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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Principal Brian Kelly,
4Ed.D. on the occasion of being a finalist for the 2024 Golden
5Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Golden Apple Awards, sponsored by the Golden
7Apple Foundation, honor excellence in teaching and school
8leadership; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Out of more than 100 nominations, Dr. Kelly was
10one of five school principals named as a finalist for the
11Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership in the State
12of Illinois; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Dr. Kelly, a Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
14graduate, received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and
15Master of Education from DePaul University, his Master of Arts
16in Special Education and Teaching from the University of
17Illinois at Chicago (UIC), his Master of Education in
18Educational Leadership and Administration from Concordia
19University Chicago, and his Doctor of Education in Urban
20Education and Leadership from UIC; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Dr. Kelly has served as the principal at Dr.

 

 

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1Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School (King
2College Prep) since 2019; he began his career at CPS as a
3social studies teacher and special education teacher for
4students with behavioral and emotional disorders and specific
5learning disabilities, working at Morgan Park High School and
6George Westinghouse College Preparatory High School before
7serving as an assistant principal at John F. Kennedy High
8School; and
 
9    WHEREAS, During his tenure at King College Prep, Dr. Kelly
10has led educators in building systems and processes to improve
11the student experience and increase student achievement; under
12his direction, the school's annual attendance rate has
13increased from 89% to 94%, its enrollment has grown nearly
1450%, its participation in athletic programs has tripled, its
15GPA has increased from 2.59 to 3.80, and its four-year
16graduation rate has reached over 99%; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Dr. Kelly has previously received an award for
18Excellence in Administration from the Those Who Excel &
19Teacher of the Year program by the Illinois State Board of
20Education in 2023; he has also served as a leadership lab
21practitioner for the Cahn Fellowship, an organization that
22provides advanced leadership development for talented school
23leaders in large metropolitan areas; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Dr. Kelly believes in creating an environment
2where leaders model the expectations they have for those
3around them and lead with the heart, and he has worked to
4measure outcomes in learning for their intended impact while
5creating an environment where students have a balance of
6academics, extracurricular and athletic activities, and social
7development opportunities; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
9HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10we congratulate Principal Brian Kelly, Ed.D. on being a
11finalist for the 2024 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in
12Leadership, and we commend him for his dedication to the
13students, community, and staff of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
14College Preparatory High School; and be it further
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16presented to Dr. Kelly as an expression of our esteem and
17respect.