There is a list of courses that are required in order to graduate from the Tahoma School District. One of these courses is a civics class of the student’s choice during their senior year of high school. They can either choose ACGI (American Civics, Government, and Global Issues), AP Government, and AP Government: We The People. Luckily for our seniors, Gretchen Wulfing is a potential teacher they can receive.
Mrs. Wulfing’s passion for civics came long before she became a teacher due to her close work with politicians in Washington D.C. She is a mother of several foster children and loves her students like they’re her own. Her exuberant personality is contagious, enforcing passion into the kids she teaches.
Mrs. Wulfing is a part time teacher at Tahoma, only working good days as that’s when her ACGI and WTP classes are. She has rejuvenated the We The People team in unprecedented ways. Her dedication to the team and the students on it is something that very few have seen before. She says that the program is “her whole life” and while it may leave her frazzled more often than not, she can never imagine stopping. She has brought in lawyer after judge after alumni in an effort to condition the team as much as possible before their competitions. The team competes in senate-like simulated hearings while presenting an argument to a panel of judges with a 4-minute long prepared statement followed by follow up questions based on their remarks. Thanks to Mrs. Wulfing’s determination to push the team to new heights, Tahoma has continued the 2 decade long legacy of becoming state champions last Saturday and will go on to the national competition in DC in April.
Students and past WTP alumni have described Mrs. Wulfing to be a “mother figure” for them during their high school career. A popular saying of hers, “nobody gets left behind”, has been one she has dutifully lived by for her entire career. She has been known to help students pay for the costs of the nationals trip out of her own pocket, highlighting how caring of a teacher she truly is. Her character alone is enough to encourage future students to join the We The People team in the future.
