[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 83 (Monday, May 21, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF JUDITH JACKSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 21, 2007

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
achievements of Dr. Judith Jackson, principal of Franconia Elementary 
School in Fairfax County, Virginia, since 1996: and a dedicated public 
servant for nearly 3 decades. While Dr. Jackson is retiring, she will 
leave behind a lasting impression of her caring nature and tireless 
devotion to the school she served so well.
  A graduate of Marygrove College, Dr. Jackson, earned her master's 
degree at the University of Michigan and her doctorate in education at 
Nova Southeastern University. She began her teaching career as an 
elementary school teacher in the Detroit Public School System, and has 
taught soldiers in Germany, where her husband, David Jackson, was 
stationed with the United States Army, and ex-offenders in 
Pennsylvania. She arrived in the Fairfax County School system in 1980, 
where she rose to the rank of Assistant Principal at Woodley Hills 
Elementary School. In 1996, she passed through a rigorous selection 
process to become principal of Franconia Elementary. Dr. Judith Jackson 
is also the mother of 3 wonderful children, Teresa, David, and Kevin.
  Throughout her service as principal, she has been ever present in the 
halls and classrooms of Franconia Elementary. She knows every student 
by name, and is involved in every aspect of life at the school. Dr. 
Jackson never misses an opportunity to read to the children at school 
events, and is unmatched in her advocacy of the development of reading 
and writing skills at the elementary level. As one member of her staff 
put it, ``All she does, day after day, is tirelessly search for ways in 
which every student can achieve, and every student can experience the 
joy of learning''. Some of the innovative programs supported by Dr. 
Jackson to this end are the ``Reading Restaurant'', ``Literary Lunch'', 
``Friday Night Prime Time'', and ``Partners in Print'', making 
learning, and reading in particular, fun for her students. In 
recognition of her efforts, the library at Franconia Elementary School 
has been renamed the ``Judith Jackson Library.''
  A supporter of after-school programs, Dr. Jackson instituted Math and 
Science Nights, supported ``CETA (Changing Education Through the 
Arts)'', and regularly attended Parent-Teacher Association meetings 
that fostered dialogue with parents and teachers. She has also 
volunteered with the Red Cross, tutored members of the military at the 
United States Military Academy at West Point, and assisted with 
Koinonia's efforts to help the underprivileged.
  The Franconia Mustangs will sorely miss her, but will not forget her 
any time soon. As the Ayoud triplets, second graders at Franconia put 
it, ``We'll just have to retire too, since Franconia won't be the same 
without Dr. Jackson.'' Something tells me she won't let them.
  I commend Dr. Jackson on her distinguished career in education, and 
wish her and her family health and happiness in her well-earned, much 
deserved retirement.

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