1993, she was awarded 
the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals' School Bell 
Award for her leadership abilities and her innovative and successful 
school programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I know that my colleagues join me in honoring Yvonne 
McCall for all of her hard work and dedication in molding the way that 
our children view themselves and the world. Mrs. McCall is a credit to 
her profession and has been a vital assets to thousands of families in 
northern Virginia who have been touched by her professional leadership.


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