HR1368 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1368 LRB095 21599 GRL 51593 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Fr. Robert Carroll on the occasion of his retirement as principal of Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein in June of 2008; and

WHEREAS, Fr. Robert Carroll graduated from Mt. Carmel College in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada in 1966, receiving his bachelor's degree in philosophy; he participated in graduate studies in theology at Whitefriars Hall in Washington, D.C. in 1966 through 1967 and at the Washington Theological Union in the fall of 1969 through the spring of 1972; he was ordained as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church in May of 1971; and

WHEREAS, Fr. Robert Carroll began his career in teaching in an interim internship at Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago during the 1967-68 and 1968-69 school years, teaching advanced algebra and European history; he continued taking graduate classes at Georgetown University and DePaul University during this time; from the fall of 1972 until the spring of 1979, he served again at Mt. Carmel as a calculus and German III-IV teacher; he also taught a two year sequence of cross-discipline courses known as philosophical literature and a number of theology courses; and

WHEREAS, In 1980, Fr. Robert Carroll assumed the office of Principal at Mt. Carmel High School; over the following 10 years, he oversaw the development and growth in the school's financial support, academic accomplishment, athletic success, and spiritual formation; he also received his M.Ed. in administration from Loyola University during this time; under Fr. Carroll's leadership, Mt. Carmel was one of 60 private schools to be given the Exemplary Private School status in the first ever selection of private schools by the United States Department of Education in 1984; a year later, Mt. Carmel was rated in the top 5 best schools in the Chicago area by ABC TV; and

WHEREAS, In 1990, Fr. Robert Carroll traveled to Israel for a semester study program in Biblical Spirituality with the Catholic Theological Union and completed their certificate of advanced studies in the spring semester at the home campus at Hyde Park; in the fall of 1991, while continuing to teach part time at Mt. Carmel, he began Ph.D. coursework at Loyola University in the area of educational leadership and policy studies, which would lead to his Ph.D. degree in May of 1999; and

WHEREAS, In the fall of 1994, Fr. Robert Carroll took over the position of Principal at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, a position he remained in until his retirement; and

WHEREAS, Under Fr. Robert Carroll's leadership, Carmel Catholic High School earned three of its four U.S. Department of Education No Child Left Behind Ribbon awards in 1996, 2002, and 2007; only five high schools in the nation have earned as many blue ribbons as Carmel Catholic, due in large part to Reverend Carroll's great leadership; and

WHEREAS, Fr. Robert Carroll supervised Carmel Catholic High School being placed in the top 50 Catholic high schools in the Catholic High School Honor Roll in 2004, as well as its placement in the top 20 Catholic high schools in the Catholic High School Honor Roll on the basis of Catholic Identity; he also supervised Carmel Catholic being honored as one of three Catholic high schools in 2006 by Today's Catholic Teacher magazine for its "Innovations in Catholic Identity"; and

WHEREAS, Fr. Robert Carroll served as a probation manager for the Chicago Board of Education Office of Accountability, where he implemented improvement plans in two large urban public schools; he also responded to Chicago Public School Board of Education and to Superintendent Paul Vallas to supervise failing Chicago Public Schools from 1996 to 2002, in which he guided three high schools and one grade school to be removed from the probation list; and

WHEREAS, Fr. Robert Carroll's enthusiasm, love for life, great sense of humor, and great ability to engage students will be greatly missed by the students, faculty, and staff of Carmel Catholic High School; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Fr. Robert Carroll on the occasion of his retirement and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Fr. Robert Carroll as a symbol of our esteem and respect.