WHEREAS, Mr. Ryan Lafferty has ably served the Bellevue community as a teacher and mentor for five years; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty was nationally recognized, winning the Milken Educator Award, and was the only teacher in Washington state to do so; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty has a passion for learning and educating that exceeds expectations, and inspires this passion within his supervisors, peers, and students; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty instills a love of learning in his students, keeping them engaged, excited, and challenged; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty pushes students to feel confident in their abilities and expand their learning by asking deeper questions and teaching to multiple learning styles; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty utilizes project-based learning, allowing students to apply their learning to the real world; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty's students are inspired to do more and be more, one declaring "I want to be a physics teacher"; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty never stops helping, whether it's during his summer break, prep period, lunch break, or after hours; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty takes action to make our education system better, implementing a new science program for students who complete all other science courses at their school, helping his coworker rebuild the 8th grade physics curriculum, collaborating to write a new physics curriculum for the district, and helping write a problem-based Advanced Placement Physics curriculum that will be available nationally; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty demonstrates his commitment to all students through his work with special education students; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty worked with an autistic student, providing extra support so the student was able to graduate and get an internship at Microsoft; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty's students' pass rate on the Advanced Placement Physics exam is above the national average, and his students excel on district assessments; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty works with the high school and middle school science clubs, collaborates with veterans, advises the National Honor Society, mentors new teachers, and heads a video game design focus week; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lafferty is a natural leader, bridging the gap between science and education;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize Ryan Lafferty for his career of leadership and passionate commitment to the students and families of the Bellevue community.