[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22520]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING RICHARD E. GUERIN, PRINCIPAL OF SAINT BEDE THE VENERABLE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Richard Guerin, 
Principal of Saint Bede the Venerable and recipient of the 2005 
National Distinguished Principal Award.
  The National Distinguished Principals Program was established in 1984 
as an annual event to honor exemplary elementary school principals who 
set the pace, character, and quality of the education children receive 
during their early school years. One principal is chosen from each of 
the 50 States and the District of Columbia, and this year Richard 
Guerin has been selected as a National Distinguished Principal.
  St. Bede the Venerable is a Catholic School that serves the parish 
community and is both an expression of and a witness to the faith of 
its people. The school's main responsibility is in the area of Catholic 
education--preschool through eighth grade.
  Believing that a child's development best occurs within the framework 
of a positive and structured environment, St. Bede School offers 
innovative educational programs of high quality. The aim of these 
programs is to challenge each student while teaching basic skills, 
within a Christian atmosphere where mutual respect, order, and values 
are a high priority. The core of our curriculum is religious education, 
both content and practice. Christian attitudes and values are the 
foundation of this developmental process.
  Richard Guerin has been serving and teaching in the Archdiocese of 
Chicago for 34 years, 28 of those spent as principal of St. Bede. 
Before coming to St. Bede, he taught at Worth Junior High and Christ 
the King School. However, he fell in love with the job and the people 
at St. Bede where he has touched countless lives and been influenced by 
many lives in the community.
  It is my honor to recognize Mr. Richard Guerin who serves as an 
example of one of the best in PreK-8 school leadership and helps to 
foster a greater understanding of the principal's key role in meeting 
the challenging responsibility of educating children.

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