Full Text of SR0795 96th General Assembly
SR0795 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of Tara Feldman, who passed away on April 9, | 4 |
| 2010; and
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman was born on July 4, 1975; she was the | 6 |
| loving mother of 3 children, Travis, Leo, and Maya, and Kona | 7 |
| the dog; the loving sister of Dustin, Mike and Kori; and the | 8 |
| beloved daughter of Alan and Joyci Feldman; and
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman graduated from Butler Junior High in | 10 |
| Oak Brook in 1989 and from Downers Grove North High School in | 11 |
| 1993; and
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman's extensive academic background | 13 |
| included a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a Master | 14 |
| of Arts degree in teaching from Tufts University; she also held | 15 |
| adjunct faculty status at Aurora University and the Miami | 16 |
| University of Ohio; and
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman launched her career in education and | 18 |
| science as an intern at the Museum of Science in Boston; she | 19 |
| subsequently worked as a science and math teacher at Beacon | 20 |
| High School in Brookline, Massachusetts and as a science editor | 21 |
| at Pearson Prentice Hall and Scott Foresman; and |
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman was an artist who loved to paint, | 2 |
| draw, and create; she was also a self-proclaimed "science nerd" | 3 |
| who enjoyed watching the Discovery Channel and learning about | 4 |
| animals; and
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman was a remarkable young woman whose | 6 |
| moral compass was pointed in the right direction toward helping | 7 |
| and inspiring people; and
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| WHEREAS, Through her work at the Chicago Zoological | 9 |
| Society, Tara Feldman had a real and tangible impact in the | 10 |
| lives of students with disabilities, Chicago Public School | 11 |
| teachers, and young and aspiring biologists, scientists, and | 12 |
| conservationists; and
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman understood that the conservation | 14 |
| movement must speak to and hear from all ages, ethnicities, | 15 |
| educational and socioeconomic levels, and abilities; she | 16 |
| developed award-winning conservation leadership programs at | 17 |
| Brookfield Zoo around that notion; and
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman's initial work at Brookfield Zoo | 19 |
| focused on the education and empowerment of students with | 20 |
| disabilities; and
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| WHEREAS, Because of her interest and experience in the | 2 |
| special education field, Tara Feldman first worked at | 3 |
| Brookfield Zoo as an instructor with "Every Student is a | 4 |
| Scientist", an inclusive educational program for students with | 5 |
| disabilities that utilizes interactive tablet PCs and hands-on | 6 |
| learning activities that are focused on conservation; and
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| WHEREAS, Building off of her success with "Every Student is | 8 |
| a Scientist", Tara Feldman worked with students with | 9 |
| disabilities from Riverside-Brookfield High School, where she | 10 |
| coached them on their soft skills and time management; she then | 11 |
| placed them in volunteer and employment positions at the zoo | 12 |
| while showering them with love, praise, and continued support; | 13 |
| and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman then paired up with another member of | 15 |
| the Brookfield Zoo family, Agnes Kovacs, and launched the | 16 |
| Chicago Zoological Society's comprehensive science training | 17 |
| program for Chicago Public School partners; and | 18 |
| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman not only launched the Levels of | 19 |
| Engagement teacher training program, but nurtured and | 20 |
| developed it into a national model that was conferred with a | 21 |
| national education award from the Association of Zoos and | 22 |
| Aquariums; and
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| WHEREAS, The Chicago Public School teachers and principals | 2 |
| with whom Tara Feldman worked can attest to her brilliance, | 3 |
| creativity, and passion; and
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman went on to create the summer Science | 5 |
| Fair Boot Camps, in addition to Science Fairs for Chicago | 6 |
| Public Schools, to give Chicago Public School teachers and | 7 |
| students the opportunity to improve their understanding and | 8 |
| development in the inquiry process; and
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| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman helped re-shape and re-launch the | 10 |
| Classroom Connections classes at Brookfield Zoo, having helped | 11 |
| create over a dozen classes that were participatory, | 12 |
| student-centered, and inquiry-based, with more than 20,000 | 13 |
| students participating in these classes annually; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, Tara Feldman worked tirelessly to make informal | 15 |
| science learning fun and accessible for students, families, and | 16 |
| teachers, working to expand the role of informal environments | 17 |
| in educating students and adults about science; and
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| WHEREAS, Because of Tara Feldman's hard work and | 19 |
| dedication, there are 3rd grade students who understand complex | 20 |
| terms like "habitat restoration" and "deforestation" and who | 21 |
| see themselves as conservation leaders; there are also many | 22 |
| teachers who have improved their ability to teach and reach |
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| students and improve science learning through inquiry-based | 2 |
| teaching tools; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 4 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 5 |
| her family and friends, the passing of Tara Feldman; and be it | 6 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 8 |
| presented to the family of Tara Feldman as an expression of our | 9 |
| sympathy.
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