Marco Rubio

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Angela Perry, the Lafayette County Teacher of the Year from Lafayette Elementary School in Mayo, FL. The compassion Angela displays to her students and her demonstration of being a model teacher to her peers led to her being named Teacher of the Year. Angela credited her school's administration, colleagues, and friends who share her love of teaching for her receiving this honor by the district. Angela's teaching philosophy is guided by a quote from Mother Teresa: ``Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.'' She abides by this quote when it comes to teaching her fifth grade students as they begin to transition from elementary to middle school. Outside of the classroom, Angela is involved throughout her community by volunteering with her church youth's ministry. She has coached soccer, basketball, and softball for local youth programs. Angela has also been a board member for the Lafayette Babe Ruth Program for 14 years. Angela graduated from Lafayette High School in 1992 and continued her educational career by earning an elementary education degree at Valdosta State University in 1997. She has taught at Lafayette Elementary School since 2011, teaching fourth grade for 6 years and is currently teaching fifth grade math. I express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Angela for the dedication she has provided to her students and community throughout the years.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Amy Roberts, the Columbia County Teacher of the Year from Summers Elementary School in Lake City, FL. Amy's colleagues describe her as an organized, structured professional with proven teaching, motivating, and leadership skills. These abilities undoubtedly contributed to Amy becoming her school district's Teacher of the Year. Her administrator noted that Amy works to ensure all students are able to experience success during their academic career. One of her former students remembers that Amy always did whatever she could to help them succeed in school. Amy is a firm believer in fostering a growth mindset and developing lasting relationships with her students and their families. She views these relationships as paramount to students achieving success in her classroom, college, and in working environments. Amy has been a teacher for more than 7 years, with most of those years at Summers Elementary School. She is currently a first grade teacher. I am honored to express my sincere gratitude to Amy for her hard work and look forward to hearing of her continued success throughout her teaching career.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I honor Beth Rosenow, the Monroe County Teacher of the Year from Coral Shores High School in Tavernier, FL. Beth received this important recognition because of her exemplary marine science and leadership programs. Her colleagues note her outstanding work in and out of the classroom because she connects her class material to the outside world and keeps her students engaged. Beth is known by her coworkers for her unique teaching style. She uses hands-on techniques to give her students a firsthand experience to the material they are learning. Her expertise and participation within the local marine science community provides her with material for her students. Beth's commitment to this field allows her students learn how to assess the health of coral reefs and to report data to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Beth has certifications in fish identification, rescue diving, and uses her expertise to challenge her students and herself. She began her teaching career 18 years ago in Fenton, MI, and is coming up on her seventh year of teaching in Monroe County. She previously taught at Key Largo School before coming to Coral Shores High School. I am pleased to learn of all the hard work Beth has done for her students and extend my best wishes on her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that no further motions be in order; and that any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record.

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the en bloc consideration of the following nominations: Executive Calendar Nos. 840, 841, 842, and 843.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I honor Heather Anderson, the Manatee County Teacher of the Year from Martha B. King Middle School in Bradenton, FL. Heather credits her students as the reason why she was named Teacher of the Year. During the award ceremony, she noted that they keep her going every day and thanked them for giving her purpose and meaning. Everything she does is for her students, and she cannot wait to see what the future holds for them. Heather wanted to be a teacher since she was a child and said this award is one of the most rewarding parts of her career. For students who enter her classroom, she has committed herself to positively contributing to their lives, promises to value and treat them with respect, hold the highest standard for herself and students, and monitor and adjust her work to ensure they are prepared for their educational future. In her classroom, students are able to use tablets to learn and conduct research for their assignments. These tablets were not provided by the school, but through a fundraiser she put together. She is dedicated to seeing each and every one of her students succeed in school and in life. Heather is an English I honors and language arts teacher at King Middle School. She serves as chair of the language arts department and has been a teacher for 18 years. I extend my appreciation to Heather for her hard work and dedication to her students and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I honor Catelyn Boze, the Putnam County Teacher of the Year from Q.I. Roberts Junior-Senior High School in Florahome, FL. Catelyn received this important recognition because of her ability to encourage students from all ranges. She challenges the gifted students and helps motivate those who struggle. This dedication to her students resulted in many striving to produce work that will make her proud. Catelyn's success is built on three components. According to her, a large portion of teaching is relational. When students know their teacher cares about them, they are more open to learning. She demonstrates this to her students by setting high expectations and not allowing them to become unengaged. The second component is Catelyn's creativity and deep content knowledge. This allows her to create questions that challenge her students to think critically. The third component of her success are two initiatives she designed in the past 2 years: student choice and nonzero grading. Catelyn believes that a student who receives a zero for an assignment does not give her the necessary feedback to determine what a student has learned and damages their motivation to school. Instead, her grading practices allow for end-point mastery, which she believes to help her students learn. Catelyn has taught at Q.I. Roberts Junior-Senior High School for 3 years and is involved with several extracurricular activities. As yearbook sponsor, she doubled the size of the yearbook and increased sales to where more copies were needed to be ordered. She also cosponsors the Hi-Q team and attends school sporting events and performances of her students. I express my best wishes to Catelyn for her commitment to her students and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Whitehouse.

