BURKE COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) – A Burke County Public Schools 5th grader has been named the Distinguished Elementary Gifted Student for the state of Georgia.
Friday morning, she was surprised with the news in the presence of school staff, classmates, friends, and family.
Gifted Education instructor Marie Murray, Gifted STEM Teacher Kathryn Story, and Principal Dr. James Epps were present Friday to break the news to Blakeney Elementary 5 th grader Annie Hickman that she’d been selected for the honor.
The award recognizes a student who demonstrates many good qualities including a desire to help others. For several years, she has been working to try and bring a dog park to Waynesboro, including giving a public presentation in front of the Burke County Board of Commissioners during a board meeting in April 2023 when she was just a 4 th grader.
Gifted Education instructor Marie Murray told NewsChannel 6, “I think this award is so meaningful for Annie and it’s going to give her the opportunity to reach a larger audience and let them know of her message, her desire to build a dog park in Waynesboro and just the fact that this is a statewide award really is going to give her tremendous publicity and spur her on to greater things.”