[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 4, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING JULIE YOUNG

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL WEBSTER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 4, 2014

  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is with sincere appreciation 
that I recognize Julie Young for her extraordinary leadership of 
Florida Virtual School. This month, Julie announced her retirement 
after 30 years of service in public education, including 17 years as 
President and CEO of Florida Virtual School.
  Julie took the helm of Florida Virtual School, the country's first, 
state-wide Internet-based public high school, at its inception in 1997. 
Building upon her previous experience as a teacher and Education 
Instructional Specialist with IBM, Julie's vision to provide high 
quality, online courses to students throughout the state of Florida has 
met our students' needs and revolutionized education. Florida Virtual 
School has grown exponentially to provide online learning opportunities 
for students in kindergarten through high school, including a wide 
offering of elective and advanced placement courses. Today, Florida 
Virtual School is an award-winning Florida public school district 
serving more than 410,000 enrollments.
  Julie has earned numerous awards for her leadership and innovation in 
education. Last year, Julie received the Orlando Business Journal's 
Women Who Mean Business Award which honors Central Florida's most 
influential business women. In recent years, Julie has also been 
awarded the Girl Scouts of Citrus Council Women of Distinction in 
Central Florida Award, Dr. Carlo Rodriguez Champion of School Choice 
Award, Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education Award, Outstanding 
Individual Contribution to K-12 Online Learning Award and the Florida 
Diversity Council's Multicultural Award in Education, just to name a 
few.
  Florida Virtual School has received state, national and international 
awards for pioneering online education. Among the numerous awards 
received last year, the School received Elearning! Media Group's 2013 
Learning! 100 Award for being named one of the top 100 learning 
organizations in the world.
  I am truly grateful for Julie's work to provide world-class, 
accessible online education to Floridians and students around the 
world. Our community, our state and our students are better due to her 
service.

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