WHEREAS, It is with great admiration that the members of the Chicago City^/$oj(r/l^g£rebrate. accomplishments and ongoing work of Dayna Heller, a true educational hero; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed body learned of Ms. Heller's work from the Honorable Joseph A. Moor^Alderman of the 49th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Dayna has been a special education teacher for four years, previousl^a't Young Women's Leadership Charter School, and now at Sullivan High School in the Rogers Park community; and
WHEREAS, Dayna received her bachelor's degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, graduating with honors, and received her Masters' in special education from National Louis University; and
WHEREAS, Described by the Sullivan High School administration as "not afraid to push her students, colleagues and administrators" and that she is working at the cutting edge of educational innovation, Ms. Heller is very active in the school and serves on Sullivan's instructional leadership team; and
WHEREAS, During the 2016-2017 school year Dayna joined Educators for Excellence to collaborate with a team of seventeen Chicago educators whose work resulted in the paper "Sounding the Alarm: Building the Climate & Culture Our Students Need," which discusses such topics as restorative practice, social-emotional learning, and helping students experiencing trauma; and
WHEREAS, During the current academic year Ms. Heller has been facilitating conversations between community leaders, service organizations and schools in problem-solving forums on school climate and culture to address problems such as refugee trauma, restorative practices and parental involvement; and
WHEREAS, Dayna Heller works to connect teachers and students across Chicago and Illinois to improve school climate, having partnered with the Chicago Public Schools Office of Social and Emotional Learning, and she is working with legislators in Springfield to pass state-wide resolutions recognizing the need for restorative practices in schools; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Heller's work will be recognized by Sullivan High School teachers and students at their school-wide awards assembly on Friday, April 20, 2018; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this eighteenth day of April, 2018, do hereby express our gratitude and sincerest congratulations to Dayna Heller.
:PH A. MOORE German, 49th Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to Dayna Heller as a token of our respect.