[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9373]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF DR. LINDA HENKE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSS CARNAHAN

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 19, 2012

  Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Linda Henke, 
for her years of service to the people of the St. Louis area.
  Dr. Henke is retiring as Superintendent of the Maplewood Richmond 
Heights School District, MRH, where she demonstrated a true passion for 
excellence during her years of service. When she first joined MRH, the 
district was one point away from losing its accreditation from the 
state of Missouri. After a decade under Dr. Henke's guidance, the 
school district now operates with Missouri's top Annual Performance 
Report Score; a true testament to Dr. Henke's hard work, dedication, 
and leadership.
  Her personal approach towards the staff and the students has been a 
hallmark of her tenure. She made a point to know the staff and the 
students by name, and she attended nearly all sporting events, school 
plays, and concerts her students took part in. She actively sought to 
include her students in the development of successful school policies 
by regularly meeting with an advisory team of middle and high school 
students to openly discuss problems and possible solutions.
  Dr. Henke not only cares about her students' academic success, but 
also about their health and well-being. I have had the pleasure of 
working with Dr. Henke as she has endeavored to provide locally 
produced, healthy food choices to her students in the cafeteria. She 
has worked hard to engage students in learning about our food system 
and teaching them that good eating habits are connected to excellence 
in education.
  Her life has been defined by remarkable service to others. Dr. Henke 
has an exceptional ability to identify needs and works to fulfill them, 
as she has demonstrated many times while leading the MRH school 
district. A great example of this was when she saw that some students 
and families had lost their homes and had trouble finding regular 
meals. She addressed this by developing Joe's Place, where teenage boys 
can go to find affection, support, a home, and regular meals. In 
previous years, each of the boys who lived at Joe's Place not only 
graduated from MRH High School, but also went on to attend college. In 
many cases, they were the first members of their families to accomplish 
this feat.
  Without Dr. Henke's passion for her students and determination to 
provide them with every opportunity for success, MRH would not be the 
model school district it is today. Educators from across the country 
visit MRH schools to understand how she has transformed the district, 
and how they can replicate her successful programs in their own 
districts.
  I congratulate Dr. Linda Henke on her retirement, and I thank her for 
her service to our community.

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