Superintendent names Student Advisory Council members | People

ATLANTA -- State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge has selected 50 students from across Georgia to serve on his 2013-14 Student Advisory Council.

More than 700 teens applied to join this year's council, which was formed to give young people a voice in how their classrooms are organized.

"Having student input during the policy-making process is invaluable," Barge said in a statement. "The students are ultimately the ones impacted by our work, and I want them to share their ideas and concerns as we address many critical issues."

The council will meet three times this school year to discuss how state policies have an impact in their classrooms. They will also serve as the superintendent's ambassadors to their respective schools.

A number of the Student Advisory Council members are from metro Atlanta, including:

Atlanta Public Schools
* Mitchell Everly, North Atlanta HS
* Mya Green, Therrell School of Engineering, Math, and Science

Barrow County
* Kaitlyn Ellington, Apalachee HS

Bartow County
* Hayden Anderson, Woodland HS

Cartersville City Schools
* Ezra Hall, Cartersville City HS
* Benjamin Hopper, Cartersville City HS

Cherokee County
* Rushay Amarath-Madav, Etowah HS
* Maddison Faulkner, Cherokee Charter Academy

Cobb County
* Tyler Boone, Lassiter HS
* Jordan Hale, Pope HS
* Jake Montalbano, Lassiter HS

Coweta County
* Stacie Evans, East Coweta HS
* Jesse Murr, East Coweta HS

Decatur City Schools
* Duo-Wei Yang, Decatur HS

Douglas County
* Alexander Nichols, Lithia Springs HS

Fayette County
* Benjamin Weinhardt, Sandy Creek HS

Forsyth County
* Asher Thompson, Lambert HS

Fulton County
* Leah Idichandy, Alpharetta HS

Georgia Cyber Academy
* Toni Dunlap (Stockbridge)

Gwinnett County
* Ashley Huynh, Archer HS

Jefferson City Schools
* Daniel Kimmel, Jefferson HS
* Ryan Romano, Jefferson HS
* Jordan Tyler, Jefferson HS

Rockdale County
* Mireya Arteaga, Rockdale County HS