Sixteen Carrollton High School students have been nominated to compete in the state-level Governor’s Honors Program, which will be held at Georgia Southern University starting in June. Pictured from left to right are (back row) Mason Scoville, Tyler Clotfelter, Micah Chapman, Kaia Maggiano; (fourth row) Wade Ballard, Yadiel Pilar Enriquez, Josie Thomas; (third row) Presley McLaren, Samantha Berg, Madison Rodriguez; (second row) Lissa Sajche, McKenzie Swain, Lucy Slappey; (front row) CHS Assistant Principal Ashleigh Paulk, Allie Grace Ashlock, Megan Ou, Joel Nunez Gusman, and CHS Counselor Shae Holland. These students will now prepare for state evaluations in their respective subject areas for a chance to attend the prestigious summer program.
After an extensive application and interview process, 16 Carrollton High School students have been nominated to compete at the state level for the 2026 Governor’s Honors Program.
The Governor’s Honors Program, known as GHP, is a four-week residential summer program for gifted and talented rising high school juniors and seniors. Public, private, and home school students are eligible for nomination in one of more than 20 subject areas.
The nominees this year are Allie Grace Ashlock, Wade Ballard, Samantha Berg, Micah Chapman, Tyler Clotfelter, Kaia Maggiano, Presley McLaren, Joel Nunez Gusman, Megan Ou, Yadiel Pilar Enriquez, Madison Rodriguez, Lissa Sajche, Mason Scoville, Lucy Slappey, McKenzie Swain, and Josie Thomas.
This year’s nominees will cover a variety of subject areas. Samantha and Lucy will compete for communicative arts, and Allie Grace Ashlock will pursue a spot in the dance program. The contenders in math are Joel and Mason, and in social studies are Presley, Megan, and Josie. Micah will compete for science, and Wade in computer science. For music, in the woodwind concentration, Tyler and McKenzie will compete. Madison will pursue selection for theatre. In the world languages category, Lissa and Yadiel will go for a nomination in Spanish, while Kaia aims for German.
These students will now prepare for the state competition, which includes an application and personal interview process. GHP finalists will be announced in the spring of 2026, and the program will be held June 14 through July 11 at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.
With a strong legacy of producing competitive GHP candidates, Carrollton High School aims to support students who choose to pursue this prestigious program. Last year, five of the 16 nominees went on to be named semi-finalists. Of that cohort, Samantha, Kaia, and Presley returned this year to compete for another chance at attending GHP. Last year, current senior Luis Marti Reyes represented the district at GHP in Spanish.
CHS Principal Ian Lyle said he is proud of the nominees and grateful to the CHS guidance department for their hard work with the application process.
“I am proud of our students’ hard work to advance in the nomination process for the Governor’s Honors Program,” said Lyle. “All of the nominees are passionate about their areas of concentration and are dedicated to refining their crafts, which they are eager to share through GHP. I am grateful for our guidance office and CHS counselor Shae Holland for guiding students through this application process. All of us at CHS are committed to supporting our students as they pursue their goals in the classroom and beyond.”
