[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 26 (Thursday, March 1, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CASARELLA RETIRES AFTER 37 YEARS IN EDUCATION

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                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 1, 2001

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Joe 
Casarella, who has retired after 37 years in education, culminating in 
four years as superintendent of the Wyoming Area School District in 
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
  Raised in Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Joe worked and lived in New York, 
then in Berwick, Pennsylvania, finally returning home to lead the 
Wyoming Area schools. He has a long and distinguished career that 
includes service as a teacher, elementary school principal, junior high 
school principal, curriculum director, director of special education 
and federal funds, and as an assistant superintendent.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a tribute to just how well liked Joe is at Wyoming 
Area and the job he has done that when he submitted a letter of 
resignation last year, students and teachers alike urged him to stay. 
The one word heard again and again from those who know him is 
``gentleman.''
  His accomplishments include successful staff contract negotiations 
and increasing access to technology for students and teachers, but his 
most prized accomplishment is the district's community program. In this 
initiative, representatives from Luzerne County Human Resources and 
Catholic Social Services work with administrators, teachers and 
students to identify at-risk students and families and connect them 
with the social services they need to help them succeed. About 30 
families have been helped.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to call Joe Casarella's long service to the 
attention of the House of Representatives, and I wish him all the best 
in his retirement.

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