[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28601]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF TERRY NEUSTAEDTER AS PRINCIPAL OF 
                      BERRYHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 29, 2007

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, it is an honor for me to rise 
today and recognize the retirement of Terry Neustaedter, a great 
educator.
  For over 33 years, Terry has served as the principal of Berryhill 
Elementary School in Milton, FL, and under his leadership the school's 
size, facilities, and reputation have flourished. When he took the helm 
at Berryhill in 1974, the school served 350 students with a faculty and 
staff of only 35 people, and when he retires at the end of this year 
the student body will have more than doubled to 850 students and a 
faculty and staff of 115.
  When the State of Florida implemented the Florida Comprehensive 
Assessment Test, FCAT to determine how well schools were meeting the 
standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act, every school principal 
was faced with a new challenge of making sure the schools under their 
charge lived up to its highest potential. Within 2 years, Terry 
Neustaedter had Berryhill Elementary School earning an ``A'' grade, and 
it has remained that way ever since. In addition, the Florida 
Department of Education recently awarded Berryhill with a Certificate 
of Achievement for having exceeded the standard for annual progress, 
and the school is 1 of only 12 schools out of 1,400 to receive such 
distinction.
  Terry's leadership of Berryhill Elementary was not limited to just 
within the school walls. The school has received numerous awards on 
both the State and local level for community involvement, especially in 
the area of volunteering in the surrounding community. These volunteer 
efforts have included helping raise money for the American Heart 
Association and the American Cancer Association, and for many years 
Berryhill has received the Department of Veteran Affairs ``Outstanding 
Service'' award recognizing its outstanding service to our nation's 
veterans through the Voluntary Service Program. In addition, he has 
brought programs into the school that teach the importance of civic 
participation through activities such as voting, reinforcing the 
importance of being involved with one's community.
  Madam Speaker, Terry's leadership and friendly positive demeanor will 
be missed by past and current students of Berryhill Elementary School. 
I am confident that those following in his footsteps will aspire to 
achieve the same great results for our Nation's youth as Terry has 
achieved, and I know he will continue to be looked up to as a great 
educator.

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