[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9832]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING PRINCIPAL RICHARD JONES' DECADES OF SERVICE TO OUR 
                   COMMUNITY AS A LEADER IN EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 2011

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. Speaker I rise today to recognize Mr. Richard Jones, 
the distinguished principal of North Farmington High School, on the 
occasion of his retirement after nearly 25 years of service to the 
families and students of Farmington Hills, Michigan through his work as 
an educator, administrator and community leader.
  Mr. Richard Jones started his career in education nearly four decades 
ago and has been part of the Farmington Hills school district family 
for the last quarter of a century. He thrived as an English teacher and 
also a football and tennis coach, creating a comfortable learning 
environment where students were able to succeed and flourish. After 
many years in the classroom and on the field, he was made principal of 
the high school in 1998.
  As principal, Mr. Jones treated every student, parent and teacher 
with dignity and respect. He is someone the students trusted and the 
teachers looked to for advice. His main goal was always to have a 
school unified by a message of tolerance and acceptance. During his 
time as principal he implemented many innovative school-wide programs 
on issues ranging from civil rights to energy conservation. One of his 
hallmark initiatives was to build a student body that turned 
``awareness into activism.'' In 2009, he dedicated the school-year to 
learning about genocide, which enabled powerful levels of student 
activism to aid the cause in Darfur. Teaming up with Danbury High 
School in Connecticut, the student body was able to raise $100,000 to 
help build schools in Sudan.
  I was proud to welcome Principal Jones to Washington when he was 
formally recognized as Michigan's Principal of the Year in 2009, an 
award that was well deserved for an educator that has poured so much of 
his time, energy and heart into his students, teachers and the 
community as a whole. Principal Jones' dedication to the school has 
earned him numerous other awards for his diligence and interactive 
teaching methods. He has also earned teacher of the year honors four 
times, the ``Great Seal of Michigan'' award and the Chair Award from 
the Farmington Multicultural Multiracial Council. He has been 
recognized countless times for his unwavering focus on the education 
and moral growth of his students. In 2009, Principal Jones was also 
presented with the ``Anne Frank Outstanding Educator Award,'' for his 
initiatives to educate his students on standing up for what is right.
  Mr. Speaker, as a parent of public school students, I am proud to 
know such an outstanding and dedicated educator and it is my privilege 
to honor his work to improve the quality of education in Michigan. I 
know that I stand with many in saying Rick is a great leader, teacher 
and friend. I ask my colleagues to join me today as I honor Mr. Richard 
Jones for his lifetime commitment to educating and nurturing the 
development of thousands of students, on the occasion of his retirement 
from North Farmington High School.

                          ____________________