[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 55 (Wednesday, April 1, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E848-E849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       MR. ANTONIO A. FIERRO--TEXAS TEACHER OF THE YEAR FOR 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 2009

  Mr. REYES. Madam Speaker, El Paso, Texas has a history of producing 
strong, passionate, and caring educators who motivate and engage our 
children to become lifelong learners. As a parent and grandparent, I am 
grateful for the contributions of our teachers in the El Paso area, and 
today I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Antonio A. 
Fierro, a teacher at Sierra Vista Elementary School in the Socorro 
Independent School District, for being selected as the 1997 Texas 
Teacher of the Year. The Texas Teacher of the Year is the highest honor 
that the State of Texas can award to a teacher. Facilitated by the 
Texas Education Agency, the Texas Teacher of the Year Program annually 
recognizes and rewards teachers who have demonstrated outstanding 
leadership and excellence in teaching. Mr. Antonio E. Fierro represents 
the best of the best in the teaching profession, and we salute his 
energy, efforts, and dedication.
  Mr. Fierro knew from a young age that he would be teacher. His 
grandmother retired as a principal in Mexico, and he has vivid memories 
of sitting in his sixth grade social studies class and imagining 
himself teaching in front of a classroom. Fierro attended El Paso 
Community College and graduated with honors

[[Page E849]]

from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1986. He firmly believes 
that ``a positive and caring classroom strengthens a child's self-
esteem and self worth.'' He has added that this ``knits all [his] 
philosophies of teaching and learning together.''
  Mr. Antonio A. Fierro is part of a larger history of educational 
excellence in El Paso. I am proud to note that to date El Paso area 
educators have been chosen as Texas Teachers of the Year nine times. 
The National Teacher of the Year Program began in 1952 and continues as 
the oldest, most prestigious national honors program that focuses 
public attention on excellence in teaching.
  I am proud of the work of our teachers, and I am committed to 
ensuring that education remains a top priority in this Congress.

                          ____________________