HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2023-4636, by Representatives Ramos, Callan, Taylor,
Chapman, Ryu, Schmick, Eslick, and Pollet
1 WHEREAS, The students of the Tahoma High School enrolled in the
2 We the People, The Citizen and Constitution program, have
3 consistently showcased their superior knowledge of the Constitution
4 of the United States and the lessons instilled by our Founding
5 Fathers; and
6 WHEREAS, On Saturday, January 7th, 2023, the team from Tahoma
7 High School won the state We the People competition, the school's
8 fourteenth consecutive state championship and its twenty-seventh
9 state championship in the last twenty-nine years; and
10 WHEREAS, These students will represent the evergreen state this
11 spring at the thirty-sixth annual We the People finals in Washington,
12 D.C., where they hope to go beyond their highly commendable top ten
13 finish from the national competition in 2022; and
14 WHEREAS, The Tahoma team is coached by Gretchen Wulfing, a
15 distinguished educator who was honored in 2011 with Washington's
16 Civic Educator of the Year award and honored again in 2016 as one of
17 Washington's Civic Educators of the Year, adding to the honors of her
18 sixteen year academic coaching career, where she has diligently
19 expanded her students' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of
20 Rights, ensuring important principles and foundational ideas are
21 passed on with both fervor and intellectual poise to the next
22 generation; and
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 1 WHEREAS, Studies continue to show that students who participate
2 in the We the People program imbue ideals of democracy and civic
3 engagement, register to vote at a higher rate than their high school
4 counterparts, and test higher in examinations on civic knowledge and
5 civic dispositions, including community involvement, tolerant
6 political engagement, and respect for the due process of law; and
7 WHEREAS, The Tahoma High School We the People team, led with
8 inspiring passion by their coach, continues to reflect the ideals of
9 a holistic education, of which their distinguished record at the
10 national level, having placed, in 2022, in the top ten for the fifth
11 consecutive year, is a sure sign of their commitment and success;
12 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House
13 of Representatives honor Lachlan Bailey, Anabelle Banerjee, Hewan
14 Berhanu, Brenna Billings, Emily Brestle, Savannah Brooks, Rex Dugan,
15 McKay Garvin, Tanveer Grewal, Riah Heil, Kuraisha Khan, William
16 Koszegi, Armari Mayo, Savannah Pasquan, Aditi Rana, Stina Rude,
17 Gurnoor Sandhu, Hailey Sato, Aurora Simmons, Jace Simon, Julia Stan,
18 Julia Stuard, Julia Tanner, and Bryce Thomsen as "Warriors of the
19 Constitution"; and
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be
21 transmitted by the Chief Clerk to the members of Tahoma High School's
22 We the People team, team advisor Gretchen Wulfing, and Tahoma High
23 School Principal Judy Beliveau to convey the respect of this body for
24 a phenomenal job and continued success in their future endeavors.
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