[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 186 (Tuesday, December 6, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2190-E2191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING MRS. DONNIE POWELL FOR HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION AND 
                               COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 6, 2011

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
true valued member of our society, Mrs. Donnie Powell. Mrs. Powell has 
dedicated a great deal of her life to championing causes relative to 
education and criminal justice.
  Mrs. Powell received degrees in Criminal Justice from Coahoma 
Community College and Mississippi Valley State University; and has 
worked 25 years for the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
  She is an active member of the Tallahatchie County Parent Teacher 
Association and was recruited to be a part of the parent-community 
adhoc committee's nationwide search for a new Superintendent for the 
Tallahatchie School District in 2009. She has received Parent of the 
Month awards from local elementary

[[Page E2191]]

and high schools in Tallahatchie County, and was most recently named 
the 2011 Tallahatchie School District Parent of the Year.
  She volunteers her time and energy to her local Boys and Girls Club, 
in an effort to help educate and deter the youth from engaging in 
counterproductive activities such as joining gangs and committing 
violence in their schools and communities.
  She works in conjunction with the Mississippi State Department of 
Health to organize speaking engagements and forums on gangs and 
violence in Tallahatchie, Panola, Quitman, Sunflower, and Coahoma 
counties.
  Mrs. Powell believes that parents, teachers, and community members 
should work together and maintain strong lines of communication in an 
effort to ensure that the students of today receive adequate education 
and training to thrive in an ever changing world.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues join me in recognizing Mrs. 
Donnie Powell for her many contributions to education and serving her 
community.

                          ____________________