Ivy Academy High School Principal Rachel Swafford-Cook, Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Ivy Academy High School government teacher Elizabeth Arce-Spollen, Senator Bo Watson, Ivy Academy High School students and staff and Hamilton County Administrator of Elections Scott Allen
Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Ivy Academy High School government teacher Elizabeth Arce-Spollen, Ivy Academy High School Student Ambassador Lochlain Martin and Senator Bo Watson
Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Ivy Academy High School Student Ambassador Alex Griffith, Ivy Academy High School government teacher Elizabeth Arce-Spollen and Senator Bo Watson
Row 1 (L to R) Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr.Justin Robertson, Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences Executive Principal Jim D. Boles, Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences teacher Benjamin Schulz, Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Representative Yusuf Hakeem and Hamilton County Administrator of Elections Scott Allen; Row 2 (L to R) Senator Todd Gardenhire and Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences students
Senator Todd Gardenhire, Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences Student Ambassador Lauren Dean, Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Representative Yusuf Hakeem
Senator Todd Gardenhire, Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences Student Ambassador Isabella Ashley, Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Representative Yusuf Hakeem
Two Hamilton County high schools, Ivy Academy and Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences earned the Secretary of State's Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level Award by registering 100% of the eligible students who are 18 or older to vote. Lookout Valley Middle/High earned the Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Level Award by registering 85% of the eligible students to vote.
"Congratulations to Ivy Academy and Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences for reaching 100% voter registration and to Lookout Valley Middle/High School for reaching 85% voter registration," said Secretary of State Tre Hargett.
"I appreciate the Hamilton County Election Commission and the students, faculty and staff of each of these schools joining with us in our efforts to increase voter registration through participating in the Anne Dallas Dudley Award program."
The Secretary of State's office launched the Anne Dallas Dudley Award program for the 2021-2022 school year to promote voter registration among Tennessee high school students. High schools that register 100% of the eligible students earn the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level Award. High schools that register at least 85% of the eligible students earn the Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Level Award.
"Congratulations to Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences and Ivy Academy for receiving the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Award,” said Hamilton County Administrator of Elections Scott Allen. “This award shows your dedication to ensuring that Hamilton County students are prepared and motivated to contribute to our democracy. I want to thank the faculty, staff, and students at these schools, as well as our Silver Award Winner, Lookout Valley Middle/High, for their hard work in providing that their student's voices are heard."
All Tennessee public, charter or private school or home school association can participate in the Anne Dallas Dudley Award program. This year 17 Tennessee high schools in 11 counties earned the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level Award. Eighteen high schools representing 13 counties earned the Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Level Award.
“Ivy Academy is honored to receive this award in the legacy of Anne Dallas Dudley,” said Ivy Academy Chattanooga High School Principal Rachel Swafford-Cook. “All of our students who will be eligible to vote in the next election are registered voters, a crucial step into civic-minded adulthood. We would like to recognize the tireless dedication of our government and civics teacher, Elizabeth Arce-Spollen, to helping our students register and innumerable other ways she has woven civics education into our students' academic lives. Most of all, we congratulate our students for completing this important milestone.”
"At Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences, our goal is to teach students to be active citizens in this world and to read and to understand issues, to be willing to listen to other's thoughts and experiences, and then to be able to communicate well orally and in writing,” said Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences Executive Principal Jim D. Boles. "Our school is honored to receive the Anne Dallas Dudley Award. It provided the perfect opportunity for our students to learn the importance of registering to vote and engaging in the practice of decision making by going to vote on Election Day. We hope to change the world one graduating class at a time!"
The award is named in honor of renowned Tennessee suffragist Anne Dallas Dudley who helped lead the successful effort to get the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ratified. On Aug. 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th and final state needed to give women the right to vote. The Anne Dallas Dudley Award is part of the Secretary of State's civics engagement initiative to increase voter registration in Tennessee and prepare students to be actively engaged citizens. For more information about the Anne Dallas Dudley Award and other civic engagement efforts from the Tennessee Department of State, visit sos.tn.gov/civics.