Model High School has become the second Floyd County School to win the Governor’s Cup for SAT success since the award was started in 2004.  Governor Sonny Perdue presented Model High School with the Governor’s Cup for winning the Class AA SAT state title on Thursday, October 16.  The Governor and State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox dropped in on the students and staff of Model High to make the surprise announcement just after 10:30 a.m.

The Governor addressed the assembled school in a pep rally atmosphere in the Model High auditorium.  The Model band played and the cheerleaders cheered as the state dignitaries entered the assembly.  In presenting the trophy cup to the school for their state academic title Governor Perdue said, “Not only is Model the AA champion but your school had the largest gains of any school in any classification this year so you are truly state champions.”  Between 2006 and 2008, Model’s average SAT score rose from 1397 to 1518. 

Governor Perdue and Superintendent Cox also presented Dr. Glenn White, principal of Model High School, with a check for $2,000 and state champion t-shirts for every junior and senior at Model High courtesy of Turner Broadcasting System.  The $2,000 will be used to provide additional SAT and college prep opportunities for students at Model High.

The Governor’s Cup winners are awarded in each of five GHSA classifications from single A to AAAAA.  The award is presented to the school in each classification with the top three-year average scores on the SAT in the critical reading and math sections of the test.

Floyd County Board of Education Chairman Bryan Shealy was beaming over the school systems second win in the SAT competition.  He said, “It is a tribute to our students, parents, teachers and administration that our school system has won the Governor’s Cup twice in the short time that the award has been given to schools for SAT success.”  Coosa High won the AA title in the first year the award was presented in 2004.

Dr. Lynn Plunkett, superintendent of Floyd County Schools, commended the Floyd County Board of Education for their commitment to providing a rigorous academic program for students in Floyd County Schools.  Plunkett said, “Our board recognizes the need to prepare our children for success with an advanced academic program that will allow them to be successful after graduation and the board has led the way in academic improvement for our system.”

The Governor's program encourages schools and school systems to seek innovative ways to help students improve on SAT performance. In Floyd County Schools, the system has enhanced the number of advanced academic courses available to students, partnered with Cambridge to provide SAT prep classes for students during the school day and during Intersessions, added (13) thirteen instructional days to the school year by adopting a modified calendar to allow for breaks with Intersessions, started the Honors Prep advanced academic program, and introduced Georgia's first electronic classrooms that allow one teacher in a high school or middle school to teach students in all of our middle and high schools.

For more information about the Governor's Cup you can visit SATRocks.com. The website has the listing of all region and state SAT winners.