Governor Gregoire Honors Andrea Peterson, 2007 National Teacher of the Year from Monte Cristo Elementary School in Granite Falls

May 10, 2007

Andrea, congratulations on this tremendous honor. Kids, let�s give her a big round of applause!

I couldn�t be prouder that the 2007 Teacher of the Year is from the state of Washington. I have always felt that we have the best teachers in the country here in our state, and this award just confirms my feelings.

I bet all of you students already knew what a great teacher Mrs. Peterson is, even before she got this award, right?

Just about all of you have had the chance to be in Mrs. Peterson�s music class, and you have learned so much from her.

I am so pleased that the rest of the country now knows what you kids already knew � that Mrs. Peterson really cares about her students.

Monte Cristo Elementary School is lucky to have her, along with the rest of your teachers. Mrs. Peterson helped develop the tremendous music program you get to be a part of.

She was given virtually no money for supplies and basically left to her own imagination.

But Mrs. Peterson created a model music program. She used her ability to play every instrument to help every student find his or her role in the music class.

She found a way to get you excited about learning and find your creativity. And the results are tremendous. The music program in the Granite Falls School District is flourishing.

I am looking forward to hearing your choir perform. And I really enjoyed Tayla�s performance of the national anthem. You obviously have very talented students in your district.

This is an exciting time to be a student in Granite Falls and throughout Washington. You kids may not know this, but we are doing a lot of important things here in Olympia to make your education even better.

We want to make sure that you are all successful, and have the chance to do whatever you want to do as an adult.

Maybe one of you will be an astronaut, and go into space. Or you�ll start your own business, like Microsoft. Or you will help build airplanes at Boeing. Or maybe even become a famous musician (and win American Idol!).

Whatever you want to do, it is important that you get a good education first. And with teachers like Mrs. Peterson, you will get a great education in Granite Falls.

Congratulations again, Andrea, on this tremendous honor. You are a model for all of our teachers to follow and an inspiration to Washingtonians across the state. It is more than just teachers who admire the work you do.

For every one of us who has had a teacher, a parent or a mentor who has opened our eyes to more opportunities � or helped to open doors to experience � we understand how important your work is.

For me, it was Mr. Vernon Reis who showed me that I could see the world through books � from the seat at the end of the diner in Auburn where my mom worked.

For many of your students, it will be through music that they understand and appreciate the larger world around them.

Thank you for everything you do for your students and for your community and congratulations!

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