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 23; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. Finally, I ask that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and proceed to the consideration of the Montgomery nomination under the previous order.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 519, submitted earlier today.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that action with respect to Calendar No. 403, H.R. 4743, be vitiated and the Senate agree to the House request to return the papers on H.R. 4743, and authorize the Secretary of the Senate to return the papers on H.R. 4743 to the House of Representatives.

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, following leader remarks on Wednesday, May 23, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the Montgomery nomination, as under the previous order, and the Senate vote on the nomination at 3:15 p.m.; further, that following disposition of the nomination, the Senate resume legislative session and all postcloture time on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 2372 be considered expired; finally, that following disposition of the motion to concur, the Senate vote on the cloture motions in relation to the McWilliams nominations in the order filed and that if cloture is invoked, the postcloture time run concurrently.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Danielle Summers, the Liberty County Teacher of the Year from W. R. Tolar K-8 School in Bristol, FL, where she teaches elementary school. Danielle received this important award because of her strong classroom management skills and hands-on, experiential approach to teaching foundational education standards. Besides teaching, she has served on the leadership team as the kindergarten grade level chair for 3 years and served as the grade level chair for first grade for the past 2 school years. Danielle has also been a cooperating teacher for both Flagler College and Chipola College, supervising and training three student-teacher interns in 3 of the past 4 school years. Danielle has been teaching for 10 years. She has taught second grade for 1 year, kindergarten for 6 years, and is currently teaching first grade for the third year. Danielle has also served on the K-3 District evaluation subcommittee and the K-2 district writing committee for Liberty County. I express my deep gratitude to Danielle for her desire to help her students learn in any way she can. I wish Danielle the best and look forward to hearing of her continued success in the years ahead.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I honor Helene Hotaling, the Marion County Teacher of the Year from Madison Street Academy in Ocala, FL. Helene believes what best describes her life as a child, parent, and as an educator can be attributed to a quote from Dr. Seuss: ``To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.'' Helene's parents were poor, had little education, and spoke broken English. As a result, her initial introduction to school in first grade was difficult. It was not until a retired teacher in her neighborhood guided her to where she is today. That retired teacher, Ms. Nuesell, saw she could make a difference in her life and taught her the joy of learning. This inspired Helene to become a teacher at a young age. Ms. Nuesell took Helene to the library and sat with her as she struggled to read. This kindness and persistence paid off, and by the time Helene entered second grade, she could read and keep up with her classmates academically. Helene knows Ms. Nuesell did not have to do this; she did so because she enjoyed teaching. Ms. Nuesell has been her role model in life. Helene is a graduate of the University of Georgia with bachelor of arts degree in elementary education and a master's degree in teaching reading from Barry University. She has been a teacher for 29 years, with all but 2 years in Marion County. Helene has taught fourth grade, third grade, second grade, and kindergarten, She is currently a third grade teacher at Madison Street Academy. I thank Helene for her dedication to teaching countless students throughout her nearly three decades long career. I express my best wishes for her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of and the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 346.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I am pleased to honor Es Swihart, the Sarasota County Teacher of the Year from Riverview High School in Sarasota, FL. After Es was presented with the Teacher of the Year award, she was asked what inspires her. She stated it was her fellow teachers that offer inspiration, through the long hours and their desire to teach lessons in new ways, plus the creative veracity with which educators make space for students as they learn to navigate the world and allow students to value their own voice serves as inspiration. Es notes the desire for students to come to class each day while shouldering the weight of what they carry, sometimes gracefully and sometimes with awkward honesty, inspires her the most. Their optimistic view of the world and wanting others to see them for who they truly are serve as her motivation as their teacher. As an English teacher, Es teaches her students to analyze everything, whether it be books or movies that are recent or decades old. She knows her students are understanding and experiencing educational growth when they realize books from the 1500s through 1600s can still be relevant today. Her colleagues note she opens up pathways to language with her content and is focused on the learning process for all of her students. I am thankful to learn of Es's commitment to teaching. I extend my best wishes to her on receiving this important award and look forward to hearing of her continued success in her future endeavors.