DELAWARE STATE SENATE

140th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.

EXTENDING A WARM WELCOME TO THE STUDENTS FROM JOE POLOWSKI HIGH SCHOOL OF TORGAU, GERMANY.

WHEREAS, on April 25, 1945 American soldiers met Soviet troops on the banks of the Elbe River in Torgau, Germany; and

WHEREAS, one of those GIs was Private Joe Polowski, a taxi driver from Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Joe Polowski dedicated the rest of his life to peace and international understanding and returned to Torgau many times and was buried there with honors by the United States military; and

WHEREAS, on the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II, the high school in Torgau was named the Joe Polowski High School; and

WHEREAS, on April 26, 1996 a school partnership agreement was signed by Dr. Joseph P. DeJohn, Brandywine School District Superintendent, and Eberhard Henke, Joe Polowski High School Principal; and

WHEREAS, the Declaration of School Partnership stated: "One cornerstone of this relationship shall be, as declared by Joe Polowski, ‘the citizen diplomacy’ which calls for the active involvement of ordinary citizens in the matters affecting today’s world"; and

WHEREAS, that partnership began with the exchange of students and teachers between the Brandywine School District and Joe Polowski High School in the spring and summer of 1997.

NOW THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Senate of the 140^th General Assembly, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that a warm welcome is hereby extended to the following students and their teachers, Herr Wolf-Ruediger Heschke and Frau Silke Knose, from Joe Polowski High School who are here in Delaware on April 29, 1999:

Kristin Philippson Claudia Mantz

Andreas Pfeiffer Sandra Meyer

Susan Karnath Dajana Krüger

Katrin Hoppe Susann Eisenhut

Cathleen Franke Annett Kemter

Susanne Winkler Sabine Schmied

Constanze Kolbe Sabrina Mann

Franziska Weisse Mathias Klaus

Katrin Lange Diana Bergk

Nadine Hobeck Silvana Lindner

Robert Maluche

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Delaware host families, whose hospitality has been crucial to the success of this exchange, be commended for opening their homes and hearts to our Torgau visitors; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Joe Polowski High School and the Brandywine School District be commended for their exemplary efforts in building this bridge of understanding and cooperation between the United States and Germany; and