1-1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 540 1-2 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins the citizens 1-3 of Dalhart, Texas, in celebrating sixth-grader Katelan Janke's 1-4 winning of the Scholastic Book Club's annual Dear America Student 1-5 Writing Contest; this promising young author's talent, focus, and 1-6 zeal for the craft of writing have earned her the respect of her 1-7 parents, school, and community; and 1-8 WHEREAS, The Scholastic Book Club's contest is based on the 1-9 Dear America Series, historical fiction written from a child's 1-10 perspective; the Dear America Student Writing Contest required 1-11 students to submit a fictional, historical tale through the eyes 1-12 of a child; designers of the contest hope to encourage student 1-13 interest in both history and creative writing; and 1-14 WHEREAS, In Katelan's 2,700-word entry, a young girl tells 1-15 of her experience during the Texas Panhandle's dust-bowl days; to 1-16 make her story more authentic, Katelan went to the archives, where 1-17 she spent many hours diligently researching accounts from the 1-18 dust-bowl period in the newspapers and books of Dalhart's XIT 1-19 Historical Museum; Katelan's hard work paid off, and out of 1-20 3,000 essays submitted nationwide, hers was honored with first 1-21 prize; and 1-22 WHEREAS, A second-grade teacher helped spark Katelan's 1-23 interest in creative writing and encouraged her to develop her 1-24 talent; heeding this advice, Katelan began submitting her work to 2-1 contests; in the fourth grade, she placed first in a state writing 2-2 competition; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Katelan's proud parents have encouraged their 2-4 daughter's passion, especially Katelan's mother, who proofread 2-5 her daughter's winning essay; they are firm supporters of their 2-6 daughter's literary endeavors; and 2-7 WHEREAS, Katelan Janke is a talented young Texan with much 2-8 focus and determination, and her achievements are truly noteworthy; 2-9 now, therefore, be it 2-10 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 2-11 76th Legislature, hereby congratulate Katelan Janke, winner of the 2-12 Scholastic Book Club's annual Dear America Student Writing Contest; 2-13 and, be it further 2-14 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for 2-15 Katelan as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate. 2-16 Bivins 2-17 ______________________________________ 2-18 President of the Senate 2-19 I hereby certify that the above 2-20 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 2-21 on March 31, 1999. 2-22 ______________________________________ 2-23 Secretary of the Senate 2-24 ______________________________________ 2-25 Member, Texas Senate