[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17358]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO CLEMENCIA SPIZZIRRI

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I would like to take this time to honor 
an extraordinary Iowa teacher who has had a positive impact on a great 
many students. Ms. Clemencia Spizzirri was recently announced as the 
2015 Iowa Teacher of the Year. This award honors the great work she has 
done as a foreign language teacher at Merrill Middle School in Des 
Moines, IA.
  Ms. Spizzirri has been teaching Spanish to eager young minds at 
Merrill Middle School for 5 years. Despite her relatively short time 
there, her profound impact is evident. The high praise she receives 
from her students, colleagues, and community members are a testament to 
the work ethic and passion she displays in her classroom every 
schoolday.
  As an immigrant herself, Ms. Spizzirri embodies the importance of a 
broad-based education that helps students understand the world beyond 
their own country. Born in Quito, Ecuador's capital city, Ms. Clemencia 
was the youngest of seven children. She learned quickly that success 
was nearly impossible without a quality education. This drove her to 
become a teacher. She witnessed firsthand the struggles that accompany 
poverty and knew she could make a difference through teaching. She 
started her career teaching English in Quito. When the conditions in 
her country began to worsen, she obtained a visa and moved to the 
United States. After immigrating to this country, Ms. Spizzirri 
received a bachelor's degree in New York. She then moved to Des Moines, 
IA, where she received her master's degree from Drake University.
  Ms. Spizzirri attributes her passion for educating young minds to 
unfortunate circumstances she has witnessed in her own life. This 
passion ensures a quality education for all her students and 
contributes well-rounded citizens to the community. Great teachers are 
an invaluable resource to all of our communities and Ms. Spizzirri 
deserves nothing but praise for her tremendous work. I thank Ms. 
Spizzirri for her service to the people of her community and wish her 
nothing but the best in her future school years and beyond.

                          ____________________