[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE CAREER AND RETIREMENT OF MRS. JOSEPHINE POSHARD, 
   TEACHER, AT CARTERVILLE, COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 5 IN 
                         CARTERVILLE, ILLINOIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 10, 2005

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in recognizing the career and retirement of Mrs. Josephine (Jo) 
Poshard, third grade teacher at the Carterville Community Unit School 
District No. 5, in Carterville, Illinois.
  Mrs. Poshard has devoted 32 years to educating the youth of Southern 
Illinois, serving as a teacher, cheerleading sponsor, choral director 
and yearbook sponsor. She has been the third grade teacher at the 
Carterville Community Unit School District No. 5 for the past 20 years. 
During that time, in addition to her devoted education of the students 
in her classroom, Mrs. Poshard has served on numerous committees and in 
many capacities. One of her most significant extra-curricular 
contributions has been as Team Leader of the Math School Improvement 
Plan. Through her leadership, the school has consistently excelled on 
the Illinois Standard Achievement Test.
  Mrs. Poshard graduated from Southern Illinois University at 
Carbondale with University Honors. While at Southern Illinois 
University, she was asked to join Alpha Lambda Delta, a national 
society that honors academic achievement.
  Mrs. Poshard began her teaching career at Thompsonville High School 
in Thompsonville, Illinois. She taught four sections of English as well 
as Journalism, Girls' Physical Education and she was the Cheerleading 
sponsor.
  After 3 years at St. Elmo Junior High School and a year as a 
substitute teacher in several community schools, Mrs. Poshard accepted 
a position as first grade teacher at the New Simpson Hill School 
District at Tunnel Hill. While at New Simpson Hill, Mrs. Poshard earned 
certification for Gifted and Talented students and implemented the 
Gifted program at her school. With this new program, she was teaching 
gifted students in grades four through eight while also teaching first 
grade.
  In 1984, Mrs. Poshard brought her years of experience and dedication 
to Carterville Community Unit School District No. 5, in Carterville, 
Illinois, as a third grade teacher. She has served that community by 
guiding, molding and enriching the lives of the boys and girls 
entrusted to her care from 1984 until her retirement this year.
  Mrs. Poshard has demonstrated her dedication to her chosen profession 
of teaching in numerous ways. She has consistently devoted an average 
of 50 to 60 hours a week to her job, refusing to be absent unless she 
was extremely ill. She applies the same expectation of excellence to 
herself that she does to her students. The real measure of Mrs. 
Poshard's success lies in the accomplishments of her students. Even 
though she is retiring at the end of this school year, Mrs. Poshard's 
influence will live on in the lives of the over 1,000 students she has 
taught over 32 years.
  Mrs. Poshard is married to one of our former colleagues, the 
Honorable Glenn Poshard, and lives in Murphysboro, Illinois.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in an expression of 
appreciation to Mrs. Josephine Poshard for her years of dedicated 
service to education and to wish her the very best in the future.

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