Bill Text: VA HJR358 | 2016 | Regular Session | Enrolled

Virginia House Joint Resolution 358 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Commending Pete Koste.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 5-3)

Status: (Passed) 2016-03-10 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ358ER) [HJR358 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2016-HJR358-Enrolled.html

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 358 Commending Pete Koste.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 4, 2016 Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2016

WHEREAS, Pete Koste, who has admirably served the students of Chesterfield County with great dedication for his entire professional career and has been a strong and caring leader as principal of Manchester High School since 1993, will retire in June 2016; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from Randolph-Macon College in 1976, Pete Koste immediately embarked on a career in public education; he has been a highly regarded teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant principal, and principal in the Chesterfield County Public School system for 40 years; and

WHEREAS, during his tenure as principal of Manchester High School, Pete Koste devoted countless hours to help better educate students, assist families, and support the community; he has been a teacher recruitment specialist, representative to a budget advisory committee, mentor to aspiring principals, and chair of district and regional academic and athletic competitions; and

WHEREAS, on a districtwide level, Pete Koste helped design and implement several important programs in the Chesterfield County Public Schools, including the current grading practices and report card format, staff observation and evaluation process, methods to monitor on-time graduation rates, adjustments to algebra instruction, and several other successful initiatives; and

WHEREAS, Pete Koste also has made many valuable contributions on a statewide level; he was an active member of the Virginia High School League and served on several of the organization's committees; and

WHEREAS, at Manchester High School, Pete Koste has been an attentive and tireless leader, working directly with students and their families; he is a strong supporter of the school's chorus, band, drama, athletics, world languages, and exceptional education programs; and

WHEREAS, under Pete Koste's leadership and in line with his goal of supporting all students, Manchester High School has been recognized by the Workforce Partnership and the United States Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program; and

WHEREAS, Pete Koste also has endeared himself to the Manchester High School community in personal ways; he has driven the show choir's equipment truck to competitions, volunteered as a timer at track meets, tutored students struggling to pass math, and visited the homes of families who have lost a child; and

WHEREAS, Pete Koste's dedication to the well-being of the Manchester High School community will be long remembered by the thousands of students whose lives he touched as principal and the hundreds of staff members who worked under his supervision; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Pete Koste, principal of Manchester High School in Chesterfield County, on the occasion of his retirement in 2016; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Pete Koste as an expression of the General Assembly's respect and admiration for his many years of service to the students of Chesterfield County and his commitment to public education in the Commonwealth.