Kids & Family

Cherokee Students Chosen For ARC Youth Leadership Program

Eight students from River Ridge, Etowah, Woodstock and Sequoyah high schools were chosen for the 2014-15 Model Atlanta Regional Commission.

Staff Report

Eight Cherokee County School District students have been selected for the 2014-15 Model Atlanta Regional Commission

The Atlanta Regional Commission, the official planning agency for the 10-county metro Atlanta region, presents the annual program, which brings 55 select high school students from the metro area together for a youth leadership program. 

Find out what's happening in Woodstock-Towne Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The eight students are: from Etowah High School, sophomore Sindhu Manivannan; from River Ridge High School, junior Kelly Mayes; from Sequoyah High School; junior Yeseul Heo, junior Zaria Hunter and sophomore Isabelle Riddle; and from Woodstock High School, sophomore Austin Cox, junior Michael Papadimitriou and junior Paula Ruiz. 

Students attend monthly meetings during the school year beginning in September, as well as an overnight retreat in the fall.  

Find out what's happening in Woodstock-Towne Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

They will learn about how local governments work together to address regional needs such as transportation, water supply, land use, sustainability and human services. Activities include hands-on exercises and visits to sites throughout metro Atlanta, with a capstone project of proposing resolutions to the ARC Board that would improve life in metro Atlanta. 

Participants are selected by an ARC committee based on applications, which note academic achievement and extra-curricular activities; a letter of recommendation from a teacher; and an essay about a regional issue that interests the student the most. 

Dennis Burnette of Canton, who is Cherokee County’s longtime citizen representative on the ARC Board, said while the school district historically always has had strong participation in the Model ARC, it is “superb” that eight of the 55 students selected are from our county and School District. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Woodstock-Towne Lake