HR0331 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0331 LRB100 12389 KLG 25165 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Dr. Sherry Eagle on the occasion of her retirement as Executive Director of the Institute for Collaboration at Aurora University; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sherry Eagle began her career in education as a third-grade teacher at Caroline Sibley Elementary School in Calumet City; she spent 10 years as a reading specialist at Thornwood High School in South Holland before her transition to Aurora schools; during her time with Aurora West School District 129 she served as the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Special Education, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, and then 12 years as Superintendent of Schools; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sherry Eagle became the Executive Director of the Institute for Collaboration at Aurora University in 2005; as Executive Director she has successfully lead the establishment of numerous far-reaching partnerships and collaborations across the greater Aurora community that have resulted in the development of community-wide programs designed to meet critical needs of children in Aurora; she collaborated in the development of partnerships between the corporate, not for profit, governmental, and education sectors in the Fox River Valley; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sherry Eagle has been instrumental in implementing numerous programs which are producing significant results including the Mathematics and Science Education Center of Aurora University, that has created an alternative model for STEM education that includes the nationally acclaimed John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School, that serves third through eighth-graders and teachers from four Aurora school districts; the community-wide MyTime After School Program, that serves over 1,000 elementary and middle school students throughout Aurora; and the Healthy Living Council, a group of community leaders organized through the Institute that has offered city-wide programs to reduce childhood obesity through programs promoting wellness and health with the goal of making Kane County residents the healthiest in the State by 2020; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sherry Eagle excelled in her studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago; she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 1970, her Master of Studies in Reading Education and Curriculum Development in 1974, and her Certificate of Advanced Study in 1994, all with honors; she completed her Doctor of Education with Honors from Northern Illinois University in 1994; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sherry Eagle has been recognized for her excellence in leadership throughout her career; during her tenure as Executive Director she received the 2006 University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award, the 2005 Aurora Public Library Foundation Light of Learning Award, and the 2005 Quad County Urban League Award for Community Leadership; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sherry Eagle has served on numerous boards and commissions throughout her career; she currently serves as a member of the Communities in Schools Board of Aurora, a member of the Rush Copley/Fox Valley Heart Foundation Board, the Energizing Student Potential Advisory Board (NEED Project/Excelon Foundation, as a member of the Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois University; and as a member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Sherry Eagle has been published four times in peer-reviewed publications; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Dr. Sherry Eagle on the occasion of her retirement as Executive Director of the Institute for Collaboration at Aurora University, and thank her for her career dedicated to the education of students in Illinois, and wish her a healthy and happy retirement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Sherry Eagle as an expression of our esteem and respect.