[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10531]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO MATT SCHILLER, 2010 RIVERSIDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 
                          TEACHER OF THE YEAR

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                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 10, 2010

  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an 
individual from my Congressional District who was recently named the 
2010 Riverside Unified School District Teacher of the Year. Matt 
Schiller, a teacher at Poly High School, was one of three teachers 
honored last month at an event in Riverside, California.
  Matt graduated from U.C. San Diego in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science 
degree in biology and received his teaching credentials and a Master of 
Science degree in biochemistry from U.C. Riverside in 2002. While 
pursuing his master's degree, Matt became a teaching assistant and 
realized his passion for teaching science.
  After graduating from U.C. Riverside, Matt completed his student 
teaching at A.B. Miller High School in Fontana, and taught physical 
science and biology at Westlake High School. He also taught chemistry 
through U.C. Riverside's Faststart summer program in 2008 and 2009. 
Matt has been teaching chemistry and earth science at Poly High School 
in Riverside since 2004.
  Being recognized for his outstanding efforts is not new to Matt. In 
fact, he was awarded the Walton B. Sinclair Award in 2001 for being an 
outstanding student teacher at U.C. Riverside, and he also received the 
``Special Friend to Special Education'' award from Conejo Valley 
Unified School District in 2003 for his work with the Information 
Technology Academy at Westlake High School. Additionally, he received 
special recognition for his collaboration with students in publishing a 
scientific article on protein structure.
  True to his character of never settling for the status quo, Matt 
resurrected the Advanced Placement chemistry class which had not been 
available at Poly High School for several years. In his first year of 
teaching, more than 60 percent of his class passed the AP test. A 60 
percent passing rate is still better than the national average, but 
that did not stop Matt from pushing himself to help even more of his 
students succeed. In 2009, that number grew to 92.3 percent, which is 
an incredible testament to Matt's dedication.
  Matt has also taken the initiative to improve his contact with 
parents. He regularly emails the parents of his students with upcoming 
test information and packets of work, as well as routine grade checks 
so parents can stay in tune with their child's progress.
  Matt has shown diversity in his non-science interests as well. In 
2006 he started a photography club at Poly High School to share his 
interest in photography. The club has grown from a handful of students 
to nearly 100 students. And at the end of each year, the students 
display their work in a gallery in downtown Riverside.
  Additionally, Matt coaches the Mock Trial club, and has led his team 
to the state competition two of the last six years.
  Matt has said that the most important part of teaching is giving back 
to the community and his students; his actions have spoken much louder 
than his words. Matt has truly shown that he is an exemplary educator.
  Matt Schiller's tireless passion for science and education has 
contributed immensely to the betterment of his students and the entire 
community of Riverside, California. I am proud to call Matt a fellow 
community member, American and friend. I know that many students, 
parents, and faculty members are grateful for his service and join me 
in congratulating Matt on receiving this prestigious award.

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