By Jayson Larson/TVCC Public Information
Sixty students from 20 area high schools gathered at Trinity Valley Community College’s Athens campus last Friday to participate in the Phi Theta Kappa Leaders of Tomorrow Conference.
School districts selected three students each to attend the morning-long conference.
Students selected ranged in variety from athletes and student government representatives to National Honors Society members and classroom leaders. Each was presented with an award at the conclusion of the conference for being selected.
“We’re honoring these students for being chosen as leaders at their individual schools,” said Nancy Long, TVCC’s PTK adviser and faculty member, “but we’re also talking to them about becoming servant leaders, learning about their leadership styles and helping them understand the leadership styles of others.”
In addition to the leadership workshop, structured after Dr. Taylor Hartman’s book, “The People Code,” students participated in a team-building exercise called “Saving Humpty Dumpty.” The exercise required students to use various household items, such as cereal boxes, shrink wrap, trash bags and plastic utensils, to build a device or vehicle that would allow an egg to stay intact after a two- to three-story drop.
Participating schools and students were: Athens (Hannah Feinsod, Tayron Hall, Caleb Phillips); Canton (Brett Blevins, Gabe Gomez, Scott Munroe); Cayuga (Reichart Bauder, Macie Croft, Kent Pickle); Crandall (Ariel Banda, Sierra Survil, Garrett Wesley); Cross Roads (Carli Ivey, Kelsi Lookabaugh, Seth McGlaun); Edgewood (Baxter Chaney, Kendra McGahee, Thomas McPherson); Elkhart (Jordan Ives, Nathan Jensen, Cindy Mays); Frankston (Cheyenne Gideon, Leah Laudry, Alexandra Porter); Fruitvale (Stephen Holland, Monica McGee, Cody Smith); LaPoynor (Melody Avalos, Marissa Dunn, Stacy Edwards); Malakoff (Fernando Garcia, Michael Silvey, Tiffany Wilson); Martins Mill (Kayla Martin, Cassidy McCoy, Autumn Osborne); Neches (Halea Kendrick, Kelsee Wade, Brittaini Wilbanks); North Forney (Austin Lindler, Mark Mejia, Luissa Ponce); Palestine (Breanna Jackson, Trevon Jones, Elliot West); Slocum (Lane Helms, Laynnie Hogan, Kali Oliver); Terrell (Enrique Gonzalez, Julia Perry, Cameron Smith); Trinidad (Emily Airheart, Alyssia Ned, Brooklyn Snider); Westwood (Eunice Casas, Corey Dorsey, Neeli Hardison); and Wills Point (Chloe Jaeda McCombs, Rachel Katherine Myers, Tiffani Nicole Porter).