Cherokee Schools Names 2020-21 Student Advisor, Delegates

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA -- The Cherokee County School District has named the 2020-21 student advisor and student delegates to the school board.

The school board has included a student advisor position on its board since 1999, and for the past 10 years, a student delegate from each high school also has been selected. These students serve for one year to give input and feedback to the school board; the advisor role is rotated among the district’s high schools.

This year’s student advisor is Jordyn Hardaway of Sequoyah High School. The Student Delegates are: Lexie-Anne Rodkey of Cherokee High; Brinn Dameron of Creekview High; Analise Black of Etowah High; Simran Patel of River Ridge High; and Connor Gray of Woodstock High.

“Our student advisor and student delegates provide our school board and me with critically important student viewpoints as we make decisions about the schools and programs that serve them,” Superintendent Brian Hightower said. “Beyond their attendance at our meetings, they attend work sessions with my senior staff to discuss new initiatives, and they participate in my ad hoc committees on topics ranging from technology use in classrooms to the safety and security of our schools. We greatly appreciate their service to our schools, our school district and our community.”

The students begin their service at the school board meeting in August and serve through the May meeting. Students selected to serve as student advisor or student delegates share common traits: they excel in the classroom, often ranking in the top 10 percent of their class; they are involved in their school, often participating in numerous clubs, sports and organizations; and they seek out opportunities to serve and lead in school and in their community.

Here are just a few highlights of their many activities:

Hardaway serves as captain of the Sequoyah High varsity lacrosse team and plays flag football; is vice president of the senior class and president of the environmental club, which she founded; and volunteers with Beta Club and Friends Club. Rodkey is a 10-year competitive gymnast, and established Cherokee High School’s first Women’s Gymnastics Team; she also helped establish the first MUST Ministries high school food pantry in the district; and serves as president for Beta Club and Alpha Gamma Service Club.

A four-year Creekview High student government leader, Dameron serves as her senior class president, cheers for the Grizzlies football team, sings with the advanced chorus and volunteers at domestic violence shelters and soup kitchens. Black, a Girl Scout Gold Award winner, serves as co-president of Etowah High School’s International Student Association and on the Etowah Flight Club Leader’s Council; and has lettered in band and earned two superior ratings for her flute performances.

Patel serves as the River Ridge High Student Government Association President, and as president for the Debate Club, which she co-founded, and Rho Kappa; is an athletic trainer and the captain of the Competitive Bollywood Dance Team; and volunteers for numerous organizations, including Northside Hospital. Gray is a Woodstock High Student Government Association leader and class president; serves in Spanish Honors Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and National Honors Society; and volunteers as a church youth leader.