23107173D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 407
Offered February 22, 2023
Commending Kathleen Jacoby.
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Patron-- Shin
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WHEREAS, Kathleen Jacoby of Sterling, a music education teacher and band director at Herndon High School, was selected as the 2022 Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year by Fairfax County Public Schools; and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Jacoby teaches advanced placement music theory, leads three concert ensembles, the percussion ensemble, and the Pride of Herndon Marching Band, and is the sponsor of the Herndon High School chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society; and

WHEREAS, under Kathleen Jacoby's direction, the Pride of Herndon Marching Band has performed in the NATO Parade in 2018, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade in 2017, the National Cherry Blossom Parade in 2016, Macy's Holiday Parade at Universal Studios in 2016, and the Disney Electric Light Parade in April 2014; and

WHEREAS, during Kathleen Jacoby's distinguished tenure, the Pride of Herndon Marching Band represented the United States at the 75th anniversary commemoration of D-Day in Normandy, France, won the grand champion award at the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii, and became the only band to ever perform at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters; and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Jacoby is an active adjudicator for marching and concert band assessments in Virginia and Maryland, and she has worked diligently to diversify clinician and adjudication panels; and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Jacoby is a member of the executive board of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association and previously served as the creator and chair of the association's inclusion committee, which developed solutions to diversify leadership, create resources to enhance hiring practices, and address inclusion of all types of marching styles at state events; and

WHEREAS, in June 2018, Kathleen Jacoby and a group of other women educators launched the Virginia Band Director Toolkit, a website that promotes best practices for programming and hiring and offers information on grant and scholarship opportunities for both students and teachers; and

WHEREAS, among many other awards and accolades, Kathleen Jacoby has received the Dr. Alice M. Hammel Inclusion in Music Education Award from James Madison University, the Scroll of Excellence from Women Band Directors International, and commendations from the Town of Herndon, the Fairfax County School Board, and the Virginia Department of Education; she has been listed twice on the 50 Music Teachers to Watch list by School Band and Orchestra Magazine; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Kathleen Jacoby hereby be commended on her selection as the 2022 Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year by Fairfax County Public Schools; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Kathleen Jacoby as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her contributions to music education and service to students and educators in Fairfax County and across the Commonwealth.