H*4076 Concurrent Resolution, By Rutherford, J. Brown, J.H. Neal, Scott, Howard, 
Bales, Lourie, J.E. Smith, Harrison, Cotty and Quinn
 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO COMMEND MRS. TRACI YOUNG COOPER OF RICHLAND COUNTY
 FOR HER COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION TO THE CHILDREN OF SOUTH
 CAROLINA AND TO CONGRATULATE HER ON BEING NAMED THE 2002 SOUTH CAROLINA
 TEACHER OF THE YEAR.

   05/08/01  House  Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate HJ-68
   05/09/01  Senate Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence SJ-14

TO COMMEND MRS. TRACI YOUNG COOPER OF RICHLAND COUNTY FOR HER COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION TO THE CHILDREN OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND TO CONGRATULATE HER ON BEING NAMED THE 2002 SOUTH CAROLINA TEACHER OF THE YEAR.

Whereas, Mrs. Traci Young Cooper is the curriculum-resource teacher at C.A. Johnson High School in the Richland 1 school district and having been a teacher for only four years, has become one of the youngest recipients of the South Carolina Teacher of the Year Award; and

Whereas, the Teacher of the Year Award is sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Education, with one of the program's primary goals being to promote teaching as a worthwhile career choice for our state's young people; and

Whereas, Mrs. Cooper earned a bachelor's degree in English from Georgetown University and a Master of Arts degree in teaching from the University of South Carolina; and

Whereas, she is married to Dr. Noble Cooper, Jr., and they are the proud parents of their twenty-one month old daughter, Carlisle, and are expecting their second child in June; and

Whereas, Mrs. Cooper will take a year-long sabbatical from her teaching responsibilities at C.A. Johnson while she travels the State, citing the countless rewards and challenges of teaching and encouraging young people to embrace the profession; she plans to work with medical, dental, and mental health organizations to help ensure that students in South Carolina are healthy and ready to learn; she will also meet with policymakers to stress the importance of providing children with the tools and resources needed to make their education one of the highest quality; and

Whereas, she, as part of being named Teacher of the Year, was given the use of a black BMW roadster for her year of traversing our State, a laptop computer, and $25,000, a large part of which she will use to start a college scholarship fund at Columbia High School where she and her sister attended; and

Whereas, the members of the General Assembly graciously thank Mrs. Cooper for her efforts to better the lives of South Carolina's young people, and are proud to have her as an ambassador representing teachers and the teaching profession in the Palmetto State. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the members of the General Assembly, by this resolution, commend Mrs. Traci Young Cooper of Richland County for her commitment to providing quality education to the children of South Carolina and congratulate her on being named the 2002 South Carolina Teacher of the Year.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Mrs. Traci Young Cooper of Richland County.