H.R. No. 884 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The students of the Sweetwater Middle School SEEK 1-2 program have dedicated themselves to a challenging and rigorous 1-3 academic program, and their willingness to go beyond the bounds of 1-4 standard classroom instruction to affect the world around them is 1-5 indeed deserving of highest praise and recognition; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Under the guidance of teacher Peggy Maddox, the 1-7 students have undertaken a complex study of wind patterns over 1-8 Texas and Mexico; their careful research included records dating 1-9 back to the year 1899, and their conclusions support their original 1-10 hypothesis that coal-burning plants across the border are a major 1-11 contributing source of haze and reduced visibility in Big Bend 1-12 National Park; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Armed with this information, they have embarked on 1-14 an extensive letter writing campaign to alert state and national 1-15 agencies to this serious problem, and they are committed to 1-16 effecting changes that will reverse this disturbing trend; and 1-17 WHEREAS, In recognition of their remarkable efforts, the 1-18 students were awarded the second place prize of $5,000 in the 1-19 American Express Geography Competition and the $1,500 first place 1-20 prize in the H.E.B./General Land Office Environmental Challenge 1-21 contest; a separate paper recycling project won third place in the 1-22 H.E.B./General Land Office Environmental Challenge; and 1-23 WHEREAS, They have further worked for environmental 1-24 protection by raising funds to preserve 35 acres of Central 2-1 American rain forest, and they recently hosted an environmental 2-2 seminar for 160 gifted and talented students at the Region XIV 2-3 Education Service Center, an occasion which marked the first time 2-4 that students had led the enrichment program for gifted students; 2-5 and 2-6 WHEREAS, The eighth grade students who executed the wind 2-7 pattern analysis include Randi Haggard, Brian Serrano, Alex 2-8 Musgrove, Amanda Bowen, Max Harger, Sean McFaul, Alan Porter, Curt 2-9 Alexander, Justin McCord, Matt Clark, Audrea Johnson, Lauren 2-10 Henson, and Chris Hartman; these bright and motivated young Texans 2-11 are to be commended for their hard work and dedication, and their 2-12 parents, families, and other teachers are also deserving of great 2-13 praise for nurturing these students' exceptional abilities; and 2-14 WHEREAS, The term "gifted" mistakenly implies that bright 2-15 students come by their achievements effortlessly, but these young 2-16 men and women have demonstrated that hard work, discipline, and 2-17 sacrifice are required to grow and succeed; it is this willingness 2-18 to work that, along with their intelligence and special abilities, 2-19 will carry these students to whatever heights they can envision, 2-20 and in their imaginations they hold the seeds of a brighter future 2-21 for all of us; now, therefore, be it 2-22 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-23 Legislature hereby commend the students of the Sweetwater Middle 2-24 School SEEK program and their teacher, Peggy Maddox, for their 2-25 outstanding achievements and extend to each of them warmest best 2-26 wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further 2-27 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-1 prepared for prominent display at Sweetwater Middle School as an 3-2 expression of highest regard by the Texas House of Representatives.