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[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 128 (Thursday, September 20, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6531-S6532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

             2011 and 2012 CONNECTICUT TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I proudly celebrate two of 
Connecticut's most outstanding teachers, who have been recognized as 
Connecticut Teachers of the Year. Kristen Record, physics teacher at 
Frank Scott Bunnell High School in Stratford, was awarded in 2011, and 
David Bosso, social studies teacher at Berlin High School, was honored 
in 2012.
  Since 1952, the Connecticut Teacher of the Year program has 
highlighted educators who make significant impacts in Connecticut 
classrooms and schools. Sponsored yearly by the Connecticut State 
Department of Education, one teacher in each local district is 
nominated. These district educators of the year have the opportunity to 
exchange advice and strategies and partake in advisory committees, 
workshops, conferences, and forums, serving as changemakers for public 
education on a national level. A teacher from each State is selected 
yearly from this pool and considered for the title of National Teacher 
of the Year.
  I applaud Ms. Record and Mr. Bosso for earning this very well 
deserved distinction. This yearly award highlights the vital importance 
of teachers in our States who can show our future leaders how to 
embrace accountability, self-assessment, and motivation for years to 
come. They demonstrate that the quest to learn does not end at school, 
inspire exceptional teaching, and encourage all members of a community 
to become involved as teachers, mentors, and coaches.
  Kristen Record has been central to the Bunnell High School community 
for 12 years as a physics teacher, mentor to colleagues, and adviser on 
education policy. Community participation and lifelong learning are key 
principles of her successful teaching methodology. In addition to her 
daily responsibilities, Ms. Record is able to take a larger view of her 
classroom, developing updated curriculum and achievement assessments 
while ensuring that every student is learning effectively. She has 
worked with her school district and throughout the State to improve the 
physics curriculum, institute electronic grading methods, create 
digital databases, and develop more effective ways of evaluating 
teachers and forming professional standards. Additionally, she has 
volunteered as senior class adviser, supported fellow teachers as a 
TEAM mentor, and volunteered on the Stratford Education Association's 
executive board. Ms. Record is regarded as a leader throughout the 
State in roles to include science education consultant for the 
Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and the Connecticut Science Center and 
high school director for the Connecticut Science Teachers' Association, 
demonstrating that opportunities to bring about positive change as a 
teacher are vast and exciting. Last year, she was appointed by the 
Connecticut Commissioner of Education to the Legislative Task Force for 
Secondary School Reform. And, recognized nationally in 2009 with the 
Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 
she serves as a model of engaged teaching around the country. Growing 
up in a family of teachers, Ms. Record has continued her legacy, 
sharing this wisdom and experience with our future leaders.
  David Bosso earned degrees from Eastern Connecticut State University 
and the University of Hartford, and has

[[Page S6532]]

given back to the State as a social studies teacher at Berlin High 
School since 1998. Beloved by students, he has inspired proficiency in 
communication skills, analysis, and reading comprehension by comparing 
current events with historical patterns. Mr. Bosso has also advised 
student government and coached basketball. He is a national leader for 
social studies, serving on the board of directors of the Connecticut 
Council for the Social Studies, as cochair of the Northeast Regional 
Conference on the Social Studies in 2012, and a participant of this 
year's National Council for the Social Studies' annual national 
conference. He has been published in Connecticut History and is 
currently working towards a doctorate in education.
  When named 2011 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, Ms. Record 
eloquently described her role and the important job of educators around 
the world, recognizing that ``tonight, we celebrate the fact that, as a 
teacher, you never truly know where your influence will end.'' Mr. 
Bosso similarly proclaimed the significant, multifaceted role of 
teachers, while speaking at the Connecticut Education Association's 
Representative Assembly this year, urging fellow teachers to ``never, 
never, again use the phrase, `I am just a teacher.' '' I invite my 
colleagues to join me in acknowledging Ms. Record and Mr. Bosso, and 
ask for their continued support of our concerned, courageous teachers.

                          ____________________
```