WHEREAS, The students of the Tahoma High School enrolled in the We the People: The Citizen and Constitution program have exhibited significant knowledge of the Constitution of the United States and the lessons taught by our forefathers; and

WHEREAS, On Saturday, January 11, 2020, the Tahoma High School team won the state We the People competition, the school's eleventh consecutive state championship and its twenty-fourth state championship in the last twenty-six years; and

WHEREAS, These students will represent their state this spring at the thirty-third annual We the People finals in Washington, D.C., where they will aspire to uphold the standards of excellence for which Tahoma High School is known; and

WHEREAS, The Tahoma team is coached by Gretchen Wulfing, who was named Washington's Civic Educator of the Year in 2011 and was honored as one of Washington's Civic Educators of 2016, and who, having coached Tahoma's team for twelve years, has significantly deepened her students' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, helping them build important twenty-first century workplace skills, such as time management, reaching consensus, public speaking, conflict management, and working cooperatively as a team; and

WHEREAS, Studies have shown that students who participate in the We the People program excel in their knowledge of civics and the history of the United States constitutional democratic republic, including scoring higher than their peers on tests of civic dispositions, with respect for civic duty, commitment to government service, community involvement, political attentiveness, respect for the rule of law, and the norms of political efficacy and political tolerance; and

WHEREAS, In 2019, the Tahoma team took ninth place at the We the People National Finals in Washington, D.C., marking the sixth time in the last eight years that the school has advanced to the top ten at the finals;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate honor Riley Barlett, Dane Bowman-Weston, Katerina Bruhl, Matthew Bruneel, Neena Chana, Claire Cunningham, Grace Denison, Shelby Ellis, Djanaya Esiong, Issabella Huser, Sarah Kropelnicki, Preston Lievano, Jaden Mason, Aidan Mercado, Emma Nickel, Gage Nickel, Calvin O'Connell, Luke Oriolt, Daniela Perezechica-Trancoso, Claire Riordan, Elizabeth St. John, Jasmine Tran, and Janey Yee as "Warriors of the Constitution"; 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 Tahoma High School Principal Terry Duty to convey the respect of this body for a phenomenal job and continued success in their future endeavors.