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| | HR0901 | | LRB104 21876 ECR 37710 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of |
| 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate Principal Dr. Shaka Rawls |
| 4 | | of Leo Catholic High School, located in the Auburn Gresham |
| 5 | | neighborhood of Chicago, on being named a 2026 recipient of |
| 6 | | the prestigious Golden Apple Award for Excellence in |
| 7 | | Leadership; and
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| 8 | | WHEREAS, The Golden Apple Award for Excellence in |
| 9 | | Leadership is presented annually to school leaders who have |
| 10 | | demonstrated exemplary performance and a sustained, |
| 11 | | significant positive impact on their school community, |
| 12 | | resulting in dramatic student growth; and
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| 13 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Rawls, a 1993 graduate of Leo Catholic High |
| 14 | | School, returned to his alma mater as principal in 2016 at a |
| 15 | | time when the school was on the brink of closure due to low |
| 16 | | enrollment; and
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| 17 | | WHEREAS, Under Dr. Rawls' transformative leadership, Leo |
| 18 | | Catholic High School has doubled its enrollment and achieved |
| 19 | | extraordinary academic success, including a consistent 100% |
| 20 | | college acceptance rate for seniors; and
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| 21 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Rawls has overseen a 20-percentage point |
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| | HR0901 | - 2 - | LRB104 21876 ECR 37710 r |
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| 1 | | increase in on-track-to-graduate rate for ninth graders and a |
| 2 | | graduation rate exceeding 90%; and
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| 3 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Rawls has extended his commitment to students |
| 4 | | beyond academics, serving as a personal mentor, sitting with |
| 5 | | students at lunch, and creating a learning environment where |
| 6 | | young Black and Brown men feel loved and seen for their |
| 7 | | humanity; and
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| 8 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Rawls has established a dual credit |
| 9 | | partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago, providing |
| 10 | | students access to higher education opportunities while they |
| 11 | | are still in high school; and
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| 12 | | WHEREAS, Under Dr. Rawls's guidance, the students of Leo |
| 13 | | Catholic High School have contributed over 7,500 hours of |
| 14 | | community service in just two years, embodying the school |
| 15 | | motto of "facta non verba", meaning "deeds, not words"; and
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| 16 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Rawls has been selected as a 2026 recipient |
| 17 | | of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership from |
| 18 | | nearly 100 nominees across the State of Illinois, having |
| 19 | | demonstrated remarkable perseverance after first being |
| 20 | | nominated for the award in 2022; and
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| 21 | | WHEREAS, As the recipient of the Golden Apple Award for |
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| | HR0901 | - 3 - | LRB104 21876 ECR 37710 r |
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| 1 | | Excellence in Leadership, Dr. Rawls will receive a $10,000 |
| 2 | | award, a portion of which he has already generously committed |
| 3 | | to donate to Leo Catholic High School, and a sabbatical to take |
| 4 | | courses at Northwestern University; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Rawls will now serve as a Fellow of the Golden |
| 6 | | Apple Academy of Educators, where he will help mentor the next |
| 7 | | generation of teachers through the Golden Apple Scholars and |
| 8 | | Accelerators programs; therefore, be it
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| 9 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE |
| 10 | | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
| 11 | | we congratulate Principal Dr. Shaka Rawls of Leo Catholic High |
| 12 | | School on receiving the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence |
| 13 | | in Leadership, and we thank him for his tireless dedication to |
| 14 | | the students of Leo Catholic High School and the community of |
| 15 | | Auburn Gresham in Chicago; and be it further
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| 16 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
| 17 | | presented to Dr. Rawls as a symbol of our esteem and respect. |