| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Eight gifted young Texans have won distinction for |
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| 6 | 6 | | themselves and their schools with their selection to serve on the |
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| 7 | 7 | | 2016-2017 USA Debate Team and the USA Debate Development Team; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Each year, the National Speech and Debate |
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| 9 | 9 | | Association selects the best debaters from high schools across the |
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| 10 | 10 | | nation to be members of the prestigious USA Debate Team; over the |
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| 11 | 11 | | course of the current school year, these seasoned upperclassmen are |
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| 12 | 12 | | participating in nearly a dozen competitions in such cities as |
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| 13 | 13 | | Boston, New Orleans, and Los Angeles; they are also competing at |
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| 14 | 14 | | events in Germany, Croatia, and Singapore, in preparation for the |
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| 15 | 15 | | world championships in Bali, Indonesia, in August 2017; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, For the first time, a group of underclassmen have |
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| 17 | 17 | | also been chosen as members of the USA Debate Development Team; |
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| 18 | 18 | | these promising debaters are training and practicing for the unique |
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| 19 | 19 | | World Schools style debate format with the senior team's coaches |
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| 20 | 20 | | and alumni; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | WHEREAS, Of the nine students selected nationwide for the USA |
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| 22 | 22 | | Debate Team, four are from Texas: Colette Faulkner and Gaurav |
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| 23 | 23 | | Gawankar, both seniors at Kingwood High School, Sarah Lanier, a |
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| 24 | 24 | | senior from Northland Christian School in Houston, and Nikhil |
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| 25 | 25 | | Ramaswamy, a junior from Plano West Senior High School; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Four of the nine members of the USA Development Team |
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| 27 | 27 | | are also Texans: Shreya Agarwala, a junior from Greenhill School in |
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| 28 | 28 | | Addison, Shreyoshi Das, a junior from Flower Mound High School, and |
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| 29 | 29 | | Emily Grantham and Leila Saklou, both sophomores from Kingwood High |
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| 30 | 30 | | School; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is also well represented on the |
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| 32 | 32 | | faculty Leadership Team, with Aaron Timmons, the director of debate |
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| 33 | 33 | | at Greenhill School, serving as head coach, and Cynthia Timmons, a |
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| 34 | 34 | | retired debate coach, serving as coach and team manager; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | WHEREAS, These talented young men and women and dedicated |
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| 36 | 36 | | leaders are working hard to promote the ideals of free and civil |
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| 37 | 37 | | discourse, and it is indeed a privilege to honor them at this time; |
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| 38 | 38 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 39 | 39 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 40 | 40 | | Legislature hereby congratulate the Texas members of the 2016-2017 |
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| 41 | 41 | | USA Debate, Development, and Leadership Teams and extend to them |
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| 42 | 42 | | sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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| 43 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 44 | 44 | | prepared for the members of each team as an expression of high |
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| 45 | 45 | | regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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