Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Madelyn Connor. There are very few times in life when you meet a person and leave the conversation inspired to do more, but that was Maddie. Madam Speaker, she was a dreammaker. She had a vision for her community, a dream in her heart, and a drive to see it through to completion. Earlier this year, I received a request to visit a new charter school opening its doors in northeast Louisiana. I knew very little about the school named the Academy of Collaborative Education, also known as ACE. I only knew that it would serve students from our region who had received an autism diagnosis. On the day of my visit, Maddie swung open those school doors, and I was met with her contagious smile and a huge hug. As she sat me down to explain the origin of the school, I noticed that her passion for the kids who would benefit from this program shone through the most. It came from one of the most genuine and fiercest of places: a mother's heart. She explained that her son had received an autism diagnosis, and she was left with disappointment and frustration when she realized the curriculum at her local public school would not suffice for his needs. She sat down with his speech pathologist, Joellen Freeman, one day to share her concerns, and it was there that a dream and a plan was born: to start a charter school aimed at supporting children with autism.…”