Bill Text: VA SJR183 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Madeline Michel.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-03 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ183ER) [SJR183 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-SJR183-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Madeline Michel, theater director at Monticello High School in Charlottesville, received the Excellence in Theatre Education Award during the 2019 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall; and
WHEREAS, the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, presented by the American Theatre Wing, the Broadway League, and Carnegie Mellon University since 2014, recognizes a K–12 drama teacher that has greatly impacted the lives of their students and promoted the arts in their school; and
WHEREAS, a graduate of the University of Rochester and Johns Hopkins University, Madeline Michel began her career as an English teacher in Baltimore before ultimately settling in Charlottesville, where for the past 12 years she has headed the drama program at Monticello High School; and
WHEREAS, leading a program of approximately 140 students from diverse backgrounds, Madeline Michel has encouraged her young thespians to address social injustice and racial inequality through student-authored plays and student-led productions of works such as Once on This Island and In the Heights; and
WHEREAS, Monticello High School productions inspired by the personal experiences of the school's students, including "#WhileBlack" by graduating senior Kayla Scott and "A King's Story" by senior Joshua Hill, have recently earned awards from the Virginia Theatre Association; and
WHEREAS, each year, Madeline Michel and her drama department raise thousands of dollars on behalf of local community service organizations and initiatives, taking their work beyond the classroom; and
WHEREAS, always striving to foster the efforts and accomplishments of her students, Madeline Michel masterfully demonstrates how a teacher can touch lives and provide students with the confidence and skills to succeed; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Madeline Michel, theater director at Monticello High School in Charlottesville, for receiving the 2019 Excellence in Theatre Education Award; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Madeline Michel as an expression of the General Assembly's profound admiration and earnest appreciation for her contributions to Charlottesville and the Commonwealth.
