[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9927]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MS. MARINA TORRES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 24, 2016

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. 
Marina Torres who is being honored by the Calistoga Associated Teachers 
upon her retirement after 35 years of service to Calistoga Elementary 
School and our Calistoga community.
  Ms. Torres, a native of Monterey Park, California, earned two 
Bachelor of Arts degrees. One from the University of California at 
Santa Barbara for Combined Social Sciences in 1979 and one from Sonoma 
State University for Latino Studies with a minor in Children's 
Literature in 1981.
  Throughout her long tenure as a teacher at Calistoga Elementary, Ms. 
Torres has been a dedicated mentor to her students and a pioneer in 
bilingual education for young children. In fact, Ms. Torres was the 
first Latina teacher hired by the Calistoga Joint Unified School 
District in 1981. She translated her academic and personal background 
into a passion for educating students about living in a culturally 
diverse community.
  Ms. Torres launched the Student Advocate Program in 1987 to address 
the needs of students in crisis and was inducted into the ``Who's Who 
of American Teachers'' in 1995 for her innovative teaching and 
dedication to her students' needs. Ms. Torres shares her experience 
with new teachers starting their careers as a beginning teacher support 
and assessment provider in Napa County.
  A resilient fighter, Ms. Torres has overcome two different forms of 
cancer. Now in remission, she is an outspoken advocate for early cancer 
screening and expanding access to health care. During retirement, she 
plans to continue her support for at-risk children and for expanding 
education in the Calistoga community.
  Mr. Speaker, Marina Torres has devoted 35 years to serving her 
students and our community as both a teacher and an advocate for 
others' needs. She is a friend of Calistoga and a friend of mine. 
Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor her here today and 
extend our best wishes for an enjoyable retirement and many happy 
memories to come with her husband Michael and her children Frank, 
Rafael, and Liliana.

                          ____________________