[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6802]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING 1999 NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR

  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Andrew 
Baumgartner of Augusta, Georgia on being named the 1999 National 
Teacher of the Year.
  Mr. Baumgartner, who teaches kindergarten at A. Brian Merry 
Elementary School in Augusta, has been a teacher for 23 years. His 
motivation and source of inspiration comes in part from the belief that 
it was his duty to give something back to society, and he has done so 
through his teaching.
  To achieve his goal of getting kids to learn, Mr. Baumgartner creates 
a sense of adventure in his classroom. He has used his creativity and 
imagination to bring the magic of reading and learning to the minds of 
his kids.
  The award, sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers 
and Scholastic, Inc., will send Mr. Baumgartner on a promotional tour 
as 1999 National Teacher of the Year, where he will share his 
innovative ideas with other teachers around the nation. I wish Mr. 
Baumgartner the best of luck during this tour and am confident that he 
will inspire other teachers with his creativity and willingness to do 
whatever it takes to get kids to learn.
  Once again, Mr. President, I congratulate Andrew Baumgartner on being 
named 1999 National Teacher of the Year and I commend him for his 
dedication to teaching America's youth. As we continue to search for 
ways to improve education in our country, let us look at the example 
set by Mr. Baumgartner and be inspired by his commitment to education.

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