[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 7, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E835-E836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO KATHLEEN RICKER

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. DAVID YOUNG

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2016

  Mr. YOUNG of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor 
Kathleen Ricker of Des Moines, Iowa on the very special occasion of her 
retirement after 48 years of championing for students, with many of 
those years as principal of Bergman Academy in Des Moines, Iowa. She 
will retire in June 2016 and her impact will be reverberating for 
generations to come.
  Mrs. Ricker came to the Des Moines Jewish Academy in 1977 to develop 
the school because of her proven track record for recognizing and 
nurturing academic excellence in young Iowans. In 2004, the Des Moines 
Jewish Academy merged with another private school to form The Academy, 
teaching 65 students. Years later, the Academy outgrew its home at the 
Tifereth Israel Synagogue in Des Moines, relocating and taking on the 
new name of Bergman Academy. The Bergman Academy now educates over 250 
students.
  Kathleen Ricker has guided students to become well-rounded citizens, 
telling her students, ``To whom much is given, much is expected.'' This 
spirit of philanthropy has been realized in school service projects, 
with students and their families contributing to organizations such as 
the Ronald McDonald House, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Food Bank 
of Iowa, UNICEF, Meals from the Heartland and many more charitable and 
philanthropic organizations. Academically, her pupils have reached 
their potential during their Bergman Academy years, with the school 
scoring in the 99th percentile on standardized assessments each year. 
Learning is also enriched through programs such as archery,

[[Page E836]]

chess club, Odyssey of the Mind, the arts, and numerous class trips.
  I commend Kathleen Ricker for shaping the hearts and minds of so many 
central Iowans. I wish her a lifetime of joy, prosperity, happiness and 
faith as she embarks on her next journey. I know that my colleagues in 
the United States House of Representatives will join me in 
congratulating Kathleen Ricker on this celebratory milestone.

                          ____________________