[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 136 (Wednesday, September 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF MATTEO RIZZO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JACKIE SPEIER-

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 14, 2011

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to pay tribute to Matteo 
Rizzo, a lifelong educator who is retiring as Superintendent of the 
Jefferson Elementary School District, serving the communities of Daly 
City and Colma, California.
  In his tenure as Superintendent, Mr. Rizzo has been known for his 
personal involvement with all the stakeholders in his district, from 
teachers, to parents, to administrators and, most importantly, the 
students themselves. He served as the District's representative in 
staff contract negotiations, oversaw budget decisions, coordinated the 
recruitment, selection and assignment of teachers, principals and other 
personnel and put his imprint on every aspect of life and learning in 
the Jefferson Elementary School District.
  As is the case in school districts across our country, Superintendent 
Rizzo was asked to do the impossible--educate a diverse student 
population in an environment of dwindling financial resources, all the 
while staying focused on preparing them to achieve to their utmost 
ability in an increasingly competitive world.
  To do this, Matteo relied heavily on the skills he gained as an 
Assistant Superintendent, Principal, Vice-Principal and teacher--all 
within the Jefferson Elementary School District. His unsurpassed 
institutional knowledge and commitment to bettering the lives of young 
people will be sorely missed and not easily replaced. Fortunately, he 
leaves his successor with a legacy of excellence and community 
involvement that can be built upon in future years.
  Mr. Speaker, Matteo Rizzo is a living example of the benefits of 
public education and the fruits of hard work. A product of local 
schools, he is a graduate of San Francisco State University, where he 
received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, his California Teaching 
Credential and two Masters of Arts--one in Education and another in 
Educational Administration.
  He has been honored at every step of his career, including earning a 
``California Distinguished School'' award for Fernando Rivera Middle 
School in 2001, while serving as the school's principal.
  Mr. Speaker, Superintendent Rizzo has certainly earned his 
retirement. On behalf of the Congress of the United States of America, 
I wish to thank him for his exceptional service to our nation and wish 
him only the best as he now has time to travel with his amazing wife, 
Clydie, play a lot more golf, do a little more duck hunting and, as 
rumor has it, learn to play the guitar.
  Matteo Rizzo, simply put, is a good man who spent his entire 
professional career doing good for his community. There's no need to 
tell that to the thousands of children he educated, or his son, 
Matthew, and daughter-in-law, Jill, but the rest of America can benefit 
from knowing that extremely capable and committed professionals like 
Matteo Rizzo show up at school districts across this country every day 
with no other goal than to move our country forward, one student at a 
time.
  It is for these reasons and more that I ask my colleagues to join me 
in thanking Superintendent Matteo Rizzo for his service.

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