Good morning.

My name is Elliot Payne.

I'm the president of Minneapolis City Council.

And before we convene our meeting, we have presentations of honorary resolutions.

We are pleased to welcome guests to the space in these presentations before taking up our agenda.

First up is a resolution recognizing Veterans Day.

And I will be presenting that along with anyone else who wants to join.

Good morning.

Today we are honoring and recognizing Veterans Day.

Whereas November 11th of each year has been formally designated as Veterans Day, a time to acknowledge and reflect on the individuals who have served in the United States Armed Forces and whereas Veterans Day serves as an opportunity for our community to recognize the diverse contributions and experiences of veterans, both during their time in service and in civil civilian life, and whereas many veterans continue their service through public service, including within our city government, bringing a strong sense of commitment and care for our community.

And whereas veteran employees of the city have contributed to operations and functions across the enterprise, applying skills of leadership, collaboration, and passion that enhance city services and community experience.

And whereas recognizing the contributions of veteran city staff helps promote an inclusive and supportive environment where all forms of service are valued and appreciated.

And whereas the city is committed to continuing the work of building a culture of appreciation and respect for the experiences and perspectives that veterans bring to the city enterprise and our community.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the mayor and city council do hereby recognize November 11th, 2025 as Veterans Day in the City of Minneapolis, and recognize the contributions of all city staff who have served in the United States military, thanking them for their continued support of our community through military and public service.

Thank you, Council President Payne, for sponsoring this Veterans Day resolution, and for the rest of City Council for your support.

As a proud daughter and granddaughter of veterans and one of the leaders of America, which is our military employee resource group, I'm grateful to work and live in a city in a city that recognizes and celebrates our veterans and active duty service men and women.

Our veteran and current service members possess great work ethic, leadership skills, adaptability, integrity, and a heart for public service.

They bring these skills with them as almost 10% of our city workforce.

Many city employees have served who have served or who are currently serving balance their personal lives and city responsibilities around trainings and deployments in order to keep our country safe.

And I'm honored to recognize and celebrate those men and women today.

Thank you.

Oh, there we go.

Um as the executive sponsor for the ERG America, I just uh want to uh express gratitude and thank you to Council President, Council members, and um the city for supporting the men and women who have served in the military and who are citizens or who are um uh staff for the city of Minneapolis.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, I would like to welcome up Councilmember Chowdhury to recognize uh Principal Christian Alberto Ledesma honorary resolution.

All right, good morning.

All right, this resolution is honoring Principal Christian Ledesma, whereas Principal Christian Alberto Ledesma has been named the twenty twenty five Minnesota High School Principal of the Year by the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals, a distinguished honor recognizing exceptional leadership in education.

And whereas Principal Ledesma serves as the leader of Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis Public Schools, where he has demonstrated unwavering commitment to the social and economic development of every single student.

And whereas, with more than 20 years of experience in education, Principal Ledesma has dedicated his career to maintaining high standards of education that supports students in all areas, both personal and academic.

And whereas Principal Ledesma has shown exemplary leadership in identifying and correcting policies, practices, and programs that perpetuate gaps in learning and an institutional racism, working tirelessly to create an equitable education environment for all students.

And whereas his professional journey in education includes service as a literacy specialist at Green Central Elementary, an assistant principal at Roosevelt High School, and principal at Wellstone International High School, as well as years of teaching experience in New York City and Minneapolis Public Schools.

And whereas Principal Ladesma has supervised the growth of the dual language program at Roosevelt, strengthening the pathway for Spanish dual language students and creating a welcoming environment for newcomer students and families.

Whereas Principal Ledesma is a resourceful and goal-driven professional educator who embodies the values of dedication, equity, and excellence in education.

And whereas his leadership represents the highest ideals of educational administration and service serves as an inspiration to educators, students, and families throughout Minneapolis and Minnesota.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the mayor and city council do hereby recognize and honor the significant contributions made by Principal Christian Alberto Ledesma to education and to our community and his dedication to the students of Roosevelt High School.

Oh, we got it done in time.

At Go Teddies.

Go teddies.

Yes.

Well, we have some wonderful folks that are going to say some words.

I'll just start by saying thank you so much, um, Principal Ledesma, for all of your hard work, both in Roosevelt High School and our entire community.

Um I met you when I first became the councilwoman to our community, and you were such a welcoming individual and a partner, especially in supporting our students in civic engagement for young people, which matters deeply to me and to you, and also the safety and care of our community.

Um here from a lot of people, you're just really really kind and really fun to work with.

And also, your students love you.

And I think that says a lot about any principal.

I think that might be the greatest measure of success is that you just have so much collective love and care from your education community.

And now I'm getting emotional.

Um why don't we pass it to one of your okay, go ahead.

Wait way to make it emotional.

So uh I brought all these beautiful people with me because the work uh that we get to do at Roosevelt is not work that I get to do alone, right?

So these are this is amazing, and thank you so much to the city council for this.

Uh, but these students, families, and staff that you see here represent the best of Roosevelt High School in the best of Minneapolis Public Schools.

Uh and they make it a joy and an honor to serve every day.

So thank you for being here.

And thank you for sharing this with me.

Hi there, my name is Layla.

I am a senior at Roosevelt.

Um, I just want to say that in all my four years at Roosevelt, Principal Adesva has been a constant force, a constant, like, I don't know how to say this, like he's always been there as a way to lift me up and push other students forward.

And he's really just been such a great principal and such a great person to like know all four years of my high school career.