(At left: Governor's Honors Program finalists and alternates from Clarke Central. From left to right: Max van Wagtendonk, Sekou Sesay, Isabelle Duncan, Anna Shaikun, and Will Simpson. At right, Cedar Shoals finalists: Pictured are Eva Lucero (left) and Delia McElhannon.)

April 14, 2023

CCSD is pleased to announce that five CCSD high school students — three from Clarke Central High and two from Cedar Shoals High — have been selected as finalists, and two additional students from Clarke Central have been selected as alternates for the 2023 Governor’s Honors Program (GHP).

GHP is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school students. The program offers instruction that is different from the typical high school classroom and is designed to provide students with enrichment in their area of talent so that they can become the next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators, and leaders. This year's program will take place at Georgia Southern University from June 18 to July 15.

Finalists from CCSD who have been invited to attend the program include:

• Sekou Sesay, Clarke Central, Visual Arts

• Anna Shaikun, Clarke Central, Communicative Arts

• Max van Wagtendonk, Clarke Central, Engineering–Mechanical Design

• Eva Lucero, Cedar Shoals, Visual Arts

• Delia McElhannon, Cedar Shoals, Agricultural Research, Biotechnology, and Science.

In addition, Clarke Central students Isabelle Duncan (Dance) and Will Simpson (Engineering-Programming) have been named alternates for the program.

“We want to congratulate all of these students for this exceptional accomplishment,” said CCSD Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker. “We also want to extend a special thank-you to Jodi Bogla at Clarke Central and Stephen Castile at Cedar Shoals for their work in coaching these students through the intensive GHP application and interview process.”