[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 8999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING JOHN DEEDER ON HIS RETIREMENT

  (Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the career 
of John Deeder, a valued member of the community in southwest 
Washington. John spent 48 years in education and announced his 
retirement earlier this year.
  Throughout his life, John has been a coach, counselor, teacher, 
principal, superintendent, and more. More recently, he served as 
superintendent of the Evergreen Public Schools, the fifth largest in 
Washington State, for 11 years. His career in teaching exhibits how 
much he values educating students and setting them up to succeed. Those 
who have worked with John know that he has been dedicated to improving 
the learning experiences for kids in southwest Washington for just shy 
of 5 decades.
  Under his innovative leadership, an incredible bioscience high school 
called the Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School was built. 
HeLa High School places an emphasis on workforce development in health 
sciences and biotechnology that is an investment in our future leaders. 
It took a decade to research, plan, and build this transformational 
school, but John remained committed to the vision of this school. 
Though John's formal career has ended, the legacy of his persistent 
leadership can be seen throughout HeLa High School and its students.
  While John has extensive involvement in education, his community 
engagement also spans well beyond his career as superintendent. He has 
taken every opportunity to serve, and is a shining example of what 
makes this expansive and populated region feel like a tight-knit and 
caring community. He is an inspiration to all in southwest Washington, 
and I am confident he will continue working to improve education here 
and beyond.
  I congratulate John on his retirement and wish him all the best in 
his future endeavors.

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