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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are pleased to
3recognize Kathleen "Kate" Janush for her distinguished service
4and achievements in education and in the community; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Kate Janush received her Bachelor of Arts in
6English and Education from Good Counsel College in White
7Plains, New York; she received her Master of Arts in English
8from Western Illinois University; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Kate Janush began working as an educator 44 years
10ago; she started teaching at St. Giles School in 1987 and
11taught the 7th and 8th grades for 29 years, inspiring students
12through her language arts and literature classes; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Kate Janush is fondly known as "Mrs. J."; she is
14well-known for her love of reading, which she has passed on to
15thousands of students over the years; she expressed her passion
16with a poster near her desk that reads "If you think reading is
17boring, you're not doing it right."; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Early in her career, Kate Janush started her
19classes on a regimen of reading the legendary yellow dot books
20from the school library; she required her students to read a
21yellow dot book every two weeks during their 7th and 8th grade

 

 

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1years, and take a 20-question quiz on the book, in addition to
2their regular class reading assignments; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Kate Janush wholeheartedly believed in Maya
4Angelou's quote, "Any book that helps a child to form a habit
5of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing
6needs, is good for him."; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Kate Janush contributed her tireless efforts to
8editing St. Giles' school yearbooks for 24 years, and as the
9unofficial school historian beginning in 1990, launched a
10collection of graduation memory boxes with photos and
11memorabilia; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Kate Janush was co-director of the 8th grade
13theater productions for 16 years with former 8th grade math
14teacher, Puddy Larsen; it was a labor of love as she
15co-launched the theater project "as a way to get the 8th
16graders all working together", thus becoming a much anticipated
17and valued tradition of the 8th grade year at St. Giles; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Kate Janush volunteered at the Friends of the Oak
19Park Public Library Book Fair, organized confirmation
20candidates to bake cookies for homeless shelters each week of
21the school year, and acted as a regular lector of morning
22masses for many years; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Kate Janush has been backed in her endeavors by
2her supportive husband, Dale, and her St. Giles alumus son,
3Zach; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
5ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare June 7, 2017
6as Kathleen Janush Day in the State of Illinois, and we wish
7her the best in all her future endeavors; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9presented to Kathleen Janush as an expression of our esteem and
10gratitude.