Recognizing Steve Keown

Floor Speech

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Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Steve Keown, a retiring agriculture teacher and FFA adviser who dedicated 42 years to Carroll County Junior-Senior High School.

Mr. Keown received his bachelor's degree from Murray State University and a master's degree from Purdue University in curriculum and instruction.

Mr. Keown mentored countless future educators through the MI-BAT program. Mr. Keown also served the Indiana Association of Agricultural Educators for numerous years.

During Mr. Keown's tenure, the Carroll County FFA chapter earned national recognition for over 20 consecutive years, produced over 200 recipients of State FFA degrees and nearly 60 American FFA degrees, over 50 proficiency champions, and more than 25 national finalists and winners.

Mr. Keown's commitment to student leadership and hands-on learning has shaped success for FFA chapters in Indiana. His passion for agriculture education and mentoring others will leave a lasting impact on our community. Honoring Tippecanoe School Corporation

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Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tippecanoe School Corporation's Extra Mile Award winner, Deb Liggett.

Deb Liggett is an extremely dedicated caretaker of students who drives 170 miles every day, taking students to McCutcheon High School, Southwestern Middle School, and Klondike Schools for over 40 years. She has been a dependable source of kindness and joy for Hoosier students.

Our students need role models who are examples of reliability, compassion, and good citizenship.

One kindhearted person can make a difference in the lives of so many young people. Deb Liggett has been that role model in the Tippecanoe area.

I am proud to congratulate her on receiving this well-known and well- earned award, and I am glad our students have Ms. Liggett on their way to and from school. Congratulating Ivy Tech Community College

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Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ivy Tech Community College, which recently won three third-place awards in the U.S. Department of Energy's Battery Workforce Challenge.

This challenge is a 3-year collegiate engineering competition where teams build an advanced battery pack for the commercial Ram ProMaster EV program.

All the students who competed progressed through technical milestones that reflect the same trials that the energy industry faces. Throughout the program, the students met demanding engineering standards without compromising safety.

I am so proud of these students at Ivy Tech who succeeded throughout the competition and provided real results from their work.

Our Nation needs innovative minds. The challenges we face are difficult and complicated, and I am glad we have young Hoosiers who are ready to tackle these issues head-on and showcase the incredible talent we have in Indiana.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Ivy Tech on these well-deserved awards.

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