The Clarke Central High School Gifted Minorities Achieving 2026 cohort speak at “A Night of Color 2” in the CCHS Media Center on April 17. After having coordinated most of the event with junior and GMA Project Manager Doan Duong, GMA Outreach Manager Cortni Veasley, also a junior, shared her thoughts about the outcome of the event. “A couple years ago, we had another cohort that did the same event. So, I was trying to live up to their event. It was kind of hard,” Veasley said. “But overall, I think it was a pretty good outcome.” Photo by Kye Streetman
CCHS’s Gifted Minorities Achieving club held “A Night of Color” on April 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Media Center.
“A Night of Color 2,” hosted by Clarke Central High School’s previous Gifted Minorities Achieving cohort, was an event that aimed to celebrate the creativity and achievements of minority students at CCHS.
The event was held in the CCHS Media Center on April 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.. It featured original poetry, a singing performance, an orchestra performance and keynote speaker Johnelle Simpson, a University of Georgia graduate and local attorney.
More than 70 CCHS students and faculty and Athens community members attended the event. GMA members worked to facilitate a welcoming atmosphere, which Hiram Floyd, a junior, appreciated.
“It wasn’t too strict, where you couldn’t even sneeze. I feel like it was very comfortable,” Floyd said.
A compilation of clips from “A Night of Color 2” is shown with the CCHS orchestra playing in the background. Video by Kimberly Sanabria-Amaya and Emlyn McKinney
Original poems were performed by senior Kevin Capcha, juniors Yasmine Dixon and Gabriel Davila, and sophomore Kayla Walker. The poems were on topics personal to the speakers and covered a diverse range of societal struggles. Aidan Woodward, a senior and a double bassist who played in the orchestra performance, thought the topics covered were important.
“The arts are a good way to understand people’s experiences and to understand people in general. I think that highlighting the art of marginalized people helps everyone understand each other and it helps people to connect,” Woodward said.
A pamphlet detailing GMA’s “A Night of Color 2” is shown. Program compiled by David Ragsdale, Doan Duong and Cortni Veasley, program cover and design by Eva Orbock and Antonio Starks
Towards the event’s conclusion, a Kahoot was hosted by former GMA co-adviser Gabriel Smallwood on facts about cultures and languages from around the world. And after the event, a catered meal by the University of Georgia’s Campus Kitchen was served.
GMA Outreach Manager Cortni Veasley, who coordinated the event along with Project Manager Doan Duong, was present during the entire duration of the event and was encouraged by how it went.
Guest speaker Johnelle Simpson, a University of Georgia graduate and local attorney, delivers a speech about becoming successful and accepting obstacles in life. GMA Project Manager Doan Duong invited Simpson to keynote the event, a move appreciated by GMA sponsor David Ragsdale. “Mr. Simpson is a dynamic speaker, who sought to uplift all those in attendance. His testimony and inspiring words made a difference not only to our team members, but to those in the audience,” Ragsdale said. “I received several texts from community members saying how moved they were.” Photo by Kye Streetman
“I feel like coming back from Spring Break, that discouraged a lot of people (from attending). We are still getting the flow of things again. So, it was difficult to get people to come,” Veasley said. “But overall, I feel like the GMA cohort pulled it together with what little resources that we had.”
GMA adviser David Ragsdale was likewise encouraged by the group’s progress and looks forward to what the 2026 GMA Cohort will do next.
“Our group was incredibly flexible and rolled with some punches to put together a dynamic celebration. I’m grateful to all of our sponsors and attendees for their support,” Ragsdale said. “We’ll assess our glows and grows and plan out what next year looks like as we bring in the next cohort.”
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