Athens students chosen for Governor’s Honors Program

The following was released today by the Clarke County School District:

The Clarke County School District is pleased to announce that six CCSD high school

students — five from Clarke Central High and one from Cedar Shoals High — have been selected as

finalists for the 2025 Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP).

GHP is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school students who will enter either

their junior or senior year in the fall. The program offers instruction that is designed to provide students pwith 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 from June 15 to July 12 at Georgia Southern University.

Finalists from CCSD invited to attend the program this summer include:

●Max Burnham, a junior at Clarke Central, in the area of Agricultural Research, Biotechnology, and

Science

Burnham

● Andreas Dillies, a sophomore at Clarke Central, in the area of Mathematics

Dillies

Cara Flath, a junior at Clarke Central, in the area of Social Studies

Flath

Quinn Pendley, a junior at Clarke Central, in the area of Agricultural Research, Biotechnology,

and Science

Pendley

Eli Stone, a sophomore at Cedar Shoals, in the area of Social Studies

Stone

Waylon Vaughn, a junior at Clarke Central, in the area of Visual Arts.

Vaughn

Cedar Shoals junior Lilly Cohen was selected as an alternate in the area of Communicative Arts.

Cohen

While at GHP, these students will attend classes in the mornings and afternoons in their specific areas of

study. They will also participate in a wide variety of social and instructional opportunities every evening.

Each school year, high schools in Georgia nominate students for GHP, and students go through an

extensive application process with assistance from school-level coordinators. Nearly 1,500 semi-finalists

are selected for final interviews and/or auditions from an initial field of more than 4,000 nominees across

the state, and about 600 from that group are selected for an invitation to the program. CCSD had 32

students (17 from Cedar Shoals and 15 from Clarke Central) nominated this year, and 16 (10 from Clarke

Central and six from Cedar Shoals) were named semi-finalists.

“Congratulations to these distinguished students. Becoming a GHP finalist and alternate is no small feat.

It reflects the end point of an extremely rigorous selection process — including challenging interviews

and complex written applications — and the honorees’ unwavering dedication, perseverance, hard work,

and commitment to their fields of study,

” said Dr. Jennifer L. Bogdanich, CCSD Gifted Coordinator.

“Our

students are well-prepared to showcase their unique talents and engage with others who share their

passions from across the state, all while benefiting from the long journey that led them to this remarkable

achievement. I am confident they will have an enriching and transformative experience this summer at

Georgia Southern University representing CCSD.”