[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 71 (Thursday, May 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MAURICE PRITCHETT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 2008

  Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise 
today to recognize Mr. Maurice Pritchett, who recently retired after 
more than forty years in the Delaware public education system. 
Maurice's service to Delawareans will be honored at a community 
celebration this Sunday, May 4.
  Maurice's ties to the Wilmington public school system stretch back to 
his childhood. Though he now resides in Newark, Delaware with his wife 
Juanita, Maurice was born and raised on the East Side of Wilmington, 
where he attended public schools in the city.
  At Howard High School, he proved to be an outstanding basketball 
player and was offered a full scholarship to attend Delaware State 
University, majoring in elementary education and continuing to excel in 
basketball, leading the Hornets as team captain during his junior year. 
Maurice also holds a master's degree from Villanova University.
  Following graduation, he taught fifth grade in Cecil County, Maryland 
and in Wilmington before moving on to his position as community school 
coordinator of Wilmington's Bancroft Academy, a school that he himself 
attended. Over the next thirty-two years, Maurice served as vice-
principal and then principal of Bancroft Academy. He later served as 
director of family and community engagement for the Christina School 
District.
  Maurice's leadership at Bancroft, including the initiation of 
multicultural programs and a clothes closet, earned him the 1994-95 
Delaware State National Distinguished Principal Award. His many other 
honors include the Christina Cultural Arts Center's lifetime 
achievement award, the Dr. Al O. Plant Lifetime Achievement Award and 
being named as one of the ``100 African American Men of Distinction in 
Delaware'' by the Afro-American Historical Society.
  Remembering the difficult times that he faced while growing up 
inspires Maurice to continuously contribute to the community. He is a 
long-time volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club of Newark. In 
addition, as a member of the Delaware State Basketball Hall of Fame and 
Delaware Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame, Maurice co-sponsored a 
youth basketball league that provided extracurricular activity to 
inner-city Wilmington elementary school students.
  Following his retirement in January of this year, Maurice established 
the Maurice Pritchett Education Foundation in partnership with the 
Delaware Community Foundation to benefit underprivileged children in 
New Castle County. While his public works are certainly well-known, 
those who gather for the celebration honoring his achievements will 
bring with them countless personal stories of Maurice's compassion, 
including one person for whose family Maurice bought groceries when 
they were financially unable. His kindness and dedication have touched 
the lives of many.
  I acknowledge and thank my good friend Maurice Pritchett for his 
numerous contributions to education and the overall well-being of 
children and families in the State of Delaware. I am confident that as 
he enjoys his retirement with his family, he will remain an active and 
influential member of our community.

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