RINGGOLD, Ga. — A Ringgold High School senior will represent his North Georgia peers on the state school superintendent’s Student Advisory Council for 2010.
Marc Abdelnour, 17, said he looks forward to working with 49 of his fellow students from across Georgia.
“It’s a really good opportunity to have some say in the policies of the educational system,” said Abdelnour, who also has been appointed to this year’s Catoosa County Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council.
“I’ve always believed in open communications between those in charge and those under them,” he said. “I’ll enjoy doing it and helping make a difference.”
The 50 student advisers met for the first time Oct. 25.
“We started making a giant list of all the issues or problems or any suggestions we might have,” Abdelnour said. “Then we tried narrowing it down to the main problems.”
The early list placed student access to higher-caliber classes, like those available in advanced placement courses, at the top, he said.
Abdelnour and his fellow advisers will meet three times during the school year to provide student-level input to the state superintendent and the Georgia Department of Education on how state policies affect the classroom, according to state officials.
They also will discuss other education-related issues and serve as the state superintendent’s ambassadors in their schools.
More than 450 students applied for council posts, officials said. Students were chosen based on the strength of their essay answers as well as school and community involvement.
“This group will provide tremendous insight into how state policies are working in the classroom and allow me the opportunity to communicate directly with students in schools throughout Georgia,” state Superintendent Brad Bryant said in a release.
Abdelnour said learning about the differences among Georgia’s school systems, particularly limited resources in some South Georgia districts, was eye-opening.
Other districts might have programs or ideas that he could bring back home, he said.
Ringgold High School Principal Sharon Vaughn said she’s anxious to see what Abdelnour makes of his experience and what kind of ideas the panel produces.
“He’s very passionate; he likes to have a cause,” Vaughn said.
She hopes he will bring useful information back home, too.
“I want to get some insight into what the students’ priorities are,” she said.