MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2014 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Ward, Butler (38th), Jackson (15th), Jackson (32nd), Simmons (12th)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION HONORING THE LEGACY OF DR. SUSAN G. DILLARD, OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR FROM LOUISVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, ON THE OCCASION OF THE AWARD OF THE "DILLARD'S READING, ENRICHMENT, ARTS, MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE AFTER-SCHOOL AND SUMMER TUTORIAL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (DREAMS)" AT MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND THE LOUISVILLE MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT.
WHEREAS, the recent award of a major grant to benefit at-risk students in the Louisville Municipal School District is a tribute to the legacy of Dr. Susan G. Dillard's passion for education in our state; and
WHEREAS, a $2 Million grant awarded to Mississippi State's College of Education and the Louisville Municipal School District will be used to help boost at-risk student achievements through academic tutoring, teacher intervention and literacy training. The state-of-the-art educational approach is named for the late Susan Gregory Dillard, a longtime Louisville Municipal School District Teacher who assisted with the initial grant proposal now known as the Dillard's Reading, Enrichment, Arts, Mathematics and Science After-School and Summer Tutorial Enrichment Program (DREAMS); and
WHEREAS, announced August 23, 2013, at the Louisville Municipal School District's central office, the Mississippi Department of Education DREAMS Award to the university is part of the agency's 21st Century Community Learning Center program. The project will focus on 150-200 at-risk students in Kindergarten through Fourth Grade. The five-year partnership will provide after-school and summer enrichment programs for the city's Fair Memorial and Louisville Elementary Schools, as well as Noxapater and Nanih Waiya Attendance Centers in Winston County. The innovative learning and enrichment components of the program are designed to produce outcomes such as improved achievement in classroom academics, higher test scores, and increased class attendance. DREAMS is an evidence-based curricula with strategies to increase vocabulary, reading fluency and comprehension, mathematics fluency and number sense, problem solving and critical thinking skills. Instruction will complement the students' regular academic program by emphasizing active, hands-on learning activities; and
WHEREAS, a Nanih Waiya Attendance Center graduate, Dr. Dillard taught English at her alma mater until her death in 2010. She was a National Board Certified Teacher and the school's 2010 "Teacher of the Year" and "STAR" teacher. Dr. Dillard was a Mississippi State doctoral graduate who also previously taught at the university; and
WHEREAS, teaching was Dr. Dillard's calling. From her early teaching career at Witherspoon Elementary in Meridian to her dream job teaching secondary English at her beloved Nanih Waiya, she brought that passion to every stop in her career; and
WHEREAS, there was only one thing that could bring her out of the classroom, her son John Atwell Dillard born January 28, 2004. He was an answer to many prayers. She finished the semester and came home to educate her son, but returned to her beloved Nanih Waiya School when her dream job opened up in the Fall of 2006; and
WHEREAS, Susan was one of the first to receive her National Board Certification in Winston County. She was the first Barksdale Visiting Professor at MSU and worked with the Barksdale Reading Institute and MSU to assist area elementary schools with technical assistance for reading. Dr. Dillard received her doctorate degree from Mississippi State University where she previously taught and where she served on the board of the MSU Baptist Student Union. She was an active member of South Louisville Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School and was involved in the Awana Program. She was also a member of the Gideon's Auxiliary, Mississippi Professional Educators Association and Winston County Republican Women. She was co-owner of the Fairy Godmother Formal Dress Shop. Susan Gregory Dillard, 43, passed away June 20, 2010; and
WHEREAS, it is most appropriate that we commend the staff of the Mississippi State University College of Education, the staff of the State Department of Education and the Louisville schools for their efforts in securing this grant in honor of Susan, and we pay tribute and cherish fondly the memory of this most public education spirited citizen of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby honor the legacy of Dr. Susan G. Dillard, outstanding educator from Louisville, Mississippi, and extend the thanks of a grateful state to her family for her contributions.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Dr. Susan Dillard and transmitted to the Dean of the MSU College of Education and the Superintendent of the Louisville Municipal Separate School District, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.