LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Ericka K. Wala upon the occasion of
being selected as Constituent of the Month for her valuable contrib-
utions as Principal of the Peninsula Preparatory Academy, Far Rockaway,
Queens

WHEREAS, New York State's commitment to education is unparalleled; its
history and stature are secured by the superlative caliber of its educa-
tional professionals and the students they inspire; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge the
significant educational leaders, whose dedication and achievements have
been instrumental in developing character and academic excellence in the
young people of New York State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Ericka K. Wala upon the occasion of being selected as Constituent of the
Month for her valuable contributions as Principal of the Peninsula
Preparatory Academy, Far Rockaway, Queens; and
WHEREAS, As a teenage mother, Ericka K. Wala pledged to make a
successful life not only for herself, but more importantly for her
child; and
WHEREAS, She attended New York University as a Martin Luther King
Scholar on a full four year scholarship which included yearly travel
around the world as a young ambassador representing the United States;
she maintained the 3.5 grade point average required for the program and
graduated in three years instead of four; and
WHEREAS, Ericka K. Wala began her teaching career at a junior high in
Brownsville, Brooklyn, with one of the worse reputations in the city;
she wanted to make a difference in the lives of the children she worked
with and continued the commitment, working in Harlem during the summers
with students who were on probation and parole; and
WHEREAS, After that, she taught in other challenging schools in East
New York, Brooklyn and Roosevelt, Long Island, always hoping to touch
and inspire at least one child, if not many; and
WHEREAS, Ericka K. Wala was told by her principal she had created an
oasis of learning in her classroom that he had never seen before in such
challenging circumstances; he encouraged her to continue her education
and pursue a degree in educational administration; and
WHEREAS, After attaining a professional certification in educational
administration from the College of St. Rose, Ericka K. Wala served as a
district staff developer and Assistant Principal and Principal in South-
east Queens; and
WHEREAS, Her school in Jamaica, Queens, was cited as one of the 226
rapidly improving schools in the State of New York; Ericka K. Wala
received an award from the Queens Chapter of the Rotary Club as a 2005
Unsung Hero; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, Ericka K. Wala moved to Georgia and served as a
coordinator of staff development for an elementary school in Gwinnett
County; disheartened by an environment that seemed to blame the
students' lack of success on the fifth grade state writing test because
they were English Language Learners, she set in motion a plan of action
to prove that all children can be successful when provided with an
excellent education by knowledgeable and trained teachers; and
WHEREAS, Through the staff development she coordinated, which focused
on teaching students how to write, within two and a half years the
school's scores rose from 56% of the fifth grade students passing the
state exam in 2006 to 99% of the students passing in 2009; and

WHEREAS, Ericka K. Wala was presented with an award recognizing her
achievements, but the greatest reward was when she would visit the
classrooms and see the students excited about writing; and
WHEREAS, Upon her return to New York State, Ericka K. Wala was offered
the position of Principal of Peninsula Preparatory Academy Charter
School; although created with the greatest intentions of serving the
educational needs of the community, the school had faced some challenges
through the years and had received a conditional charter renewal; and
WHEREAS, Ericka K. Wala had a plan of action for the school to make
immediate changes in order to maximize the students' educational and
social experiences; she canvassed and hired additional staff members who
were dedicated to the success of the students; and
WHEREAS, She implemented the REACH HIGH for Success program which
celebrates characteristics such as Empathy and Respect and enables
students to grow up to become world class citizens; furthermore, she
implemented a Result Based Evaluation system with data driven instruc-
tional practices and brought the strength's based professional learning
community model to the school in which teachers teach each other in the
areas of their expertise; and
WHEREAS, Every aspect of student achievement is celebrated and
rewarded; parent attendance at PTO meetings rose from 4-5 parents at
each monthly meeting in the prior year to an average of 80-100; and
WHEREAS, There is a great emphasis placed on creating a culture where
students are taught to care for others and the school has participated
in several service projects including We CAN Do It can food drive, which
resulted in 1000 pounds of food donated to City Harvest, and PPA for
Haiti Drive, in which the school was told by the Haitian Alliance for
Progress in Brooklyn that this was the largest donation they had
received from any one organization; and
WHEREAS, Moreover, there is the Donate a Dollar for Clean Water
Campaign for the students in Guinea, West Africa, with whom the fifth
grade students have established a pen pal relationship; the students
learned that many of the students in war torn Guinea do not have access
to clean water through the School to School International Program and
decided that they wanted to help; and
WHEREAS, Under the luminous direction of Principal Ericka K. Wala,
Peninsula Preparatory Academy continues to evolve and provide a success-
ful educational experience for the students and community it serves; and
WHEREAS, Educators like Ericka K. Wala provide a tremendous service to
the future of our State and Nation, inspiring generations of young
people in their educational journeys and ensuring their success in their
future years; and
WHEREAS, Ericka K. Wala has clearly had an enduring impact on the
youth of the Peninsula Preparatory Academy, as well as on the communi-
ty-at-large, and accordingly merits recognition and applause for her
impressive dedication to others; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commend the
efforts of those individuals who work to support our proud tradition of
public education by providing their skills and talents to our schools;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Ericka K. Wala upon the occasion of being selected as Constituent
of the Month for her valuable contributions as Principal of the Peninsu-
la Preparatory Academy, Far Rockaway, Queens, and for her significant
contributions to education in New York State; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Ericka K. Wala, Principal, Peninsula Preparatory Academy, Far
Rockaway, Queens.