U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter, who is serving her seventh term in Congress, will be the keynote speaker at an awards ceremony and dinner honoring high school educators in western New York on March 15. Seventy-one teachers will receive certificates of excellence from the University's Margaret Warner School of Education and Human Development.

Charter One Financial Inc. is the sponsor of the annual recognition awards. The teachers being honored were selected for their thorough knowledge and enthusiasm for their subject, well-organized and imaginative lessons, clear and interesting explanations of important concepts, and a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning.

Elected in 1986, Slaughter has been described as "one of the most powerful women in Congress" and sits on the House Rules Committee. Education and the well-being of children are among the issues she's pursued vigorously.

Last month, she was named lay educator of the year by the Rochester chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International, the professional group of men and women in education. Slaughter, who represents Rochester and most of its Monroe County suburbs, is a bacteriologist with a bachelor of science degree in microbiology and a master of science degree in public health from the University of Kentucky.

The congresswoman will speak on excellence in schools and future challenges in education. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the May Room of Wilson Commons on the River Campus.

The Warner School (on the Web at www.rochester.edu/warner/) offers master's degree and doctoral degree programs in the areas of teaching and curriculum, counseling and human development, and educational leadership.