WHEREAS, The students of Tahoma High School who participate in the program known as "We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution" have exhibited exceptional knowledge of the Constitution of the United States and the lessons taught by our founding fathers; and
     WHEREAS, The team from Tahoma High School won their fifth straight state We The People competition – the school's 19th state championship; and
     WHEREAS, These students will represent our state at the 27th Annual We The People National Finals in Washington, D.C., from April 24 to 29, 2014, where they will aspire to uphold the standards of excellence for which Tahoma High School is known; and
     WHEREAS, These students have immersed themselves in becoming experts in the principles and vision of the founding fathers, and documents and texts of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights; and
     WHEREAS, The Tahoma team is coached by Gretchen Wulfing, who was named Washington's Civic Educator of the Year in 2011 and who continues to impress upon her students the importance of learning about American constitutional democracy and the contemporary relevance of the nation's founding documents and principles; and
     WHEREAS, These students and their advisor were aided by countless hours of help from We The People alumni, former students who helped prepare this year's debaters by volunteering as guest judges; and
     WHEREAS, Studies have shown that eighty percent of high school seniors in this program have registered to vote, compared to an average of thirty-seven percent among other high school seniors, proof that We The People promotes a greater interest in participating in government; and
     WHEREAS, Tahoma High School has a distinguished record in competitions at the national level most recently having placed seventh in the nation in 2013, placing in the top ten in the nation in 2012, winning Best Unit 5 in 2011 and 2010, and capturing the Western Regional Award in 2008;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate honor these "warriors of the Constitution": Sarah Beasley, Emma Bingle, Fiona Cleary, Hunter Cooper, Marcus Coselman, Arthur Downer, Kazuhide Dreyer-Maruyama, Sarah Faulk, Nathan Goerke, Erin Horn, Michelle Kang, Nicholas Lawson, Sarah Lewis, Tyler Lincoln, Todd Link, Katelyn McNally, Alexandra Milat, Adilah Musaliar, Ashton Ohms, Nicholas Pennington, Henry Smith, Anna Sonnen, Kyra Thrush, and Sarah Wheeler; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the members of Tahoma High School's We The People Team, team advisor Gretchen Wulfing, and the principal of Tahoma High School, Terry Duty, to convey the respect of this body for a job well done and to wish them success in their endeavors.