Pictured (Front, l-r): Honorary Secretary of State Bryson Childers, Secretary of State Kris Warner, Honorary Secretary of State Maci Atwell and Calvary Baptist Academy Principal David Spencer.
In back: Calvary Baptist Academy senior class, WV Delegate Sarah Drennan, Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood, Putnam County Commissioner Andy Skidmore, Civics Teacher Caleb Turner, and WVSOS Field Representative Jarrod Summers.

West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner visited Calvary Baptist Academy in Hurricane on Wednesday, February 26, to present the school with the prestigious Jennings Randolph Award for Civic Engagement. The Award is presented to any public or private high school in West Virginia that registers at least 85% of their eligible seniors to vote.

At an assembly held at the school in front of middle and high school students and staff, Secretary Warner and Calvary Baptist Academy Principal David Spencer recognized seniors Maci Atwell and Bryson Childers as “Honorary Secretaries of State” (HSOS).

“Because of their leadership, Maci and Bryson helped their school earn the prestigious Jennings Randolph Award for Civic Engagement,” said Secretary Warner.

The Jennings Randolph Award honors the late U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph who represented West Virginia in the United States Congress for more than 50 years. Senator Randolph worked for more than 29 years to get Congress to pass the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution that reduced the voting age from 21 to 18-years-old. The Amendment was ratified by the states in 1971.
This is the first time in school history Calvary Baptist Academy has received the Jennings Randolph Award.

“In our country, there is no great opportunity or responsibility than to be a registered voter-to be an informed citizen who is actively engaged in electing our local, state, and federal leaders. We are here today to recognize this outstanding achievement from Calvary Baptist Academy.” Secretary Warner told the students, faculty, and staff.

“I am proud to say that many of the seniors at Calvary Baptist Academy have joined the most powerful club in the world–you’ve become a registered American voter,” Secretary Warner continued.

Thanks to Senator Randolph and the 26th Amendment, West Virginia has a long history with giving young people the opportunity to serve in elected offices. “If they’re old enough to fight and die for our country, then they are old enough to elect the people who vote to send them to war,” Senator Randolph once said. “If they’re old enough for bullets, then they’re old enough for ballots.”

Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood, Delegate Sarah Drennan, and Putnam County Commissioner Andy Skidmore joined in the presentation.