Johns Creek Freshman Serves On Student Advisory Council

Luke Michaelis, 14, recently completed his third year of service with the State Superintendent of Schools Student Advisory Council. This group of young volunteers discusses how decisions made at the state level affect students all over Georgia.

Michaelis previously served on the council for two years while a student at Autrey Mill Middle School in Johns Creek. He is now a freshman at Johns Creek High School and one of only 4 representatives from Fulton County. The other 3 high school representatives from Fulton County are from the Metro Atlanta area.

State Superintendent Richard Woods meets with the advisory council throughout the year. Students act as liaisons between the Department of Education and the students of Georgia. Members are selected by a committee of Georgia Department of Education representatives every year. More than 1,500 students applied last year but only 142 students were selected, 75 from high school and the remainder from middle school.

Earlier in the school year, Michaelis met with Dr. Jimmy Zoll, former JCHS Principal, and Dr. Jeff Rose, Fulton County Superintendent, and discussed school and district strengths and challenges, student achievement, hidden poverty and accommodations for students with disabilities. It was a unique opportunity to talk candidly about student issues.

On April 17, Michaelis, State Superintendent Woods and the council members packed over 100,000 books as a service project at Action Ministries in Atlanta. The books will be distributed across the state as Woods visits schools later this year. State Superintendent Woods also ate lunch with the high schoolers and took time to learn about their leadership in other service projects in their communities.

For more information on the State Superintendent of Schools’ Student Advisory Council, visit http://www.gadoe.org/Pages/Stu...