[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12750]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE HONORING SHARON COOK OF NAPOLEON, MICHIGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. NICK SMITH

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sharon 
Cook, an outstanding educator from Napoleon, Michigan, who is retiring 
after 31 years of teaching.
  Sharon graduated from Napoleon High School in 1965 and attended 
Western Michigan University, where she majored in English and earned 
her K-8 teaching degree. She also earned a Master's of Education Degree 
from Eastern Michigan University. After teaching in the elementary 
school for a number of years, Sharon transferred to the Middle school, 
where she taught Math and Language Arts.
  In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she has coached girl's 
track, basketball, and cheerleading for both football and basketball. 
Sharon has also served as Yearbook and Newspaper advisor, as well as 
Service Squad and Class Advisor. She has also coached Michigan 
Mathematics League teams, reaching state level competition in 1987.
  As an educator, Sharon Clark realizes the importance of helping young 
teachers establish themselves in the classroom and has served as a 
Mentor Teacher to newly hired teachers at Napoleon.
  Perhaps most important is Sharon's dedication to community service. 
For many years, she has served as Student Council Advisor and 
encouraged her students to be active in many community projects. With 
her help, students in Napoleon have collected food for Thanksgiving 
Food Baskets, conducted Penny Wars for Christmas Giving, Angel Trees 
for children of prisoners, and most recently, packages for our armed 
service men and women currently serving in Operation Freedom in Iraq.
  In a time when highly qualified teachers who motivate are so 
important, I am pleased to honor this oustanding educator on the 
occasion of her retirement. Sharon has dedicated 31 years in service to 
the students of Napoleon Community Schools and the community at large.

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