State School Superintendent Richard Woods has selected 130 Georgia students to serve on his Student Advisory Council. Owen Petrey, an eighth-grader at Thomas County Middle School, was selected from a pool of more than 1,000 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 as well as their community service experience. The students selected attend public schools all over the state, in every RESA district in Georgia.

Petrey is a member of the National Junior Honor Society, the 4H shotgun team, science academy and the middle school football team. He is an active participant in several community service activities throughout the year including Hands on Thomas County, Backpack Buddies, Second Harvest, Project Backyard, Salvation Army and the Humane Society. Petrey was also selected as a Duke TIP finalist last year.

A federal grant is providing fresh fruits and vegetables to Thomas County students.

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a federally assisted program that provides all children in participating schools with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the school day. It is an effective and creative way of introducing fresh fruits and vegetables as healthy snack options. The FFVP also encourages schools to develop partnerships at the state and local levels for support in implementing and operating the program.