HR1004 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1004 LRB097 21166 GRL 68696 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Dr. Sandra F. Lewis on the occasion of her retirement as Principal of Harold Washington Elementary School in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sandra Lewis attended Chicago Public Schools; she subsequently earned her bachelor's degree from Chicago State University in 1967, her master's degree from Governors State University in 1976, and her Ed.D. from Roosevelt University in 1995; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sandra Lewis began her educational career as a teacher at Burnside School in 1967, where she remained until 1975; in 1976, she began working as a teacher at Harold Washington Elementary School (HWES); she later served as Assistant Principal and Counselor at HWES before becoming the school's principal in 1989; she also served as an adjunct professor at Roosevelt University in 1996, a probation manager from 1997 to 1999, and as a Launch Mentor from 1998 to 1999; and

WHEREAS, During her tenure as Principal of Harold Washington Elementary School, Dr. Sandra Lewis created numerous initiatives to improve the school's educational opportunities; she was instrumental in the creation of the school's "Structured Curriculum" and the school store, where students can purchase school supplies, school uniforms, ties, gifts, and other Afro-Centric Artifacts; under her guidance, HWES has been recognized as a technological site by the Chicago Public School System, with multiple computers in every classroom; she also helped to created the school's Afro-Centric Curriculum, a school environment where the artifacts, pictures, and location names reflect the history and culture of people the students can identify with, and the school's "Early Intervention System", which combats student learning problems with small class sizes; the Early Intervention System increased the number of HWES students reading at or above grade level from 11% in 1989 to approximately 60% in 1994; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sandra Lewis is a member of the Chicago Alliance of Black School Educators, Whitman Academy, and the Chicago Principal's Association; she is also a board member with Teachers for Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sandra Lewis has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for her work, including Project Canal's Outstanding Leadership Award (1992, 1993, 1994), the Whitman Award for Outstanding Leadership (1991), the Chicago Public School Award for Outstanding Leadership, the Chicago Alliance of Black School Educators Award for Dedicated Service (1990), the Harold Washington Parent Award for Leadership (1991, 1995, 1996), the Community Linkage Award (1990), the First Annual "ICONS" Award from the International Council on Nutrition Solutions (1997), the Kizzy Award (1998), the Build Your Life Social Development award (1999), and the Educator of the Year award from One Church, One School (2000); and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sandra Lewis 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-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Dr. Sandra F. Lewis on the occasion of her retirement and wish her many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Sandra Lewis as a symbol of our esteem and respect.