title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING THE WALTER H. DYETT HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS BOYS' BASKETBALL TEAM FOR WINNING THE 2025 ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
WHEREAS, the Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts, a venerable institution located in the heart of the Bronzeville-Washington Park community, achieved an unprecedented milestone in its athletic history by securing the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 2A Boys' Basketball State Championship on March 15, 2025; and
WHEREAS, the Dyett Eagles, under the resolute and visionary leadership of Head Coach Jamaal Gill-who also serves with distinction as the school's Athletic Director and Head of Security-emerged victorious with a final score of 52-41 over Belleville Althoff Catholic High School at the University of Illinois' State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, this historic victory represents the school's first-ever state championship in basketball and serves as a crowning achievement to a season marked by perseverance, cohesion, and athletic excellence, culminating in a remarkable 27-7 overall record and a resounding seven-game winning streak to close the season; and
WHEREAS, the team's triumph was fueled by the extraordinary performances of its senior stalwarts, including Jayden McKinnon-whose poise and precision earned him a game-high seventeen (17) points-and Ricky Coleman, whose multifaceted contributions included ten (10) points and seven (7) rebounds, exemplifying the indefatigable spirit of the Eagles; and
WHEREAS, Dyett High School was once slated for closure in 2015, The community, parents, students, teachers, and organizations like the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO), salvaged and revitalized Dyett High School through a monumental 34-day hunger strike, leading to Dyett's 2016 reopening as a sustainable community school dedicated to the holistic development of its students; and
WHEREAS, the Eagles' championship ...
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