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I am pleased to recognize Keilan McWhorter, the Franklin County Teacher of the Year from Franklin County School in Eastpoint, FL. Keilan grew up in a small agricultural community in Albany, KY. After graduating from Clinton County High School in 1987, he started college at Gulf Coast Community College, later transferring to Florida State University, graduating in 1992. When at FSU, he completed his teacher training requirements while working on his plant physiology research. Shortly after, Keilan moved to Rickards High School in Tallahassee and completed his student teaching requirements. Keilan began his first full-time teaching opportunity teaching biology and chemistry at Shanks High School in Quincy. He also served as department chair for 3 years and coached baseball for the Shanks Tigers. Keilan then moved to Panama City and began a job at Rutherford High School, teaching higher level biology for the International Baccalaureate Program, where he later served as department chair. He taught within the IB program for 16 years before coming to the Franklin County School, where he has been a valued faculty member for nearly 4 years. I extend my best wishes to Keilan for his dedication to teaching students. I look forward to hearing of his continued success in his future endeavors.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Joy Prescott, the Glades County Teacher of the Year from Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School in Okeechobee, FL. Joy employs a simple teaching philosophy that creates a fun learning environment that is welcoming and, most importantly, safe. In her classroom, her students know it is okay to make mistakes. Joy indeed has a record of excellence as demonstrated in 2005 when her students made the most writing gains in Florida and in 2006 when she was named New Endeavor High School's Teacher of the Year. Joy is a lifelong resident of Okeechobee County and spent the first 13 years of her teaching career giving back to the students in her hometown. She has been with Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School for the past 4 years, where she and her colleagues work to help preserve the Seminole Tribe of Florida's cultures and traditions. She currently teaches fourth-grade math. I offer my best wishes to Joy and I look forward to learning of her continued success in the years ahead.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I want to begin by reading an excerpt of an article that ran on October 8, 2012. It was in the New York Times. The article opened with the following quote: A House committee issued a blistering bipartisan report on Monday that accused two of China's largest telecommunications companies of being arms of the government that had stolen intellectual property from American companies and could potentially spy on Americans. The House Intelligence Committee said that after a yearlong investigation it had come to the conclusion that Chinese businesses, Huawei Technologies and ZTE Inc., were a national threat because of their attempts to extract sensitive information from American companies and because of their loyalties to the Chinese government. The story continued by saying: Allowing the Chinese companies to do business in the United States . . . would give the Chinese government the ability to easily intercept communications and could allow it to start online attacks on critical infrastructure, like dams and power grids. This was from a bipartisan report in the year 2012, in the month of October, by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Intelligence. Since then, over and over again, we have heard the intelligence community in this country clearly define this threat. In virtually every one of the open hearings that we had on the Intelligence Committee, I or one of my colleagues have had an opportunity to ask every member of the intelligence community--Director of National Intelligence, Director of the CIA, Director of the FBI, the Director of Counterintelligence, Mr. Evanina, or the nominee before us today--and every time one of us would ask: Would you use a ZTE phone? We are still waiting for one of them to say yes. Every single one of them said no, which is why I was pleased a couple of weeks ago when the Commerce Department brought sanctions against ZTE. It was not a Congressional issue. Although it could be, it wasn't. It was because, on top of the spying and everything else, ZTE had helped Iran and North Korea evade international sanctions. So the penalty was, American companies could no longer sell component pieces to ZTE, which has led them to being on the brink of being out of business. No one should feel sorry for ZTE. This is a company heavily subsidized by the Chinese Government that protects them at home, protects them in China, subsidizes them in China but exports them abroad with the hopes that they can help them steal secrets, monitor, and be an arm and tool of intelligence for them. No one should feel sorry for them. So I was surprised to see, a couple days ago--as the President tweeted and then there have been articles about how perhaps maybe these sanctions might be going away in exchange for a deal on agriculture. I want to tell you, if that is what happens, the President has gotten terrible advice, and it would be a terrible thing for him to do. I think it would be deeply problematic for the national security of the United States and ultimately for his hopes of rebalancing America's relationship with China, geopolitically, economically, commercially, and certainly on security. The most important thing to understand is, China is carrying out a plan. They put it out there. It is not a conspiracy. It is there for the world to see: Made in China 2025. Made in China 2025 is a plan to dominate the 10 most important technologies of the 21st century. You may ask: Why is that a big deal? Countries would want to do that. They have every right to aspire to that, and I agree. If they want to dominate these 10 fields, they have every right to invest in research and innovation. They have every right to do all of that. The problem is, that is not how they intend to dominate these fields. The way they intend to dominate the 10 top technologies of the 21st century is to steal the intellectual property, basically the protected, secret ideas our companies are innovating, that American researchers are innovating--to steal that and use