--- title: HR 1688. First Preparatory Christian Academy boys basketball team; winning the 2026 GIAA Class A Boys State Basketball Championship; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1688 cite_as: HR 1688, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1688 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1688.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1688/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74070 date: 2026-03-12 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1687.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1689.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 134 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1688.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1688 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-12 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Al Williams - Buddy DeLoach text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1688/2025 upstream_id: 2133284 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - high school sports - Hinesville Georgia - basketball championship - private Christian schools --- # HR 1688. First Preparatory Christian Academy boys basketball team; winning the 2026 GIAA Class A Boys State Basketball Championship; commend ## Text House Resolution 1688 By: Representatives Williams of the 168th and DeLoach of the 167th A RESOLUTION Congratulating the First Preparatory Christian Academy boys basketball team for winning the 2026 GIAA Class A Boys State Basketball Championship; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, First Preparatory Christian Academy, located in Hinesville, is a private Christian school serving approximately 300 students in grades PK2 through 12 that is dedicated to academic excellence, athletic achievement, and the development of strong Christian character; and WHEREAS, under the leadership and direction of Headmaster Leah Gumatatao, the school continues its mission of educating and guiding students to excel both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities; and WHEREAS, the mission of the First Preparatory Christian Academy athletic program is to compete athletically at the highest level by placing the utmost importance on a "fundamentals first" mentality while maintaining a primary focus on the development of Christian character in each individual associated with the program through the teaching of six Core Values: Courage, Integrity, Patience, Humility, Discipline, and Enthusiasm; and WHEREAS, the First Preparatory Christian Academy boys basketball team achieved extraordinary success by winning the 2026 GIAA Class A Boys State Basketball Championship, securing back-to-back state championships and demonstrating exceptional teamwork, dedication, and perseverance; and WHEREAS, this achievement was made possible through the leadership of Head Coach Shane Smith, who has invested deeply in the lives of each and every student he has had the opportunity to coach and teach, building not only talented athletes but also young men of strong character; and WHEREAS, the accomplishments of the First Preparatory Christian Academy basketball team bring great pride to their school, families, and the broader community of Hinesville and the State of Georgia. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body congratulate the First Preparatory Christian Academy boys basketball team for winning the 2026 GIAA Class A Boys State Basketball Championship and for representing their school and community with excellence, discipline, and sportsmanship. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body recognize the outstanding leadership of Head Coach Shane Smith, Headmaster Leah Gumatatao, and the coaching staff, players, students, and families whose dedication made this remarkable achievement possible. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to First Preparatory Christian Academy. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution congratulates the First Preparatory Christian Academy boys basketball team of Hinesville for winning the 2026 GIAA Class A Boys State Basketball Championship, its second title in a row. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a formal statement from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring the First Preparatory Christian Academy boys basketball team in Hinesville. The team won the 2026 GIAA Class A Boys State Basketball Championship, marking a back-to-back state title. The resolution praises the school's mission of combining academics, athletics, and Christian character development, and credits Head Coach Shane Smith and Headmaster Leah Gumatatao for the team's success. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally congratulates the team, recognizes the coaching staff, players, students, and families involved, and directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send a copy of the resolution to the school as a keepsake of the honor. ### What it does - Formally congratulates the First Preparatory Christian Academy boys basketball team for winning the 2026 GIAA Class A Boys State Basketball Championship. - Recognizes Head Coach Shane Smith, Headmaster Leah Gumatatao, coaching staff, players, students, and families for their role in the achievement. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to the school. - Does not create, amend, or repeal any Georgia statute or appropriate any state funding. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names First Preparatory Christian Academy in Hinesville, its boys basketball team, Head Coach Shane Smith, Headmaster Leah Gumatatao, and the students and families connected to the school and its athletic program. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect but serves as an official, public recognition from the Georgia House of Representatives of a private school team's athletic achievement, giving the school and community a formal record of the honor. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe First Preparatory Christian Academy, its roughly 300 students, and its athletic program's six core values. - The first resolving clause congratulates the team for winning the 2026 GIAA Class A Boys State Basketball Championship. - The second resolving clause recognizes Head Coach Shane Smith, Headmaster Leah Gumatatao, coaching staff, players, students, and families. - The final resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to the school. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-12) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-12) - Sponsors: Al Williams, Buddy DeLoach - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74070 > The history, votes, and amendments (134 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1688.md?full=1