[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 70 (Friday, May 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5096-S5097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         MARY NIEDRINGHAUS: BRANDON VALLEY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, it is my privilege today to honor Mary 
Niedringhaus of Brandon Valley, SD. Mary has been selected as Teacher 
of the Year in the Brandon Valley School District in recognition of two 
decades of outstanding teaching, guidance, and care that she has given 
the children of the community. I can think of few individuals more 
deserving of this prestigious award.
  A fifth grade teacher at Brandon Elementary, Mary's gift is her 
ability to recognize and meet the needs of each of her students. She 
conveys an excitement for learning that her students find infectious. 
Whether bright or struggling, students excel in Mary's class because 
she genuinely believes in each of them and draws out their best 
efforts. After hearing Mary's lesson on importance of ladybugs to 
people, one little girl was so excited that later in the day she rushed 
to Mary and presented her with a ladybug. As she explained 
breathlessly, she had just rescued it from being flushed down the 
toilet in the girls' bathroom.
  Mary holds herself and her students to the highest standards. Parents 
in Brandon seek to place their children in her classroom because they 
know that she will give them the finest education possible. Once, when 
planning a unit on South Dakota history for her students, Mary 
discovered that no good textbooks existed on the subject for grade 
school students. Undaunted, she developed her own curriculum based on 
materials she gathered on her own. Mary's curriculum is now the model 
used by all teachers in the Brandon Valley school district.
  No remarks about Mary would be complete without mention of the deep 
empathy she has for others. Brandon Elementary School Principal Marv 
Sharkey noted that Mary, ``has the knack of making parents feel like 
their child is the best kid in the world.'' Mary genuinely loves her 
students; I believe that this is the true source of her success as a 
teacher.
  Finally, it seems that Mary has done as a good of job raising her 
children as she has teaching her students. Her daughter, Nancy 
Erickson, is a longtime, invaluable senior member of my staff. Mary 
should be deeply proud of her.
  Mr. President, I commend Mary Niedringhaus for her exceptional work. 
Along with other district winners, she

[[Page S5097]]

will now be considered at the State level for the South Dakota Teacher 
of the Year award. I wish her the best of luck as this process 
continues.

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