it for themselves. Furthermore, they insist that all of their companies be allowed to sell whatever they want to the United States without any restriction. On the other hand, our companies are restricted--some prohibited--from selling to China's 1.2 billion, 1.3 billion-person market, soon to be the largest economy in the world. So, in essence, they intend to dominate these 10 fields by cheating their way into a position of dominance, and that alone is not just an economic issue. This is a national security issue. If you dominate the field of artificial intelligence, if you dominate the field of telecommunications, if you dominate the field of aerospace technology, you will dominate the field of national defense and national security, and you will pose a threat to other countries that do not. We are giving it to them. We are literally allowing them to steal it from us, and they play our system against us. American companies go to China to do business, and here is what they tell them: You can only do business here if you partner up with a Chinese company. You have to give them all the secrets to how you do business. By the way, time and again, as soon as the Chinese company can do what the American company can do, the American company gets kicked out. Suddenly, you have a competitor all over the world that you helped build by giving it to them for free. Sadly, a lot of American companies play the game because all they care about is being able to sell to China in the short term and have profits, without any thought about the long term or national security of the United States. I imagine many of these are the same voices that are trekking down to the White House to tell the President to do this deal on ZTE. The ZTE thing is not just a commercial and trade issue--although it is and it could be. It is much more than just that. It needs to be taken with the seriousness it deserves. It is not just about telecommunications. If you have a ZTE phone--and they are widespread in the United States. These things are hitting up against our towers. They will not just use that to pull American phone companies out of business; they can use that to spy on American companies to steal the intellectual property of the United States. It is exactly what they have done. It is what the report said they do: spying on Americans and stealing intellectual property from American companies. This trade dispute with China is about a lot more than trade. It is about geopolitical balance. It is about fairness. This is our last chance to get it right. It is almost too late. I am telling you, if we get this wrong--if we back down, when historians write about this period of time in our history, they are going to say the Americans literally gave it over to the Chinese; allowed them to steal from them because they were more interested in short-term gain and were willing to turn over the future. We will live in a world where China dominates many of the top fields, including many that are critical to our national security and the defense of our interests and of our Nation. I would argue to you that ZTE should not be allowed to sell anything in the United States. I would argue to you that if a technology company from another country is being used by that country not just to spy on government secrets but to steal the intellectual property of our businesses, they should be out of business in the United States. Some people would say: Well, China is very powerful. They are going to come back and use other means to punish us for this. Let me tell you something. We have extraordinary leverage over their technology industry. For example, one of the things ZTE can do is they can buy from a company named Tsinghua Unigroup, which is a government-owned company. They can buy components from them, but then we can cut them off as well. In fact, every major telecom in China--Huawei, BBK, Yiomi, Lenovo--every single one of these depends on component parts from the United States. Ultimately, what I would hope to arrive at is a balanced trade situation, a balanced commercial arrangement, and a balanced geopolitical situation between the United States and China, but right now it is way out of balance, and when you allow imbalances to exist and persist in international relations, it leads to conflict. It leads to wars. It leads to showdowns. That is what imbalances lead to. An imbalance leads to the country that becomes dominant to try to take advantage of the countries that are not, unless you agree to surrender to them. This issue of China and ZTE is a terrible mistake. If the President cuts a deal with ZTE that says: Pay a couple of hundred million dollars in fines and you are back in business in exchange--and they violated the law. This is a law enforcement function on top of everything else. These sanctions against them are punishment for evading and breaking sanctions. If you basically wave that off in exchange for a deal on agriculture--these farmers didn't do anything wrong. These farmers are not being punished for evading sanctions. They are victims of retribution. We have other angles. In fact, what we should be saying is: If you don't lift the tariff on our farmers, we will do the same thing we did to ZTE, to Huawei, BBK, Yiomi, Lenovo or any other company. That is what we should be saying, instead of being tricked into this apparent deal that someone is cooking up over there and giving the President terrible advice--which, by the way, I know that is not where his instincts are, but someone is getting to him. I don't know if it is from Treasury or where it is, but someone is basically telling him now is the time to cut a deal. It is the wrong time to cut a deal. This would be a terrible deal. Let me close by telling you this. This is not just about technology. If you don't believe that China uses its leverage, the leverage of economics, to reach into your life here in America--people will ask: What does that have to do with me? What does it have to do with us? Yes, it is a bad thing. We are worried about China in the long term. What does that have to do with me here at home? China has no problem using its long arm and its