[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 96 (Friday, July 17, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1339-E1340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING JEFFREY G. HAAS ON BEING NAMED OUTSTANDING PERFORMING 
                        ARTS TEACHER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 17, 1998

  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Jeffrey G. Haas of 
Midland Park, New Jersey, on being named Outstanding Performing Arts 
Teacher of the Year at this year's American Teacher Awards in Los 
Angeles. This is an extraordinary national honor that recognizes that 
Bergen County is home to some of the finest teachers--and one of the 
best school systems--in America.
  Mr. Haas is Director of Bands at Ridgewood High School, where he has 
held the post the past 10 years. During that time, the band program has 
grown from 50 students to more than 200. The program offers 12 musical 
ensembles, including the marching band, jazz ensemble, percussion 
ensemble and three curricular bands. The quality of musicianship and 
professionalism shown by his students throughout these groups is 
unmatched and a credit to his fine job in the classroom. Mr. Haas 
reminds me of ``Mr. Holland'' in the movie ``Mr. Holland's Opus.'' He 
is a dedicated and hard-working educator who goes beyond the call of 
duty time and time again. His students respond with amazing effort and 
performances.
  Mr. Haas believes music should be an important part of every person's 
life and attempts to expose his students to as many musical experiences 
as possible. Through his ``guest artist'' program he brings local 
professional musicians into the classroom to work with his bands. 
Members of the New York City Opera Orchestra, professors at the 
Manhattan School of Music and Broadway pit orchestra musicians have all 
demonstrated their talents in his classroom. He has also developed an 
annual jazz festival in which professional jazz musicians work with 
students during a day-long clinic and perform for the public at an 
evening concert.
  Mr. Haas has combined his band programs with other educational 
disciplines. For example, he designed a marching band show based upon 
Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, featuring a color guard dressed in black, 
original music and a student dressed as Poe. To present the subject 
matter properly, he asked a teacher from the school's English 
Department to teach a class about the poem to all band members.
  As evidence of the quality of his teaching, Mr. Haas's bands have 
played at Lincoln Center and Disney World, in Washington, D.C., and 
Boston and have toured Canada and southern California.
  Mr. Haas has been a guest lecturer at the University of 
Massachusetts, Montclair State University, William Paterson University 
and West Chester University. He was recently elected president of the 
New Jersey chapter of the International Association of Jazz Educators 
and writes a regular column for Temp, the New Jersey Music Educators' 
Association magazine. He has served on the Education Committee of the 
John Harms Center for the Performing Arts and the New Jersey Performing 
Arts Center ``Jazz for Teens'' program. He

[[Page E1340]]

has conducted the All North Jersey Junior High Jazz Ensemble, the 
Rockland County (New York) All County Honor Band and the Bergen County 
All County Honor Band. He served as the associate director of the All 
American High School Band, which performed at the 1992 Democratic 
National Convention in New York.
  Mr. Haas's talent is well recognized by his peers. Ridgewood High 
School Principal Dr. John Mucciolo said, ``There is no more creative, 
intelligent, and caring adult working with our young people.'' Murray 
Colosimo, Supervisor of Music for the Ridgewood Public Schools, called 
him ``one of our most deserving teachers.'' David S. Marks, Director of 
Bands at nearby Midland Park High School, said, ``We are proud that Mr. 
Haas is a member of our community.''
  Early this year, Mr. Haas was selected one of 36 teachers from across 
the nation to be honored in this year's ``American Teacher Awards.'' 
sponsored by the Walt Disney Company. He was further honored at that 
event when fellow teachers and a 70-member panel of judges chose him as 
Outstanding Performing Acts Teacher of the Year.
  Mr. Haas is a 1987 graduate of Syracuse University and holds a 
master's degree in music education from Columbia University.He taught 
one year at John Glenn High School in East Northport, New York, before 
coming to Ridgewood. A saxophonist, he has performed with Bob Hope, 
Vanessa Williams and other stars.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our 
congratulations to Mr. Haas. As a former teacher, I truly admire and 
respect such a wonderful and dedicated educator. Teachers know that our 
chief goal is to touch the lives of our students. Mr. Haas has done 
that time and time again. This award is very well deserved.

                          ____________________