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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to
recognize the many accomplishments of | ||||||
| 4 | Pontiac Township High School
teacher Paul Ritter; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Paul Ritter is a dedicated and talented science
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| 6 | teacher at Pontiac Township High School and has used his | ||||||
| 7 | passion
for science to educate and inspire hundreds of | ||||||
| 8 | students; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Paul Ritter graduated from Mendota High School in | ||||||
| 10 | 1988 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Zoology; he | ||||||
| 11 | worked for the Illinois Department of Conservation as a
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| 12 | wildlife interpreter before ultimately deciding to pursue a
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| 13 | career in education; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Paul Ritter was the 2011 recipient of the National
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| 15 | Science Teachers Association Outstanding Environmental | ||||||
| 16 | Educator
of the Year Award; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, Paul Ritter has pioneered many innovative and
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| 18 | exciting educational programs, including crayon and cell phone
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| 19 | recycling and a bio-diesel program; he and his students have | ||||||
| 20 | created the world's largest pharmaceutical disposal network, | ||||||
| 21 | the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal or P2D2 program, to | ||||||
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| 1 | safeguard the natural health of rivers and streams, disposing | ||||||
| 2 | of 6.5 million pounds of pharmaceuticals in five countries; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Paul Ritter's Operation Endangered Species | ||||||
| 4 | program, developed with his students and the Illinois | ||||||
| 5 | Department of Natural Resources, has sought to reintroduce | ||||||
| 6 | alligator snapping turtles to their natural habitat range and | ||||||
| 7 | has earned him and his students a nomination for the | ||||||
| 8 | Indianapolis Prize; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, In 1983, there were zero recorded alligator | ||||||
| 10 | snapping turtles in the wild in Illinois; there are now 500 | ||||||
| 11 | turtles back in the wild due to the efforts of Paul Ritter's | ||||||
| 12 | students; furthermore, they have monitored endangered | ||||||
| 13 | shorebird migration and have worked to secure several hundred | ||||||
| 14 | acres of farmland to create endangered species pollinator | ||||||
| 15 | plots; therefore, be it
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| 16 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 17 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 18 | we congratulate Paul Ritter on his outstanding career as a | ||||||
| 19 | gifted teacher and his nomination for the Indianapolis Prize; | ||||||
| 20 | and be it further
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| 21 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 22 | presented to Paul Ritter as a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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