Cherokee County Students Hang Work at Georgia State Capitol in Statewide Art Competition

Twelve Cherokee County School District students made the trip to Atlanta this spring for an occasion most young artists never experience: watching lawmakers and state officials walk past their own work on the walls of the Georgia State Capitol.

The students were honored at the opening reception for the 2026 Georgia Capitol Art Exhibit, organized by the Georgia Art Education Association, the largest school art competition in the state. Selection alone places a student among the top young artists in Georgia, and having that work displayed in the Capitol building, where it will be seen by legislators, state officials, and visitors from across Georgia throughout the exhibit's run, adds a dimension no school hallway display can match.

The 12 honorees came from six schools across the district, spanning every level from elementary through high school. Cherokee High School was represented by Sarah Johnson and Jonathan Lopez, guided by art teacher Morgan Clifton. Creekview High School sent Naomi Humphries and Sabrina Moran, under teacher Leslie Babcock. River Ridge High School contributed Grace Settle and Alana Vera, with teacher MaryJo Mulvey.

At the middle school level, Mill Creek Middle School's Meral Eltashani and Rebecca Jiang, taught by Susanne O'Brien, earned spots in the exhibit, as did Teasley Middle School's Paxten Collins and Garrett Lees, guided by teacher Laura Dunn.

The youngest honorees came from Hasty Elementary School Fine Arts Academy, where Alexia Nzamba and Carter Worley, taught by Dr. Lisa Spence, represented a program built specifically around arts integration. At the opening reception, Carter Worley held a 2026 Capitol Art Exhibit Certificate of Recognition bearing his name, a tangible marker of an achievement that's rare at any grade level, let alone elementary school.

That breadth, two high schools, two middle schools, and an elementary Fine Arts Academy all placing students in the same statewide competition, speaks to something real about arts instruction across CCSD. The Georgia Art Education Association works to advance visual arts education throughout Georgia, and its Capitol exhibit functions as the state's most visible showcase for student work. For Cherokee County families, 12 selections across six schools is the kind of result that reflects sustained investment in arts teachers and programs, not a one-year outlier.