[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 20, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8179-S8180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     TRIBUTE TO FREDERIKA S. JENNER

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that, on 
behalf of Delaware's congressional delegation, I wish to honor the 
exemplary service of educator and Delaware State Education Association 
leader Frederika S. Jenner. She has served Delaware as a teacher and 
education advocate since 1972, and during that time, she worked to 
effectively improve our education system and shape thousands of young 
children's lives. Frederika has now retired after more than four 
decades of serving in Delaware's schools and advocating on behalf of 
its students and teachers. She is a selfless education advocate and 
adviser, as well as a devoted wife and mother. Delaware's education 
system and countless Delawareans will benefit from her life's work for 
decades to come.
  Frederika is a graduate of A.I. DuPont High School in Wilmington, DE. 
She earned her bachelor's degree in education from Goucher College in 
Baltimore and then returned to Delaware where she taught elementary 
school for 39 years. She had such a dedication to education that she 
furthered her own while she was teaching and ultimately received her 
master's in instruction from the University of Delaware. Although she 
started as an English and reading specialist, Frederika took a leap to 
become a science teacher along the way, teaching herself and earning 
her certification all in the first year in her new position. From then 
on, science remained an intense passion of hers, as well as a focus of 
much of her work both in and out of the classroom. Throughout her 
career, Frederika also encouraged a love of reading among her students 
and took great pride in her voluminous classroom library, with over 
2,000 books on its shelves.
  Throughout her many years in the classroom, Frederika became a 
trusted voice among her fellow educators. From day one, she was 
involved as a building representative for the Delaware State Education 
Association, and her activism grew from there. Later, she would serve 
as president of the 1,200-member Red Clay Education Association and 
then went on to serve as an executive board member of the Delaware 
State Education Association for 3 years. In 2011, Frederika was elected 
president of the Delaware State Education Association. In that role, 
she emerged as a strong and fair leader, working to shape education 
policy decisionmaking. For many years, she served as the bridge between 
DSEA members and public officials as the State worked to create and 
implement

[[Page S8180]]

new educational standards that we use today and to chart a course to 
reach them.
  Frederika also took on the task of improving science education in 
Delaware. She worked for 5 years as a Coalition science specialist and 
helped school districts all over Delaware integrate new State science 
standards and innovative teaching practices, including the Smithsonian 
Kits Programs. She regularly traveled the State, training teachers and 
delivering necessary supplies--everything from magnets and batteries to 
live crayfish, all in the interest of ensuring that students receiving 
hands-on science training. In 2010, Delaware Governor Jack Markell 
recognized her immense capabilities and appointed Frederika to the 
State Employee Advisory Committee.
  There is a reason why, as Governor of Delaware, I was laser-focused 
on education and strengthening families. I believe these are two areas 
where we can make a lasting difference in the trajectory of a young 
person's life. Frederika shares this belief and dedicated her career to 
the young people of Delaware. On behalf of both U.S. Senator Chris 
Coons and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, I want to thank 
Frederika S. Jenner for her service to the people of Delaware. Her love 
of children, along with her leadership and dedication to the notion 
that all children can learn, have improved the quality of education for 
countless Delawareans who were fortunate enough to be in her classroom 
and many who were not. However, all Delawareans have benefitted from 
the educational system she has worked so hard to help improve.
  We are delighted to offer today our heartfelt congratulations to 
Frederika Jenner on a job well done, and we want to convey our thanks 
as well to her husband, Charles, and their sons Andrew and Nick for 
sharing with the children of Delaware a remarkable woman and 
educator.

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