[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 58 (Friday, April 15, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E484]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                          HONORING TROY HAGER

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2016

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Troy Hager who is being 
recognized with the Community Care Award by the Associated Parents 
Group of Hillsborough, California. Mr. Hager has been a highly 
respected and popular teacher in the Hillsborough City School District 
for 16 years. He not only values creativity and independence in his 
students, he fosters and instills these qualities in them.
  Mr. Hager came to Crocker Middle as the new technology teacher in 
1999. Within a year, he had a vision for what would become his 
signature class: a newscast produced, directed, anchored, reported and 
videotaped by the HTV Newsteam, a group of 7th and 8th graders. 
Hillsborough Television (HTV) already existed as a local access cable 
station broadcasting content such as important district information, 
school presentations, musicals, theatrical performances and events 
produced by the school district, but the idea of a newscast fully 
produced by students was new. Mr. Hager pitched the idea to the 
principal, got the green light and then went to work to build the 
studio--from scratch. He built Teleprompters, news sets and painted the 
walls. This is not exactly what you would expect of a technology 
teacher, so it is important to understand Mr. Hager's background. He 
grew up in Ventura without a TV. Instead, the family did projects where 
they turned a closet into a dark room, restored cars, and built 
cabinets and aquariums. As a child, Troy helped his father build 
several grandfather clocks. His wife Karen says he is a Renaissance 
man, just like his father.
  Once the studio was built, Mr. Hager started teaching the class in 
2000. Students compete to get in the class and submit applications, 
just like in the real television world. There are more than fifteen 
different jobs involved in producing the newscast and the students 
rotate so that they can learn every single job, but there is only one 
person who is teaching all of those skills: Mr. Hager. I had the great 
pleasure to see this extraordinary teacher at work when my children 
attended Crocker and were on the news team. They learned invaluable 
lessons and developed both technical and creative skills.
  Mr. Hager was also one of the creators of the One-To-World Chromebook 
program at Crocker Middle School that began in 2011. It supplies 
students with their own laptops. His vision to prepare our children for 
the future in the digital world they will live and work in is 
characteristic of Mr. Hager. He is always one step ahead and constantly 
striving for excellence.
  In addition to these outstanding accomplishments, Mr. Hager serves as 
an advisor to the Crocker Coding Club and a coach on the Executive 
Board of the Hillsborough American Youth Soccer Organization.
  But Mr. Hager doesn't only serve the students. He also does the IT 
support for all of the teachers and staff at Crocker. Calls to repair 
broken or frozen computers are part of his every day. He welcomes those 
calls and sees them as opportunities to embrace technology. To him 
computers are interactive tools that connect teachers and students and 
open up new channels of learning. He has the ideal temperament for his 
job; he is even-keeled, mellow and loves working with teenagers.
  He and Karen, his wife of 19 years, have two teenagers of their own, 
Brooke who is 15 and Sage who is 13 and currently attending Crocker 
Middle School.
  Troy Hager grew up in Ventura and attended Ventura High School. He 
received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from UC Berkeley and his 
teaching credential from San Francisco State University. Before 
teaching at Crocker Middle School, he taught at Franldin Elementary 
School in Burlingame.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and the members of the House of 
Representatives rise with me to honor Troy Hager, an exceptional 
teacher and devoted husband and father. I can't think of a more 
deserving person to receive the 2016 Hillsborough Community Care award.

                          ____________________