[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15131-15132]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    BP'S 2008 A+ FOR ENERGY TEACHERS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 15, 2008

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to commend 
twenty-five local educators from Northwest Indiana who have been 
recognized for their outstanding achievements in promoting energy 
education and conservation through innovative classroom activities. 
These individuals will be honored as part of BP's A+ for Energy program 
at a very special luncheon that will take place at the Radisson Star 
Plaza Hotel in Merrillville, Indiana, on Monday, July 21, 2008.
   BP's A+ for Energy program, being offered in Indiana for the second 
year, recognizes community educators who have gone above and beyond to 
bring real-world, innovative ideas into our schools, allowing students 
to become involved in classroom, after-school, extra-curricular, or 
summer activities that will not only challenge and enrich their lives, 
but will also teach them the importance of energy conservation.
   The twenty-five individuals selected as the winning A+ for Energy 
teachers, based on their grant submissions, were chosen by two 
independent panels of experts in the fields of education, science, and 
the environment. Each recipient will be awarded a cash grant of either 
$5,000 or $10,000 to take back to their schools, as well as a 
scholarship to attend a three-day energy training conference sponsored 
by BP, in partnership with the National Energy Education Development 
(NEED) Project and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). It 
is estimated that more than 8,400 students will benefit from these 
grants.
   This year's A+ for Energy honorees are: Karen Augustyn of Tolleston 
Middle School in Gary (Project P.O.W.E.R.--Providing Our World with 
Energy Resources), Patricia Casella of Jefferson Elementary School in 
Hammond (Experience Energy! Talk It, Live It, Touch It, Share It), 
Stanley Casella of Montessori Academy in the Oaks in Hobart (The 
Elementary Energy News Network), Barbara Cerwinske of Saint John the 
Evangelist School in Saint John (SJE is Hot About Global Warming), Dr. 
Charles Costa of the Northwest Indiana Education Service Center in 
Highland (TREE: Transforming the Region through Energy Enrichment), 
Edna Crittenden-Gregory of Roosevelt High School in Gary (Energy-Wise 
Conservation Calendar), Michelle Frantal of Forest Ridge Academy in 
Schererville (Saving Two by Two), Dana Hoeckelberg of Forest Ridge 
Academy (The Energy K'Nextion Club), Susan Labovic of Forest Ridge 
Academy (Now Broadcasting . . . Electricity), Kathryn Midkiff of Gavit 
Middle/High School in Hammond (Green Circle Project), Mary Moriarty of 
Gavit Middle/High School (Renewable Energy), Sandra Platt of Lake 
Central High School in Saint John (Lake Central High School--Blue Goes 
Green), Thomas Puplava of the Diocese of Gary Catholic Schools in 
Merrillville (Energy from the Sun), Jill Sayers of Lake Prairie 
Elementary School in Lowell

[[Page 15132]]

(Art and the Science of Energy: A Fusing of Concepts), Glenn Smith of 
Forest Ridge Academy (Super Solar Power at Our Indianapolis 500), Elva 
Sotello of Whiting Middle School in Whiting (Working for a Joule), Mary 
Beth Tabaczynski of Edison Elementary School in Hammond (Exploring the 
Power of the Wind), Georgia Veneziano of Our Lady of Grace School in 
Highland (Energy Dilemma: The Answer is Blowin' in the Wind), Jay Drew 
of Portage High School in Portage (The Biology of Alternative Fuels), 
Monica Hargarten of Liberty Elementary School in Chesterton (Exploring 
Energy), Lisa Hughes of Saint Patrick School in Chesterton (Solar 
Energy and the Greenhouse Effect), Angela Reyes of ALLWays Learning 
Child Development Center in Valparaiso (CampALLWays Energized), 
Christine Robbins of Hebron Elementary School in Hebron (Today's 
Students--Tomorrow's Consumers), Jean Sienkowski of Central Elementary 
School in Valparaiso (The Central Energy Academy), and Melody Winnell 
of Junior Junction Childcare in Portage (Rain Garden and Solar 
Greenhouse).
   Madam Speaker, I ask you and my distinguished colleagues to join me 
in commending these outstanding, innovative educators on their 
recognition as BP's 2008 A+ for Energy teachers. Their hard work and 
creativity have played and will continue to play a major role in 
shaping the minds and futures of Northwest Indiana's young people, as 
well as in bringing to the forefront the importance of energy 
conservation.

                          ____________________