[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10871]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JAMES McCANN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 12, 2006

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a leader in the 
field of education, James McCann, who is retiring after 20 years as the 
Superintendent of Lamphere Schools in Madison Heights, Michigan and a 
total of 40 years in education. I have been pleased to work with Jim 
McCann and know him as an active and passionate advocate for the public 
education system and the students it serves.
  Mr. McCann graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1966 and 
worked as a teacher and administrator for the Archdiocese of Detroit 
from 1966-1971. Joining the Lamphere School District, Mr. McCann was a 
high school teacher from 1971-1972, and then went on to serve as an 
Administrative Assistant, Assistant Principal, Middle School Principal 
and High School Principal before becoming Lamphere Schools' 
Superintendent in 1986.
  Although Mr. McCann has many accomplishments in his 20 years as 
Superintendent, his success in the use of technology as a teaching tool 
is perhaps the most significant. He was inspired to focus on technology 
in the classroom in 1980 when he attended a summer institute sponsored 
by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  Under Mr. McCann's leadership, Lamphere became the first district in 
the State of Michigan to have Internet access in the classroom, and in 
1996 became the JASON Project Primary Internet site for the State of 
Michigan, helping students from across the state experience real time 
scientific adventures. For the past 8 years, he served as the Chairman 
of the Oakland County Superintendents' Committee for Instructional 
Technology. He was recognized for these and other accomplishments when 
he became the winner of the first-ever ``Tech-Savvy Superintendent 
Award,'' given for leadership and vision in the area of educational 
technology.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. 
McCann, a genuine leader in the field of education. He has worked 
tirelessly to improve the Lamphere School District and public education 
throughout Michigan. I have been privileged to work with him in many 
endeavors and to witness his devotion firsthand. To Jim and Karen, 
many, many thanks from the community at large and my best personal 
regards, as you enter the next chapter in your lives.

                          ____________________