HR204.DOC

WHEREAS, the people of the State of Hawaii take great pride in recognizing and honoring the superb achievements and notable contributions of educators who, through their extraordinary dedication and personal efforts, significantly improve the quality of education for the children of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the quality of education rests heavily upon the shoulders of academic instructors and administrators, whose hard work and dedication are important to the character development, happiness, and success of each generation of students; and

WHEREAS, each year, the Hawaii State Department of Education honors Hawaii's best educators with its Teacher of the Year awards; and

WHEREAS, KAREN KUTSUNAI, a social studies teacher at Kailua Intermediate School, is the 2013 State Teacher of the Year, being selected from a group of Hawaii's best and brightest educators thanks to her exemplary commitment to teaching and her innovative, student-based inquiry approach to secondary education, which sets high expectations and has yielded exceptional results; she creates a classroom environment in which her students can shine, feel comfortable asking questions, and learn and grow from their experiences; her genuine care for students extends to the entire school community, demonstrated through her establishment of monthly Ohana club socials for faculty to discuss issues and improve relationships; and

WHEREAS, MARCUS POTTENGER, a social studies teacher at Hokulani Elementary School, is the 2013 Honolulu District Teacher of the Year, a result of his passion for teaching that comes from his belief that each child has a unique spark, and his job is to nurture that spark into a flame; he measures the reward of teaching by the success of his students and the continued improvement of the school community; and

WHEREAS, TRACIE HIGASHI, an art teacher at Hickam Elementary School, is the 2013 Central District Teacher of the Year, selected due to her commitment to excellence in education and the instrumental role she played in establishing fine arts at Hickam Elementary School; she has worked tirelessly to establish partnerships with the Hawaii Opera Theatre and the Honolulu Academy of Arts, where students interact with Academy teachers and produce wonderful art pieces; and

WHEREAS, VICTORIA COFFIN, a Keoneula Elementary School teacher, is the 2013 Leeward District Teacher of the Year by virtue of her efforts in and out of the classroom that have equipped her students with knowledge and expertise regarding the environment; she started a Kids Initiating Change service club to make learning meaningful, and energetically leads hands-on projects through which students and the community have promoted traffic safety, recycling, and energy conservation; and

WHEREAS, AMOREENA NESTMAN, an English teacher at Kealakehe Elementary School, is the 2013 Hawaii District Teacher of the Year; she views every classroom as an extended family, which makes team collaboration key for students to feel supported and be risk takers at each grade; she discovered her love for teaching at a very young age -- when she was tutoring other peers in the second grade and "felt a spark within her soul"; and

WHEREAS, AARON LOCQUE, a social studies teacher at Maui Waena Intermediate School, is the 2013 Maui District Teacher of the Year; selected for his dedication to his students and to Maui Waena Intermediate School, he supervises summer credit recovery classes, develops school-wide transition plans for students, and serves on the accreditation committee; and

WHEREAS, PAUL HOLWEGNER, a science teacher at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, is the 2013 Kauai District Teacher of the Year, a result of his strong classroom management skills, dedication to leading the school's English department, and diligence in analyzing school data, which assists him in collaborating with his colleagues; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, that this body hereby commends, congratulates, and honors KAREN KUTSUNAI, MARCUS POTTENGER, TRACIE HIGASHI, VICTORIA COFFIN, AMOREENA NESTMAN, AARON LOCQUE, and PAUL HOLWEGNER for their outstanding accomplishments and much-deserved recognition, and extends to all of them its sincere mahalo and best wishes for continued success in all future endeavors.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

2013 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year Awards

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	204
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013
STATE OF HAWAII