WHEREAS, The students of the Tahoma High School enrolled in the We the People, The Citizen and Constitution program, have consistently showcased their superior knowledge of the Constitution of the United States and the lessons instilled by our Founding Fathers; and

WHEREAS, On Saturday, January 7th, 2023, the team from Tahoma High School won the state We the People competition, the school's fourteenth consecutive state championship and its twenty-seventh state championship in the last twenty-nine years; and

WHEREAS, These students will represent the evergreen state this spring at the thirty-sixth annual We the People finals in Washington, D.C., where they hope to go beyond their highly commendable top ten finish from the national competition in 2022; and

WHEREAS, The Tahoma team is coached by Gretchen Wulfing, a distinguished educator who was honored in 2011 with Washington's Civic Educator of the Year award and honored again in 2016 as one of Washington's Civic Educators of the Year, adding to the honors of her sixteen year academic coaching career, where she has diligently expanded her students' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, ensuring important principles and foundational ideas are passed on with both fervor and intellectual poise to the next generation; and

WHEREAS, Studies continue to show that students who participate in the We the People program imbue ideals of democracy and civic engagement, register to vote at a higher rate than their high school counterparts, and test higher in examinations on civic knowledge and civic dispositions, including community involvement, tolerant political engagement, and respect for the due process of law; and

WHEREAS, The Tahoma High School We the People team, led with inspiring passion by their coach, continues to reflect the ideals of a holistic education, of which their distinguished record at the national level, having placed, in 2022, in the top ten for the fifth consecutive year, is a sure sign of their commitment and success;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives honor Lachlan Bailey, Anabelle Banerjee, Hewan Berhanu, Brenna Billings, Emily Brestle, Savannah Brooks, Rex Dugan, McKay Garvin, Tanveer Grewal, Riah Heil, Kuraisha Khan, William Koszegi, Armari Mayo, Savannah Pasquan, Aditi Rana, Stina Rude, Gurnoor Sandhu, Hailey Sato, Aurora Simmons, Jace Simon, Julia Stan, Julia Stuard, Julia Tanner, and Bryce Thomsen as "Warriors of the Constitution"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted by the Chief Clerk to the members of Tahoma High School's We the People team, team advisor Gretchen Wulfing, and Tahoma High School Principal Judy Beliveau to convey the respect of this body for a phenomenal job and continued success in their future endeavors.