<BillNo> <Sponsor>
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 308
By Akbari
SJR0308
005902
- 1 -
A RESOLUTION to recognize and commend the 2024 Do the
Write Thing National Challenge Ambassadors,
Charlotte Mount, Josiah Young, Adedamola
Adeyemo, Bobby Calvin III, Amara-Asa
Nwachukwu, and Tiernan Carney.
WHEREAS, it is most fitting that the members of this General Assembly recognize those
precocious youth who excel in the classroom and beyond and bring great pride to this State;
and
WHEREAS, such individuals are Charlotte Mount, Josiah Young, Adedamola Adeyemo,
and Bobby Calvin III from the Western Grand Division and Amara-Asa Nwachukwu and Tiernan
Carney from the Eastern Grand Division; and
WHEREAS, these six middle school students were selected as National Ambassadors
for the Do the Write Thing Recognition Week, which took place July 20-25, 2024, in
Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS, an initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence, the Do the Write
Thing (DtWT) Challenge is a writing program for middle school students that positions them as
community catalysts as they examine the root causes and effects of youth violence; and
WHEREAS, the DtWT Challenge gives students an opportunity to examine the impact of
youth violence on their lives in classroom discussions and in written form by communicating
what they think should be done to change the culture of violence; and
WHEREAS, since the program's inception, more than 2.5 million students have
participated, with upward of 85,000 written submissions per year; the DtWT Challenge has been
implemented in twenty-six participating communities across the nation, including
Jackson/Madison County, Memphis/Shelby County, and Knoxville/Knox County; and
- 2 - 005902
WHEREAS, each year, educators encourage middle school students to answer three
questions involving youth violence, including its causes, how youth violence has affected a
student's life, and ways in which a student might help reduce youth violence; after evaluation,
the girl and boy who submit the most responsive writings from their community are selected to
serve as DtWT Challenge National Ambassadors; and
WHEREAS, in 2024, Charlotte Mount from North East Middle School, Josiah Young
from West Bemis Middle School, Adedamola Adeyemo from Cordova Middle School, Bobby
Calvin III from John P. Freeman Optional School, Amara-Asa Nwachukwu from Emerald
Academy, and Tiernan Carney from Sacred Heart Cathedral School ably represented the
Volunteer State; and
WHEREAS, while visiting our nation's capital, the National Ambassadors participated in
an awards dinner at the Kuwait Ambassador's residence and toured the Library of Congress; a
leather-bound volume of their writings was published and placed in the Library of Congress; and
a culminating banquet for the students was held at the National Press Club; and
WHEREAS, Charlotte Mount, Josiah Young, Adedamola Adeyemo, Bobby Calvin III,
Amara-Asa Nwachukwu, and Tiernan Carney are some of the most exceptional youth in our
State, and their compassionate commitment to discourse around violence and its effects on
young people is most worthy of our commendation; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we recognize and commend Charlotte Mount,
Josiah Young, Adedamola Adeyemo, Bobby Calvin III, Amara-Asa Nwachukwu, and Tiernan
Carney, National Ambassadors who represented Tennessee during the 2024 Do the Write
Thing Challenge, extending our best wishes for their continued success.
- 3 - 005902
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.