CCSD Recognizes 2026 Superintendent's Key Scholars for Academic Success

The Cherokee County School District on Thursday night celebrated 192 outstanding high school students as 2026 Superintendent’s Key Scholars!  

These top students were recognized, through the 21st Annual Superintendent’s Key Scholar Recognition Ceremony, for earning a PSAT National Merit Selection Index score of 185 or greater, which ranks them in at least the top 10% of students nationwide.    

Honoring excellence in student performance, the program’s significant number of recognized students also reflects the district’s outstanding teachers and support staff.  Thank you to our School Board for its laser focus on ensuring our students are learning more, growing more, and achieving more in our classrooms than they could anywhere else! School Board Chair Janet Read Welch in her remarks congratulated the students on their impressive accomplishments. 

"Our School Board is very proud of your academic success," she said. "Do this mom a favor and be sure to smile for all the photos your parents take tonight!" 

Superintendent of Schools Mary Elizabeth Davis asked all the students being honored to stand up, as their parents and guests applauded their achievement. 

"When I look to the back of this room at these students, it is why I have hope for the future," Superintendent Davis said.  "The character and caliber and commitment of these students is just amazing."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each honoree was congratulated by Chair Read Welch and Superintendent Davis, along with School Board members Kelly Poole and Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison. Students received a special keychain as a memento of the event, and those students who earned a PSAT National Merit Selection Index score of 200 or greater also will receive a special cord to wear at their graduation ceremony (those students are noted with an asterisk in the rosters here below).    

Costs for the ceremony are sponsored by Cobb EMC and LGE Community Credit Union, both CCSD Partners; representatives from both organizations gave remarks during the program, which was held at Cherokee High School. The event also featured performances by members of the River Ridge High School orchestra; Cherokee High School’s Air Force JROTC Color Guard presented the colors.

Congratulations to our Key Scholars:

 

CHEROKEE HIGH SCHOOL

Aryn Bracewell

Grace Brake*

Seth Chao*

Thaxton Cheyne*

Sadie Cohen*

Ashton Commodore

Ashlynn Connell

Carson Cook

Molly Dutko

Madeline Flournoy*

Heather Gilbert

Arianna Hall

Aaron Lee

Katelyn L'Esperance

Davis Lloyd

Kassondra Marsan

Fiona Martin

Amanda Michno*

Lucas Miller

William Mizelle*

Whitney Porter

Allison Roderick

Brayden Sanchez

Dylan Saulinskas

Ethan Spelsberg

Saoirse Stewart

Sydney Taylor

Jonathan Vaughn

Samuel Volz

Scarlett Wales

Brendan Williams

 

CREEKVIEW HIGH SCHOOL

Taylor Atteberry

Holden Berumen

Walker Biello

William Brooks*

Samuel Cohrs

Jacob Cohrs*

William Collins

Emeline Cromer*

Dominic DiRocco

Jack Gluckson

Marley Greenwell*

Elijah Hamid-Fitzpatrick*

Levi Hawthorne

Mason Key

Isabella Laurino

Annabelle Lindsey

Sarah Manning-Lee

Winston McArthur*

Molly McCarron

Harvey McCloskey

Christopher Nash*

Micah Owens

Ryan Pattillo*

Emily Perkins

Elle Pope*

Om Sai Karthik Rela Muni

Abigail Rickert

Caleb Rouse*

Ella Silvia

Anderson Smith*

Aiden Somilleda

Benjamin Wilhoite

Archer Wood

Madeleine Young

Hudson Zieg

 

ETOWAH HIGH SCHOOL

Nicholas Ambery

Maanas Bellamkonda*

Ava Bourgault*

Victoria Caamano

Lily Champion

Elliott Davis*

Mitchell Drought

Ava Horan

Willow Ivester

Ryker Karp

Colby Kuleszynski*

Shiloh Long

Carmen Lordemann

Emanuel Marktanner

Brady May*

Lillian McFarland

Owen Mosher

Kekoa Neuhart

Lydia Nickson

Rohan Pandya*

Arya Patel

Rudra Patel

Caroline Reynolds

Jackson Roche

Arturo Rosario Felix

Carter Rosenthal

Emma Russell

Julianne Sanders

Desmond Stansberry

Pradhyumna Vasishta*

Alyssa West

Skye Wilson*

Jackson Wolf

 

RIVER RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

Ved Battula*

Chase Bloom

Bryson Boldin*

Julian Brooker*

Gersey Maine Codiniera*

Santiago De Lira

Neil Duggal*

Manik Durani

Natalie Freeman

Karson Goldfuss

Ian Haas*

Abe Heimler

Alexander Henninger*

Christopher Herson*

Brianna Kimpel

Dennis Melendez

Etienobong Mfon Okon*

Amele Nyasia

Grace Ocana

Olivia Pacific

Joli Palmquist*

Aanan Patel*

Robert Patterson

Andrew Paulk

Anish Raja*

Nicholas Rury*

Giorgio Schiano Moriello*

Noah Sigers

Carlianne Timbol

Ryan Tucker*

Tanvi Vallamsetty

Santiago Venegas

Cayden Waites

Jackson Wallace

Corey Weber

 

SEQUOYAH HIGH SCHOOL

Matthew Agler*

Joshua Bailey

Ella Baker*

Kaylyn Beard

Helen Becker

Bryant Bobo

Lyla Carras

Aiden Finney

Luke Griffies*

Archer Grimes

Leif Hansen*

Kaitlyn Hartung*

Luke Jackson

Jack Johnson

Halley Jurnack

Haeun Ko

Daeun Ko*

Rhys Lane

Alexander Leljedal

Patrick Lockwood*

Corbin Mahon

Juliana Mathews

Paxton Miller*

Natalie Pereira

Lana Perisic

Caleb Platt

Caroline Price

Hallie Sargent

Alexander Severson*

Ashton Snow

Mabrie Strickland

Japhet Tegtmeyer*

Robert Thompson

Xavi Vasquez-Peruch

Anna West

Piper White*

Jonah Wooten

Giselle Zuniga-Garcia

 

WOODSTOCK HIGH SCHOOL

Kenady Baker

Stella Bustelo

John Candler

Brynn Cole

Carolyn Dailey*

Kennedy Fosburgh*

Amaryss Haefke

Caroline Inoue

Sophia Johnson*

Oliver Landis*

Matteus Nyabam

Devan Parameswaran*

Matthew Smith*

Emily Sonntag

Sawyer Swift

Michael Thomas*

Morgan Wasilewski

Sebastian Werner

Elias White*

Jack Williams*