[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 59 (Monday, April 18, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E504-E505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MARY BETH RADIGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 18, 2016

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Mary Beth Radigan, an outstanding educator and Hillsborough County's 
2016 Teacher of the Year.
  After graduating from Ohio University with a degree in Special 
Education, Ms. Radigan began her illustrious career in special-
education classrooms, including nine years in Hillsborough County as an 
educator for autistic and intellectually delayed students. She 
currently serves as special education teacher at Plant High School in 
Tampa, Florida. As a proud parent of a Plant High School student, I 
know firsthand how invaluable an educator is in developing the 
potential in all children. Ms. Radigan's passion for education is so 
well established in our community that she was selected from a pool of 
hundreds of nominees as the Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year.
  Accompanying her passion in the classroom, Ms. Radigan serves as a 
Special Olympics coach. Students in her classroom learn important life 
skills through numerous additional programs that she has spearheaded. 
In 2012, Ms. Radigan's class founded Pawbucks coffee, a coffee service, 
where her students have the opportunity to improve their job skills, 
social skills and independence. They are responsible for managing the 
business by making coffee, setting up the carts, selling and delivering 
coffee, answering phone orders and counting the total daily sales. 
Beyond practical skills, Pawbucks coffee has given students the 
opportunity to feel a great pride and a part of the school community.
  In addition to the coffee service, she and her students founded an 
organic garden that recently received a Florida Agriculture in the 
Classroom grant to buy a hydroponic tower. You can also find her 
students leading the cheering section at the weekly football games 
through the Paw Prints Cheerleading. Hillsborough County Teacher of the 
Year Mary Beth Radigan has shown time and time again her unwavering 
commitment and compassion to go above and beyond for her students. She 
has created a meaningful and enriching experience for all of her 
students and will leave a lasting legacy as a teacher with endless 
compassion and drive.
  It is one of my greatest honors to champion our community's excellent 
students and educators in Congress. On behalf of the constituents of 
the Fourteenth District of Florida it is our honor to recognize Mary 
Beth Radigan for her exemplary career of educating our community's 
youth.

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