SENATE RESOLUTION

                             8703

By Senators Fairley, McDonald, Snyder, Kohl-Welles, and Fraser

     WHEREAS, It is the tradition of the Washington State Senate to recognize academic excellence in our state=s schools; and

     WHEREAS, On May 23, eighth grader Kyle Haddad-Fonda of Bellevue became the second Puget Sound-area student in four years to win the National Geography Bee; and

     WHEREAS, By knowing that the name of the region below the equilibrium line of glaciers where melting, evaporation and sublimation occurs is called the zone of ablation, the fourteen-year-old won a $25,000 scholarship at the thirteenth annual competition, moderated by Jeopardy! game show host Alex Trebec; and

     WHEREAS, Haddad-Fonda, who attends The Evergreen School in Shoreline, also will represent the United States at the International Geographic Olympiad in Vancouver, B.C., on August 1-2; and

     WHEREAS, Though this was his third trip to the national competition B where in 1999, Haddad-Fonda became the only sixth-grader to place as high as fifth B he admitted to being a nervous wreck and wasn=t expecting to win; and

     WHEREAS, One of five million students ages ten to fifteen to enter the competition B and one of fifty-five finalists B Haddad-Fonda said his favorite part of the Washington, D.C. bee was meeting other young geography enthusiasts; and

     WHEREAS, The competition, which will air on KCTS Channel 9 on May 27, isn=t Haddad-Fonda=s first television appearance: In addition to being a guest on NBC=s Today Show and appearing on CNN and FOX on May 24, last year he became the youngest lifeline on the ABC show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?, helping a stranger win $500,000 because of his extensive knowledge of geography;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate congratulate Kyle Haddad-Fonda on his accomplishment and wish him the best in the rest of his academic ventures; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to The Evergreen School and to Kyle Haddad-Fonda.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 8703,

adopted by the Senate May 24, 2001.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate