WHEREAS, Providing all Washington State children a public education is the paramount duty of the state; and
     WHEREAS, Teachers are essential in providing students with a quality public education anchored in producing well-educated and capable citizens; and
     WHEREAS, Teachers are integral parts of the community through their own leadership and their cultivation of future community leaders; and
     WHEREAS, Teachers are seldom recognized for their relentless pursuit of results and countless hours spent imparting on every child an ability to achieve beyond bounds; and
     WHEREAS, There are over sixty thousand dedicated teachers in Washington State; and
     WHEREAS, Students are integral to our future and their education is paramount in their ability to effect change and progress in that future; and
     WHEREAS, Teachers are rising to the challenge of meeting higher state and federal standards; and
     WHEREAS, Washington State students have had their education significantly enhanced by excellent teachers; and
     WHEREAS, Teachers have approached the classroom with a deep passion to teach to the whole child; not only teaching them to make a living, but also to make a life by discovering their own strengths and talents; and
     WHEREAS, Each year one teacher is selected from the nine educational service districts as Washington's Teacher of the Year;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate honor Susan Johnson, language arts teacher at Cle Elum-Roslyn High School as the 2009 Teacher of the Year as she has embodied all the aforementioned values of teaching and is an exceptional representative of her profession and a mentor for her students to look up to; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Susan Johnson.