Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                               A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION

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                   IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                      September 19, 2023

To acknowledge and honor Principal Gwendolyn Payton and Assistant Principal Pamela Hagans

       for their contributions and services to the District of Columbia Public Schools and the

       Ward 7 community, on the occasion of their retirement from Anne Beers Elementary

       School after 17 and 22 years respectively.

       WHEREAS, Principal Gwendolyn Payton and Assistant Principal Hagans have served

the longest tenures of any currently serving administrator in District of Columbia Public Schools

(DCPS);

       WHEREAS, Principal Gwendolyn Payton taught at the Emery Education Campus for 14

years and served as an Assistant Principal at John Burroughs Elementary School through the

New Leaders Program, prior to serving at Anne Beers Elementary School starting in 2006;

       WHEREAS, Assistant Principal Pamela Hagans began her career at Beers Elementary

School in 2001 as a special education teacher, and served as a DCPS Visiting Instruction Service

Teacher for homebound students with disabilities, before leading as its Assistant Principal in

2012;

       WHEREAS, Assistant Principal Hagans, during her time as a teacher, helped DCPS’s

new or struggling teachers to strengthen their practice;

      WHEREAS, Principal Gwendolyn Payton has many former students who are now DCPS

employees;

       WHEREAS, Principal Gwendolyn Payton currently serves as an advisor to both DCPS

and the National Association of Elementary School Principals;

       WHEREAS, Principal Gwendolyn Payton and Assistant Principal Hagans led the Anne

Beers Elementary School in adopting a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)

Catalyst Program, while also providing off-campus learning opportunities to strengthen and

increase students’ connections to the real-world, such as the Embassy Adoption Program;

       WHEREAS, Principal Gwendolyn Payton and Assistant Principal Hagans conducted

student home visits and encouraged family members to play a role in ensuring the school’s

success, and always put family engagement as a top priority for Anne Beers Elementary School;

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                                                                      ENROLLED ORIGINAL

       WHEREAS, Principal Gwendolyn Payton’s and Assistant Principal Hagans’s students-

come-first approach is clear in the small things they do, such as always knowing their students’

names, and making their students feel seen and cared for, and celebrating their students’

birthdays and showing a genuine care for the wellbeing of their students; and

        WHEREAS, Principal Gwendolyn Payton and Assistant Principal Hagans’s leadership

also shines through in their phenomenal staff, including 3 teachers and 2 education support

professionals receiving Standing Ovation Awards from DCPS, and one receiving the 2012

Milken Family Foundation Award.

        RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

resolution may be cited as the “Gwendolyn Payton and Pamela Hagans Retirement Recognition

Resolution of 2023”.

       Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia honors Principal Gwendolyn Payton and

Assistant Principal Pamela Hagans for their commitment to the students of Anne Beers

Elementary School, recognizes them for their contributions to the Ward 7 community, and

congratulates them on their retirement from Anne Beers Elementary School.

       Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.

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