[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 27 (Friday, February 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    PROCLAIMING THE STATE OF NEVADA RECOGNIZE DR. HEATH MORRISON'S 
  ACCOMPLISHMENT AS THE 2012 NATIONAL SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR, AS 
    AWARDED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ON 
                           FEBRUARY 16, 2012

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                          HON. MARK E. AMODEI

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 17, 2012

  Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Heath Morrison 
as the 2012 National Superintendent of the Year award winner at the 
American Association of School Administrator's National Conference on 
Education on February 16, 2012, in Houston, Texas.
  Dr. Morrison came to the Washoe County School District in 2009 after 
serving as a community superintendent in Montgomery County Public 
Schools in Maryland. Prior to serving as superintendent, he served as a 
middle and high school principal and a teacher in Charles County, 
Maryland. Dr. Morrison holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and 
Planning, a Masters of Educational Administration from the University 
of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the College of 
William and Mary.
  The American Association of School Administrators bases its selection 
of Superintendent of the Year on four criteria: leadership in learning, 
communication, professionalism, and community involvement. Dr. Morrison 
led the development and implementation of the District's five-year 
strategic plan to enhance the quality of education for the District's 
63,000 students and to reduce the dropout rate. With his leadership, 
between 2009 and 2011, the Washoe County School District's graduation 
rate jumped from 56 percent to 70 percent across all student groups. 
This was due in no small part to Dr. Morrison's commitment to go door-
to-door, finding children who have dropped out of school or are 
regularly truant and working with them to return. He has also 
established a Parent University to engage parents in their children's 
education and created the Community Compact, a program that involves 
the local community in the success of its students. Washoe County has 
also achieved significant test score gains, has narrowed the 
achievement gap in many subject areas, and has made great strides to 
ensure all students graduate ready to pursue college and highly skilled 
careers during his tenure. Dr. Morrison truly lives out the school 
district's motto of ``Every child, by name and face, to graduation.''
  Other awards and honors received by Dr. Morrison include the 2012 
Leadership through Communication Award from the American Association of 
School Administrators, the National School Public Relations 
Association, and Blackboard Connect, as well as the Distinguished 
Educational Leader Award from the Washington Post.
  I know that my fellow Nevadans and I believe the selection of Dr. 
Heath Morrison as the American Association of School Administrators 
2012 National Superintendent of the Year is a fitting recognition of 
his many accomplishments as the Superintendent of Washoe County School 
District. Educators significantly and permanently influence the lives 
of our children. Dr. Morrison's vision and leadership in the Washoe 
County Schools illustrates that when parents, teachers, and the local 
community all work together, there is nothing they cannot accomplish. 
Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in praising the 
accomplishments of Dr. Heath Morrison and recognizing his actions to be 
an exemplary model for all those teaching America's youth today.

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