WHEREAS, Maurice Cullen, a seventh grade life sciences teacher at Virginia Beach Middle School, was one of eight winners of the 2016 Virginia Lottery Super Teacher Award; and

WHEREAS, Maurice Cullen was selected for the distinction from a pool of roughly 800 nominations, and he received a $2,000 cash prize from the Virginia Lottery, as well as $2,000 from The Supply Room Companies to spend on classroom materials; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Lottery selects one teacher from each region of the state to receive the Super Teacher Award, which is in its ninth year of existence; Maurice Cullen is the first employee of Virginia Beach City Public Schools in three years to earn the honor; and

WHEREAS, Maurice Cullen, an avid environmentalist, nature lover, and "critter expert," was nominated because he makes science come alive for his students by using diverse nature encounters in the classroom; and

WHEREAS, Maurice Cullen strives to make learning fun and loves to see his students get excited; he maintains personal insect collections and professional butterfly collections for the Butterfly Society of Virginia and uses the collaborations as hands-on adventures for his students; and

WHEREAS, the students, faculty, and staff at Virginia Beach Middle School are proud that Maurice Cullen received well-deserved recognition for his efforts in the classroom, which is a reflection of the school's overall drive for excellence in academics; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Virginia Beach Middle School science teacher Maurice Cullen on his selection as a 2016 Virginia Lottery Super Teacher Award winner; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Maurice Cullen as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his well-deserved honor.