HR1129 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1129 LRB098 21441 GRL 59915 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Roosevelt Griffin on the occasion of winning the Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching for his work as Band Director at Harvey School District 152; and

WHEREAS, Since 1986, Golden Apple has been a leader in advancing the teaching profession in Illinois for 29 years and has recognized outstanding teachers throughout Illinois each year; Golden Apple's selection committee is comprised of prominent retired teachers, college and university professors, administrators, and former Golden Apple Award recipients; and

WHEREAS, Roosevelt Griffin was born and raised in Harvey, where he received his elementary education in Harvey School District 152; he attended Riley Elementary and Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School before attending Thornridge High School, where he became an All-Conference athlete; he subsequently graduated from Northern Illinois University, where he received an Illinois Teaching Certificate in Instrumental Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance; he later returned to academics and received a Masters of Arts in School Leadership in 2011 from Concordia University; he is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership at Argosy University; and

WHEREAS, Roosevelt Griffin became Band Director of School District 152 in 2004; during his tenure, the Harvey Band Program has received great honors for its dedication to the art of jazz and has received top ratings and accolades from all around the country; under his direction, the Brooks Middle School Band has become the youngest performing group in the history of the "Chicago Jazz Festival"; the band was selected as one of 2 middle school jazz bands to perform at the largest band and orchestra conference in the world; the program was also awarded a full endorsement from one of the leading mouthpiece companies in the industry and was recently featured in Downbeat magazine; and

WHEREAS, In March of 2013, Roosevelt Griffin and the Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School Jazz were honored to perform at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development International Conference, where they received a standing ovation from an audience of 10,000 educators, administrators, and politicians from around the world; and

WHEREAS, Roosevelt Griffin serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Roosevelt Griffin on the occasion of winning the Golden Apple Award 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 Roosevelt Griffin as a symbol of our esteem and respect.