[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4117-4118]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING MIA WILLIAMS 2016 WASHINGTON STATE MIDDLE LEVEL PRINCIPAL OF 
                                THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2016

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Mia Williams, 
the principal of Aki Kurose Middle School, who has been recognized as 
the winner of the prestigious 2016 Washington State Middle Level 
Principal of the Year Award.

[[Page 4118]]

  The Washington State Middle Level Principal of the Year Award, given 
by the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP), recognizes 
middle school principals who have an extraordinary impact on their 
students' academic success and who make great contributions to their 
profession. Ms. Williams stood out among a field of other highly 
eligible candidates.
  Ms. Williams has been the principal at Aki Kurose Middle School in 
Rainier Beach since 2008. Since that time, she has worked tirelessly to 
ensure the success of her students by listening to their needs and 
adjusting policy and procedures based on their recommendations. Under 
Ms. Williams' leadership, test scores have consistently improved across 
the board for Aki Kurose students and continue to improve due to her 
persistence and continued dedication to her students. Since her arrival 
at Aki Kurose, the student population has grown from 420 students to 
700 students. At the same time, Ms. Williams has overseen a 50 percent 
reduction in student absenteeism and has made progress on closing the 
opportunity gap. She has carefully cultivated an environment where 
students feel supported and capable of reaching their full potential.
  Ms. Williams was a teacher in the Seattle School District before 
completing the Danforth Educational Leadership Program at the 
University of Washington to pursue her dream of serving as a principal. 
Her skills were recently recognized by the Johns Hopkins University's 
Everyone Graduates Center, who invited Ms. Williams to the White House 
to participate in a panel where she shared her knowledge about 
effective strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I recognize principal Mia 
Williams for earning the Washington State Middle Level Principal of the 
Year Award. She is an inspiration to all.

                          ____________________