[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13259]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      CONGRATULATING CHAD RUSSELL

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. JEFF DENHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 9, 2013

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and congratulate 
Turlock High School Agriculture Department Chair Chad Russell, upon 
being awarded the ``Instructor Sweepstakes Award'' by the California 
State Fair for a fifth year. This award is a tribute to Mr. Russell's 
professional accomplishments in the field of education, as well as his 
dedicated commitment to his students and the art of welding.
  Chad Allen Russell was born on May 23, 1982, in Turlock, CA to Bev 
and Tom Russell. He grew up in Turlock, CA, the second largest city in 
Stanislaus County, which has a population of 68,549. It is home to 
California State University, Stanislaus, and has earned the title 
``Heart of the Valley'' for its extensive agricultural production.
  As a child, Mr. Russell attended Mt. View-Chatom Schools and from 
1996-2000 Mr. Russell was a standout FFA student at Turlock High 
School, mentored by several renown agriculture instructors including 
Dale Pollard, Joe Digrazia, and Lori Marchy. While at THS, Mr. Russell 
was an active participant in FFA and distinguished himself by winning 
several awards including the State FFA Star Agribusinessman Award and, 
in his senior year, Outstanding Project at the CA State Fair.
  Mr. Russell's facility with welding led him after high school to a 
job in that industry, where he worked for three years. Although Mr. 
Russell's salary as a welder was nearly double what a teacher earns, he 
felt called to this new profession and moved back to Turlock to begin 
attending Modesto Junior College, where he earned an A.A. degree in 
Agriculture. After MJC, Mr. Russell transferred to California State 
University, Fresno, where he majored in Ag Mechanics. While at Fresno 
State, Mr. Russell subcontracted for GEA Niro, who flew him around the 
country on weekends to weld.
  With degree in hand, Mr. Russell was hired by Turlock Unified School 
District in 2006 as a part-time ROP welding instructor and eventually 
worked his way into a full-time position as an Agriculture teacher. 
Alice Pollard, former Principal of Adult and Career Education at 
Turlock Unified School District has praised Mr. Russell's devotion to 
his students, ``Chad selflessly gives up his weekends, his spring and 
winter breaks, as well as spending more hours that you want to know 
during the summer helping his students.'' Cindy Young, Director of 
Yosemite ROP in Stanislaus County, relayed her awe at his commitment to 
his students, ``When I visit his classroom, I see more than a 
classroom, I see a business. His students are involved and engaged. 
They are committed to excellence. They are respectful and he is 
respectful of them. Mr. Russell is building tomorrow's workforce.''
  It didn't take long after starting his career at THS for Mr. Russell 
to make a reputation as one of the foremost Ag Mechanics instructors in 
the State as his students began to win award after award at the 
Stanislaus County and California State fairs. In 2009, Dominic Agresti-
Assali, one of Mr. Russell's stand-out welding students, custom-made 
two 54 foot almond trailers that went on to win 1st place in the State 
Ag Mechanics over-$10,000 division, earning Best in Division and Best 
in Show honors along with two other corporately-sponsored awards.
  That same year, eight other THS students earned first place and Best 
of Show honors at the State Fair. Most recently, in 2013, Mr. Russell 
earned his 5th Instructor Sweepstakes award at the State Fair based on 
his students' outstanding performance and THS junior Trey Smith won a 
Golden Bear Award, the fair's highest honor. Mr. Russell's students are 
highly sought after for welding jobs at local businesses due to the 
reputation he has established in the community as a result of his 
students' extensive accomplishments.
  Based in part on his students' numerous accomplishments and his own 
stellar record as a welding instructor, Mr. Russell was recently 
awarded the Yosemite Regional Occupation Program (YROP) Teacher of the 
Year award from Stanislaus County Office of Education. ROP is a program 
designed to prepare students for a career by providing a wide variety 
of specialized career education programs for high school students. The 
goal is for students to develop marketable skills, abilities, attitudes 
and work habits so that they can secure jobs, upgrade skills, and 
prepare for advanced careers.
  For the past five years, Mr. Russell has served as the Department 
Chair of the THS Agriculture Department and has overseen its expansion 
to five teachers. He has been instrumental in helping to secure 
University of California approval for many of the agriculture courses 
at THS, allowing students to participate in a Career Technical 
Education program while maintaining four-year college eligibility. Mr. 
Russell's long-term plans are to pursue a Master's in Agriculture and 
continue to build the THS Agriculture Department into one of the 
premiere programs in the State. With his outstanding commitment to THS 
students and passion for Agriculture, it is only a matter of time 
before this dream becomes a reality.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in commending Chad Russell for his hard 
work and dedicated service at Turlock High School, and congratulating 
him upon receiving the California State Fair ``Instructor Sweepstakes 
Award'' not once but five times.

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