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Sandy Weathers
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Ryan McCormack
A Ridgeland High School student and teacher have been selected for posts on two of state education advisory councils for 2009-10.
Science teacher Sandy Weathers and senior Ryan McCormack got the nod for posts on the Superintendent's Teacher Advisory Council and Student Advisory Council, respectively.
The selection of Ryan, 17, marks the first time a Walker County student has been chosen for the student council. He said he plans to discuss improvement of graduation rates and technology with state school Superintendent Kathy Cox, he said.
"I go down and play baseball around the Atlanta area, the Macon area and the Savannah area, and I see all these ... huge, high-tech schools with all kinds of computers and stuff, and I just want to talk to (Ms. Cox) about expanding that to the northwest end of the state," he said.
FAST FACTS
Two other local teachers -- Angela Bowman from Trion Elementary School and Kit Carpenter from Dalton Middle School -- were appointed to the Georgia Superintendent's Teacher Advisory Council this school year.
ADVISORY COUNCILS
The teacher's council has 45 members -- 10 state Teacher of the Year winners, two Milken Award winners and 32 chosen by nomination, council overseer Courtney Burnett said. Between 500 and 700 students apply each year for a spot on the 50-member student panel, she said.
Mrs. Weathers said a recent meeting of the Teachers Advisory Council involved discussions on budget issues and the mandatory furlough days enacted by the state to cut costs. Next up is a "homework assignment" on how to save money and still boost the use of technology in the classroom, she said.
"I was glad that we could have some representation from our county," she said. "I was even more pleased when I found out that Ryan had been nominated and had been accepted to the Student Advisory Council."
The two councils meet with the state superintendent three times during the school year to discuss how decisions made at the state level affect Georgia's students and teachers, state officials said.
Walker Superintendent Melissa Mathis said the pair is an example of "all that is best in education, both in Walker County and in our state, and each will bring a unique voice to Mrs. Cox and the council that will be very beneficial."
Ridgeland High principal Robert Smith said dual representation this year on the state level is a "feather in Ridgeland's cap" and an accomplishment for Northwest Georgia.
"Sandy Weathers is our department head for science and is an outstanding teacher," Mr. Smith said. "Ryan is our salutatorian going into the end of the semester. So they got two good ones."
Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee and previously covered North Georgia education. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties and later adding Marion, Grundy and other counties in the northern and western edges of the region to his coverage. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School. Benton ...
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