50 Ga. teens named to Student Advisory Council | People

ATLANTA -- Fifty high school students from across Georgia have been selected to serve on the 2012-13 Student Advisory Council.

State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge announced the members of his council Friday.

"The Student Advisory Council allows me to hear directly from students in our schools and discuss major initiatives with them," Barge said in a statement. "The council also gives students the opportunity to share with me their ideas and concerns, which we can use to shape future state policies."

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More than 750 students from 121 Georgia school districts applied to serve on this year's council.

"It was very difficult to choose the members of the Student Advisory Council because there were so many great applications," Barge said. "I'm excited about working with this group of students because I know they will be prepared to share their ideas to make education work for all students."

The Student Advisory Council meets two times during the school year to advise the superintendent on how state policies affect students and their classrooms. Council members also discuss education-related issues and serve as ambassadors to their respective schools.

The council's first meeting will be held Nov. 28 in Atlanta.

This year's council members include:

Atlanta
Jamesia Robinson, Grady HS

Bibb County
Fabian Kopp, Central HS

Bleckley County
Millie Collins, Bleckley County HS

Bulloch County
Ethan Perkins, Southeast Bulloch HS

Camden County
Christian Griffiths, Camden County HS

Carroll County
Jena Lane, Bowden HS

Cartersville
Ezra Hall, Cartersville City HS
Christian Hopper, Cartersville City HS

Cherokee County
Rani Tilva, Woodstock HS

Cobb County
Eliza Kate Leiter, Pebblebrook HS

Columbia County
Maggie Rollins, Greenbriar HS

Coweta County
Faith Strickland, East Coweta HS

DeKalb County
Joshua Lewis, Cross Keys HS

Dougherty County
Hezikiah Johnson IV, Westover HS

Douglas County
Destini Shelton, Chapel Hill HS

Emanuel County
Jasmine Reese, Emanuel County Institute

Fayette County
Benjamin Weinhardt, Sandy Creek HS

Fulton County
Dionne Black, Creekside HS

Georgia
Wensday Sailers, Georgia Cyber Academy
Jesus Ontiveros, Georgia School for the Deaf

Gwinnett County
Charles Chang, Brookwood HS

Hall County
Allison Walls, Flowery Branch HS

Henry County
Brendan Bell, Stockbridge HS

Houston County
Alexander Pegues, Houston County HS

Irwin County
Cole Harper, Irwin County HS

Jackson County
Sheena McEachin, East Jackson HS

Jefferson
Juliann Watson, Jefferson City HS

Jenkins County
Gresham Conway, Jenkins County HS

Jones County
Sarah Pounds, Jones County HS

Lamar County
A'Ja Johnson, Lamar County HS

Liberty County
Donnie Pulliam, Liberty County HS

Long County
Sanquez Fair, Long County HS

Lowndes County
Alexandra Wang, Lowndes County HS

Lumpkin County
Allison Woody, Lumpkin County HS

Morgan County
Kayla McGhee, Morgan County HS

Muscogee County
Jamar Feggins, Jordan Vocational HS

Oconee County
Staley Reed, North Oconee HS

Oglethorpe County
Jim Beatty, Oglethorpe County HS

Pulaski County
Zachary Grimsley, Hawkinsville HS

Putnam County
Erin Wolf, Putnam County HS

Richmond County
Abbey Padgett, Westside Comprehensive

Rockdale County
Brianna Barkley, Salem HS

Stephens County
Morgan Akridge, Stephens County HS

Thomas County
Bobbi Owens, Thomas County Central HS

Thomaston-Upson County
Ashton Hosta, Upson-Lee HS

Towns County
Faithe Robinson, Towns County HS

Treutlen County
Tyler Heath, Treutlen County HS

Union County
Alice Francis, Union County HS

Walton County
Jordan Cown, Walnut Grove HS