[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 94 (Monday, June 3, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING SUPERINTENDENT MARY SUZUKI ON THE OCCASION OF HER 
        RETIREMENT FROM THE BEAR VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JAY OBERNOLTE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 3, 2024

  Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Dr. Mary 
Suzuki's retirement from the Bear Valley Unified School District in Big 
Bear Lake, California. Dr. Suzuki served as superintendent for nearly a 
decade, playing a vital role in building a safe and quality learning 
environment for all students in the Big Bear Valley.
  Dr. Suzuki's service to Bear Valley Unified represents the very best 
of our community's values. An educator with over thirty years of 
experience, Dr. Suzuki taught students at a variety of grade levels 
while working tirelessly, including as a literacy coach, to ensure that 
all her students enjoyed an innovative, positive learning environment 
that prepared them for life's next steps.
  Her administrative positions have been equally remarkable. Dr. 
Suzuki's work as principal, Director of Curriculum and 21st Century 
Learning, as well as her service as chairperson of the California 
Technology Assistance Project, were key in preparing her to be 
superintendent of Bear Valley Unified, allowing her to make an 
indelible contribution to our rural community. Dr. Suzuki's nearly 
three decades of pedagogical and administrative experience ensured that 
Bear Valley Unified remains a world-class district where all students 
receive a high-quality education.
  In addition to Dr. Suzuki's impressive work in education, she and her 
husband of 42 years, Dan, raised a wonderful family. Their three 
children, Elizabeth, David, and Matthew, as well as their seven 
grandchildren, are a true testament to their strong familial bonds and 
her role as a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Dr. Suzuki for her 
selfless service to California's students, in commending her for her 
steadfast dedication to our community, and in wishing her many years of 
joy and peace in her well-earned retirement with friends and family.

                          ____________________