Forsyth County’s first Student Government Academy class graduated during a ceremony held Wednesday, May 11 at the Forsyth Conference Center at Lanier Tech. Photos from the ceremony can be found by clicking here.

 The Student Government Academy is a dynamic civics program for Forsyth County high school juniors giving students the opportunity to engage with their local government and gain a deeper understanding of how it operates.

This year’s class had the opportunity to meet with a range of leaders from Forsyth County, the state of Georgia and the media, including Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, Georgia Supreme Court Justice Shawn Ellen LaGrua, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Political Reporter Greg Bluestein, WSB-TV Anchor Lori Wilson and Forsyth County News Reporter Kelly Whitmire.

The following students participated in the first Student Government Academy:

Colby Cannizzaro - Alliance Academy for Innovation

Trevor Hall - Alliance Academy for Innovation

Jordyn Cohen - Denmark High School

Luke Smith - Denmark High School

Aidan Carr - East Forsyth High School

Hayden Payne - East Forsyth High School

Suhani Dey - Forsyth Central High School

Joseph Hill - Forsyth Central High School

Arjun Birthi - Lambert High School

Neha Darisi - Lambert High School

Srihitha Dasari - Lambert High School

Jason Eappen - Lambert High School

Eden Landry - Lambert High School

Vinayak Menon - Lambert High School

Madison Francisco - North Forsyth High School

Griffin Vander Linde - North Forsyth High School

Alexis Foster - South Forsyth High School

Ayush Gundawar - South Forsyth High School

Nina Thakur - South Forsyth High School

Benjamin Carder - West Forsyth High School

Samuel Carder - West Forsyth High School

“While high school students may think, I’m too young to get involved or adults don’t care what I have to say, nothing could be further from the truth,” said Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Chairman and District 2 Commissioner Alfred John who spoke at the ceremony.

“These are next generation leaders, and their voice and opinions are important. They now have incredible first-hand knowledge of how a local government operates, how decisions are made that will affect their way of living and they are armed with the knowledge that they can make a significant impact in whatever community they call home.”

Speakers at the inaugural Student Government Academy graduation ceremony also included County Manager Kevin Tanner, Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Bearden and student Jordyn Cohen.

Forsyth County also offers a Citizens’ Academy that provides County residents the opportunity to get an up-close and immersive look ant County operations. 

For more information on both academies, click here, or contact Taylor Hall at (678) 455-8448 or tdhall@forsythco.com.