Students across the state are getting more and more involved in their community, including those at Thomas County Central High School.
On Thursday, Sept. 13, the kickoff event for the Georgia Secretary of State’s Student Ambassador Program for the 2018-2019 school year was held in Macon. Of the various students at the event, TCCHS student ambassadors Chelsey Lawler, Taylor Smith, Matthew Mancil, Abigail Witcher, Will Baillargeon, Tommy Piland, Kaleb Ward, Destini Cole, Sarah Fulghum and Langley Wooten were in attendance. They were accompanied by sponsor Joshua Niswonger and his wife, Amber.
“The goal of the TCCHS Student Ambassadors is to provide opportunities for others to become civically engaged,” Niswonger states.
Students Matthew Mancil and Destini Cole both joined the TCCHS program specifically for this purpose.
“It seems like a great way to be involved in the community and help others realize the importance of the state government,” Mancil said.
The event began with an overview of participant and sponsor responsibilities. One topic discussed was the importance of voting and how lack of younger voters can skew how candidates campaign. Meaning if only registered voters in older demographics vote, then candidates will adjust the issues their campaign addresses to fit the interests being represented.
“I learned that elections are more important than I thought,” Destini Cole said. “I also learned that everyone needs to vote and that by being a student ambassador and talking to others about the importance of voting, I can encourage them to vote.”
Following this overview, students learned about the program’s goals. Student Ambassadors is also a competition in which schools around the state vie for points that will go toward regional/state awards and recognition. Students were shown a slideshow that broke down the points system. Points earned for student-organized events range from 100 to 1,000 points. For example, students can earn 800 points for making a video about voting for their fellow students to watch.
Other things students can do to earn points are host a voter registration drive, volunteer with a nonprofit organization, attend a civic meeting, or host an opinion poll at their school.
“We’re already planning different events that promote good citizenship and patriotism,” Niswonger said of the TCCHS program’s plans. “We hope to really get more of the school involved in these events, such as the Veterans Day Color Run and Voter Registration Drives.”
At the end of the school year, the school program with the most points will be recognized at the Georgia Capitol and receive a trophy.
“I’m really looking forward to participating in as many events as possible to help people to vote and also to maybe learn more about voting myself,” Cole explains.
Student Ambassadors was launched by Secretary of State Brian Kemp in January 2016 to promote civic engagement and voter registration among eligible high school students and other citizens within each Georgia community. Each school is allowed to nominate up to nine 10th-12th grade students to represent their community through participation in the program.