Story by student report Makayla Jordan
One of the most recent student organizations to join the variety of activities at Thomas County Central High School is called “Student Ambassadors.” The Georgia Secretary of State Student Ambassadors program encourages students to involve themselves in the community as well as to host voter registration drives and volunteer events.
TCCHS has a total of nine students in its branch, the max number allowed, but the small group has been making headway in the state rankings.
“This year's program has started off strong,” Coach Joshua Niswonger said. “Our ambassadors have been involved in many different civic/volunteer activities. As of right now, TCCHS Student Ambassadors ranks third in the state and first in region.”
The program allows teams to gain points by holding different events that encourage participation within the community. Every week, points are tallied and the Georgia Secretary of State's office posts the school rankings by point amount.
The TCCHS team has gained many of its points by hosting voter registration drives in the school cafeteria, as well as conducting polls there and online. Also, the team has talked to many classes about the importance of voting and other political subjects, much of which occurred before Georgia’s voter registration deadline, Oct. 12.
“It was a really informative session and let me know how I could register to vote in the future,” student Steven Tran said about one of the class talks.
While the talks are an ongoing process, the ambassadors often attend civic events. One of these was the Presidential Peanut Poll at the Georgia National Fair in Perry.
“The poll was a great way to allow the students to participate in something both fun and educational,” Niswonger said.
Students enjoyed the event.
“The poll was fun to participate in because it let us put what we had learned into action and it offered a unique opportunity to look into the political process,” senior Maggie Martin said.
Other than attending community events and volunteering, the program encourages leadership and government involvement, such as attending meetings of local governing boards (county commission, school board, etc.).
On Friday, Oct 21 the first annual “Jacket Townhall Meeting” was held at TCCHS. Ambassadors and student council members came together to speak with local and state government representatives.
Those present included state House District 173 Rep. Darlene Taylor, Thomas County Board of Education member Charles Evans, Keith Stone from the Georgia Secretary of State office, and Thomas County Board of Commissioners Chairman Ken Hickey.
“The conference was very educational and allowed for students to voice questions and thoughts they had for the attendees,” junior Natalie Wyatt said.
Ambassador Kennedy Ward felt the conference was “a great opportunity” to meet community leaders and “make vital connections that can be beneficial in our future as leaders.”
The TCCHS ambassadors already have other activities planned for the rest of the year, including a Youth Assembly trip in November as well as volunteering as pages in February 2017.
“I’m really excited for all the things we have planned because I think they’re going to provide great opportunities to get a look into the government from a more personal view,” Martin said.
The program ends in April. TCCHS participants hope to place high in the final rankings.