Congratulating the Simon Gratz High School Track & Field Team for winning the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association AAA State Championship.

WHEREAS, Robert Massie and Frederick Daniels have been coaching both the boys and girls track & field teams at Simon Gratz High School since the early 1970’s; and

WHEREAS, Simon Gratz has produced seven Public League Girls’ Championship Teams, two Boys’ Public League Championship Teams, nine National Championship Relay Teams, and three Indoor State Championship Teams; and

WHEREAS, The Simon Gratz Track & Field program has sent many student-athletes to colleges and universities across the country; and

WHEREAS, This year’s boys’ track team has had phenomenal success; and

WHEREAS, The boy’s indoor track team won an Indoor State Relay Championship title and a National Championship Relay title while running the number one time in the country; and

WHEREAS, The boy’s track team earned Penn Relay watches for being the best American team in this year’s Penn Relays; and

WHEREAS, They were also crowned PIAA District 12 AAA Champions, and later won the 2006 Public League Championships; and

WHEREAS, On Saturday at Shippensburg University, the Bulldogs accumulated 44 points on three firsts, one second and one third to claim the title in the highest enrollment classification, AAA; and

WHEREAS, Last week, the boy’s track team earned its place in history by becoming the first team from District 12 to win a PIAA State Track & Field Championship, and the first large school from District 12 to win any kind of state championship.

WHEREAS, This team of champions deserve sincere congratulations on an outstanding job and a fantastic victory; now therefore

RESOVLED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor the Boys Varsity Basketball Team of Simon Gratz High School for winning the 2006 Public League Basketball Championship.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Simon Gratz Track & Field Coaches, Robert Massie and Frederick Daniels, further evidencing the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

End