economic leverage to interfere in the lives of Americans. I will tell you how. About 2 weeks ago, two American airlines, United and American Airlines, got a letter in the mail from the Chinese Government telling them: We notice that your website says ``Taiwan.'' It doesn't say ``Taiwan-China.'' Unless you change your website, we are going to punish you. We may even take away your routes. They haven't made a decision yet. We have reached out to both companies. Let me clue everyone in right now. If they are anything like the other American companies that have been threatened, they are going to cave. They are going to cave, especially United, which has all of these routes over there. This is an American company, headquartered in the United States, that is going to have to change their website because China has threatened them. If you think that is not bad, I will tell you something crazy. Yesterday, the Gap clothing store came out with a T-shirt. It had a map of China, but it didn't have Taiwan on the T-shirt. China threatened them. Within hours, the Gap put out a tweet: We are so sorry. We apologize. We didn't mean to offend you. We respect your sovereignty. This is over a T-shirt, for God's sake. This is the leverage they have. Do you know there are Hollywood movies that are written in a way to avoid certain topics because, otherwise, they will not be allowed to play the movie in China? Do you know there are actors--such as Richard Gere--who are not allowed to be in certain movies or who can't get a Hollywood blockbuster movie because they can't distribute it in China? They will not let them. They can't have Richard Gere in movies in China because he is pro-Tibet. This is crazy stuff. Here is perhaps the most egregious one. Marriott, a great American company, a hotel--everybody has stayed at one. Marriott had an employee, a guy who lives in America; he is not even an executive--just a good guy, a hard-working guy. He accidentally went online and accidentally--it wasn't even on purpose--liked a tweet about Tibet, and China went crazy. They threatened Marriott. Marriott didn't just apologize; they fired him. This is an American. He didn't live in China. He lives in the United States of America. He lost his job for accidentally liking a tweet that China didn't like. This happens over and over again, and it isn't noticed. This is how they use economic leverage. This is how they get Panama to tell Taiwan: We no longer recognize you diplomatically; we now recognize China. This is how they got the Dominican Republic to do the same thing last week or a couple of weeks ago, and they are not going to stop. I hear Paraguay might be next. This has to stop. We don't want to contain China. We welcome a prosperous China. We want a global partner. Imagine the United States and China working together against nuclear proliferation, against radical terrorism, and against all the threats in the world. But this is not leading to a partnership. This is leading to a world in which China dominates every key industry, remakes every institution, and America becomes a junior partner the way Vladimir Putin and Russia already are to China, and that we cannot accept. But that is where we are headed because administrations--both Republican and Democrat--have taken this threat too lightly. They thought that when China got rich, they would start playing by the rules. Guess what. They not only have not played by the rules, but they assume all the benefits of the rules and live by none of the responsibilities. This is our last chance. This administration has been given the historic opportunity--the last chance--to get the balance of this relationship right. One misstep could blow the whole thing apart and doom generations of Americans to living in a world--not one with a powerful China, one with a dominant China and a declining America. That may sound like hyperbole, but if they win this battle on ZTE, the world will notice, and the message it will send is that when push comes to shove, this administration is no different from the others. When they come under pressure, you can get to the right people with the right friends in corporate America, and they will back down. Once that happens, every country in the world will govern themselves accordingly. They will not join us in confronting China's aggression and China's unfairness because in the back of their minds, they will be saying to themselves: When push comes to shove, America is going to back down the way they did for ZTE. The issue itself is problematic. We can't be selling phones in America that they use to spy on us in our companies. But on a broader scale, it sends a message that demoralizes this effort and I think has dramatic consequences. I encourage the President to think very seriously and very carefully. He is in a very strong position right now. I urge him to think very carefully about the next step and to listen to the people in his administration who are talking to him about the ZTE issue for what it is--a national security threat much bigger than just one company in the telecom industry. I yield the floor.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I honor Kayla Bailey, the Gulf County Teacher of the Year from Wewahitchka Elementary School in Wewahitchka, FL. Kayla possesses a very positive attitude in the classroom and engages her students at a high level. These traits undoubtedly helped contribute to her receiving the Teacher of the Year award. Her colleagues attest that Kayla works hard to learn the needs of every student in order to reach them at their instructional level. Kayla's desire to teach to the best of her ability and treat every available moment as teachable for her students distinguishes her among her peers. Kayla is a fifth-grade English language arts teacher and, although relatively new to teaching and to the district, has quickly gained a reputation for her respect to students, parents, staff, and the administration. I am pleased to congratulate Kayla for receiving this important award and her commitment to teaching her students. I extend my best wishes to her and look forward to hearing of her continued success.