State School Superintendent Richard Woods has selected 108 Georgia students to serve on his 2016-2017 Student Advisory Council. Throughout the school year, these middle and high school students will meet with Superintendent Woods to discuss the impact of state policies in the classroom. Members of the Student Advisory Council will also discuss other issues related to education, serve as the Superintendent’s ambassadors to their respective schools, and participate in service projects to benefit schools and students.

“Meeting with my Student Advisory Council has been, and will continueto be, an invaluable part of my decision-making process,” Superintendent Woods said. “To develop child-focused, classroom-centered policies, we have to hear directly from students. We can only improve their educational experience by bringing them to the table.”

Members were selected from a pool of more than 800 students who applied to serve on the council. Students were chosen based on the strength of their essay answers, which focused on their ideas for public education and the ways their own educational experience could be improved. The students selected attend public schools all over the state.

“It was refreshing and valuable to hear these students’ feedback and ideas,” Superintendent Woods said. “This is a fantastic group of students with great ideas for the future of our educational system, and I can’t wait to work with them. I’d like to thank every student who took the time to apply and share their thoughts.”

Meetings of the Student Advisory Council will be held September 12, November 7, February 13, and April 10 for middle school students, and September 13, November 8, February 14, and April 11 for high school students at the Georgia Department of Education’s offices in Atlanta. Details will be sent via email to selected students.

Student Name, School District

Middle School Students 

Amaya Moss, Cobb

Angelise Sanchez, Gwinnett

Aria Jenkins, Houston

Beth-Anne Thornton, Valdosta City

Brianna Williams, DeKalb

Brody Kinsey, Whitfield

Camryn Fricks, Habersham

Carl Owen, Muscogee

Carson Fowler, Hart

Corbin Austin, Decatur

Daley Culberson, Walker

Dinma Ohamadike, Lee

Ellis Wallace, Habersham

Emily Surcey, Bartow

Emily Kilgore, Pulaski

Eve Harclerode, Atlanta Public Schools

Fernanda Ananou, Cherokee

Gomez Dario, Muscogee

Grayson Carter, Liberty

Griffin Cobb, Jackson

Hannah Culver, Cherokee

James Bond, Atlanta Public Schools

Jani Christopher, Valdosta City

Jasmine Arnold, Richmond

Jermaine Brown, Carroll

Jordan Lowe, Bibb

Jordyn Dixon, DeKalb

Kelsey Snell, Henry

Kimberly O’Brien, Carroll

Landen Burney, Wilkinson

Luke Michaelis, Fulton

McCormick Anderson, Morgan

Myles-Anthony Johnson, DeKalb

Owen Anderson, Valdosta City

Paulina Macias, Greene

Ryla Traylor, Lamar

Sadie McWhorter, Barrow

Sadie Phillips, Pickens

Sam-Wes Puckett, Polk

Shemitria Risper, Bibb

Shylaci Sistrunk, Savannah-Chatham

Spencer Presley, Forsyth

Stuart Baker, Greene

Sydney Pridgon, Tift

Sydney Griffith, Morgan

Tatum Minter, Richmond

Theodora Alese, Gwinnett

Triston Parsons, Muscogee

Wayne Lockhart, Lowndes

Will Kroymann, Bryan

Xander Smith, Bulloch

Zanaiah Billups, Richmond

Zechariah Fuller, Cobb

High School Students

Alexis Carmichael, Lowndes

A’mayall Adams, Tift

Andrea Augustine, Henry

Austin Alridge, Decatur

Austin Fabritius, Cobb

Austin Futch, Ben Hill

Azortea Sanders, Hancock

Benjamin Trofemuk, Bibb

Brittany Mills, Richmond

Bryce Nethery, Dade

Caleb Moore, Thomas

Caroline Beach, Madison

Chanz McClain, Tift

Charles McCollough, Camden

Chase Gowan, Houston

Connor Darling, Cobb

Day Story, Worth

Ethan Nguyen-Tu, Richmond

Halli Collins, Gwinnett

Hannah Wise, Wayne

Harley Fuller, Paulding

Harold Shoats, Harris

How’Ron Nesbitt, Gwinnett

Isabella Martinez, Bryan

Jack Johnson, Douglas

Jacob Cone, Thomasville City

Jacob Derry, McDuffie

Jada Bartolozzi, DeKalb

Jake Harris, Harris

Jayla Pullen, Cobb

Joey Hunter, Fayette

John Jardin, Cobb

Jonathan Johnson, Fulton

Ju’Keindra Fuller, McDuffie

Ki Riddle, Wayne

Kirby Jones, Chickamauga City

Marcus Scott, Glynn

Mary Hamilton, Savannah-Chatham

Michael Manchiraju, Douglas

Nigeria Demmons, Richmond

Noah Buice, Lamar

Rachel Thigpen, Montgomery

Ralph Brown, Newton

Remington Youngblood, Forsyth

Ronnie White, Appling

Ryan Bryant, Hart

Taylor Kilgore, Early

Thomas Peters, Clarke

Thomas Petty, Murray

Tristan Lankford, Clarke

Tyler Baker, Seminole

Veena Jaipradeep, Fulton

Victoria Clark, Clayton

Zackary Fallah, Newton