House Resolution 95

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE PHENOMENAL APPROACH TO EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION, BUILDING EDUCATOR MORALE AND EMPHASIZING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT OF DR. ROBYN KILLEBREW, PRINCIPAL OF PASS CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL IN PASS CHRISTIAN, MISSISSIPPI, AND CONGRATULATING HER UPON RECEIVING A 2017 MILKEN EDUCATOR AWARD.

WHEREAS, on Friday, January 19, 2018, Dr. Robyn Killebrew, principal at Pass Christian High School, in Pass Christian, Mississippi, for the last four years, became a Milken Educator when she was named one of a select few in a class of prestigious recipients awarded the nationally renowned Milken Educator Award for 2017 and a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize incentive; and

WHEREAS, revered by her fellow educators as an administrator with the rare ability to engage individual students, Dr. Killebrew, a twelve-year teaching veteran and third-generation educator following the footsteps of her grandmother and mother, has perfected the skill of adapting her team approach to administration to encompass methods that build upon the concerted efforts of educators and students alike, as indicated by her implementation of Pass Christian's Freshmen Academy, which is specifically designed to ease the transition of students from middle school to ninth grade; and

WHEREAS, a former basketball, softball and volleyball coach, "Coach K," as she is affectionately called by her students, is described as a "whatever it takes" leader, taking on the most menial of tasks to ensure the best for her students, from driving school buses unable to finish their routes, to personally chauffeuring and chaperoning student volunteers in humanitarian efforts in the wake of the Baton Rouge flood, serving as both administrator and number one fan to each extracurricular organization, visiting the homes of at-risk students and inviting the community to her monthly "Pastries with the Principal"; and

WHEREAS, a 2003 graduate of William Carey University, Dr. Killebrew, who earned both her masters in sports administration and a PhD in educational leadership and administration from the University of Mississippi in 2006 and 2016 respectively, who tutors three days per week and participates on several committees, does not lay claim to any extraordinary talent, has witnessed the school's graduation rate rise to over 90%, report an increase on the ACT with students meeting their benchmark on all four testing areas from 17% to 27% since creating an ACT "boot camp," being selected in 2016 by U.S. News and World Report as the No. 1 high school in the state, having an "A" accountability rating and a Value Added Award recipient by the State Department of Education; and

WHEREAS, the Milken Educator Awards are the preeminent educator acknowledgement program in the nation and has honored more than 2,500 K-12 teachers, principals and specialists across the country; and

WHEREAS, founded by Mr. Lowell Milken to celebrate, promote and stimulate commendable K-12 educators, and to publicly demonstrate that excellence in education must be acknowledged and rewarded, the Milken Educator Awards program strives to communicate to parents and policymakers the established truth that the quality of the educator is the most important factor in determining student achievement; and

WHEREAS, although the Milken Educator Awards have no formal application or nomination process, each participating state's department of education appoints an independent committee to recommend contenders based upon strict standards, with final recipient selections made by the Milken Family Foundation; and

WHEREAS, the Milken Educator Awards are known throughout the education profession as the "Oscars of Teaching," catching each recipient by surprise, and on the afternoon of Friday, January 19, 2018, Dr. Robyn Killebrew was inducted into the Milken Educator Network of premier hall of famers, a network that is dedicated to improving and strengthening K-12 education in America; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to commend outstanding individuals, such as Dr. Robyn Killebrew, whose outstanding rapport with her fellow colleagues and, more importantly, with her students, translates into an impassioned zeal for transforming, enriching and positively molding the lives of those under her tutelage and instruction, past, present and future:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the phenomenal approach to educational administration, building educator morale and emphasizing student engagement of Dr. Robyn Killebrew, Principal of Pass Christian High School in Pass Christian, Mississippi, and congratulate her upon being awarded a 2017 Milken Educator Award, and extend best wishes as she continues to inspire greatness in the lives of youth through her superior and heralded educational administrative skills.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Dr. Robyn Killebrew and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.