NO. R-66Page 1

NO. R-66. JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING THE HISTORICALLY OUTSTANDING TRACK AND FIELD TEAMS OF GREEN MOUNTAIN UNION HIGH SCHOOL.

(J.R.H. 56)

Offered by: Representatives Hube of Londonderry, Richardson of Weathersfield and Suchmann of Chester.

Whereas, the student athletes of Green Mountain Union High School's men's and women's track and field teams have collectively won seven State Division III championships over the past eight years, along with four second places, for a total of 11 annual divisional honors during the last 16 years, and

Whereas, eleven statewide Division III records are held by former members of the Green Mountain Union High School track and field teams, and four former members are currently competing on college teams, and

Whereas, track and field draws by far the fullest participation of any sport at Green Mountain Union High School with 50 members on the squad, excluding this year's freshmen, comprising nearly one-quarter of the school's upper-class enrollment, and

Whereas, members of Green Mountain's championship track and field squad are more fully-rounded than the average student, with 30 members of the team listed on the honor roll, 11 holding office in school government, 20 participating in music and drama productions, 22 performing in the school band or chorus, and seven serving on the yearbook staff, and

Whereas, the Green Mountain track and field program, most ably led and inspired by coaches John Peters, Chris Benson and Jay Van Stechelman, realizes that it is not just a few that must excel, but that every individual must be recognized for what he or she brings to the team, and that each student athlete must learn that working together is truly the only way to victory, and

Whereas, the track and field program at Green Mountain Union High School has been in existence for nearly 18 years, yet a track and field facility still does not exist at Green Mountain, leaving a team that has won seven state championships with no track of its own on which to train and compete, and

Whereas, the lack of a track facility has forced the Green Mountain Union High School’s student athletes to practice on unsafe surfaces such as a worn-out gravel track, the school parking lot, or surrounding forest areas, and

Whereas, they have always been required to compete away from home on facilities of other high schools and never with the advantages of a home track and a home town crowd, and

Whereas, this year, the Green Mountain Union district’s voters voted $250,000.00 in school bonding to fund construction of an up-to-date 400-meter track and field facility with assurances from the independent "Friends of the Green Mountain Track" that it will privately raise funds to help pay off the debt and maintain the new installation, and

Whereas, excavation for the new Green Mountain facility has already been

accomplished, with the surface leveled and prepared for completion some time

this May, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:

That the General Assembly recognizes the outstanding past achievements and worthy future goals of the Green Mountain Union High School track and field program, and be it further

Resolved: That the General Assembly urges Governor Dean to proclaim Saturday, May 8, 1999 as "Get on the Right Track" day for all residents of the Green Mountain Union high school community, and be it further

Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to the governor and to Coach

Jon Peters at Green Mountain Union High School.

VT LEG 109832.1