Coweta County Schools

The Coweta county Board of Education recognized the 11 Coweta County School System high school students chosen as finalists for the prestigious Georgia Governor’s Honors Program.

The students’ principals – including Northgate High School Principal Therese Reddekopp, East Coweta Principal Evan Horton, Newnan High School Principal Doug Moore, and Central Educational Center Principal Mark Ballou – accompanied the finalists as the board congratulated each of them.

Governor’s Honors - held each year at Valdosta State University – is designed to provide intellectually gifted and artistically talented high school students challenging and enriching educational opportunities not usually available during the regular school year. The students are among 700 state-wide finalists – chosen from over 2,900 nominees – who will attend the 2012 program in June and July.

The finalists – from Coweta’s four high schools - are:

·         Anais Felix (Newnan High School) attending in Chemistry

·         Joshua Vorderlandwehr (The Central Educational Center/Northgate High School), attending in Architectural Design

·         Alexa Carleo (East Coweta High School), attending in Communicative Arts

·         Jordan Collis (East Coweta High School), attending in Spanish

·         Alison Dees (East Coweta High School), attending on Theatre Performance

·         Scarlett Holt (East Coweta High School), attending in Visual Arts

·         Saeyum Lee (East Coweta High School), attending in Biology

·         Nathan Hoffman (Northgate High School), attending in Social Studies

·         Rees Horton (Northgate High School), attending in Communicative Arts

·         John Woody (Northgate High School), attending in Music/Woodwinds (Flute)

·         Melissa Wright (Northgate High School), attending in Communicative Arts

The Georgia Governor's Honors Program (GHP) is a six-week summer residential instructional program for intellectually gifted and artistically talented high school students. Sophomores and juniors in public, private, and home schools are eligible to be nominated in one of twenty areas. Courses are designed to provide each participant with opportunities to acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to become independent, life-long learners.

During the four weeks of the program, students spend the mornings in their major area of nomination, exploring topics not usually found in the regular high school classroom. During the afternoons, students choose one of the other areas in which to study. The curriculum in all the areas is challenging and engaging. Evenings are filled with seminars, activities, concerts, and performances.

The Georgia Governor's Honors Program is fully-funded by the Georgia General Assembly, and operates at no cost to participants. The 2012 program will be held from June 24 to July 21.

46 Coweta County students nominated to the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program were honored at a breakfast held at the Central Educational Center in January. GHP Director Dale Lyles told the students were told that their nominations alone placed them well within the top of their classes and disciplines.

“Coweta County always has a good showing” when it comes to Georgia Honor’s program attendance, because of the quality of the student applicants, Lyles said. Lyles’ only advice to the students – all of whom faced impending interviews or tryouts – was “be yourself” and “go for it.”

Lyles – a 34-year Coweta County educator, and a former GHP student himself –took the helm of the state program last year, when he was named GHP executive director.

“GHP is such a competitive program that even being nominated is an accomplishment,” said Lyles. “I congratulate the students of Coweta County School System and look forward to meeting them and their parents.” He added that many if not most of GHP’s past participants regard it as one of the most life-changing events in their lives.

Cutline: 2012 Governor’s Honors students from Coweta County high schools were honored by Board of Education members Tuesday night.  GHP students appearing before the Board’s June meeting, with their principals, were, left to right, front row, East Coweta High School finalists Alison Dees and Scarlett Holt, ECHS principal Evan Horton, Newnan High School finalist Anais Felix and NHS Principal Dr. Doug Moore, Northgate High School Principal Therese Redekopp; second row, Northgate High school finalists John Woody, Rees Horton, Nathan Hoffman and Melissa Wright, Central Educational Center finalist Joshua Vorderlandwehr, and CEC Principal Mark Ballou. Not pictured are East Coweta finalists Alexa Carleo, Jordan Collis, and Saeyum Lee