By Mark Woolsey

The Smyrna Mayor’s Education Awards are in the rear-view mirror for this year, but look for them to return in 2026 with the attendant ruffles and flourishes, and Mayor Derek Norton hopes well beyond.

The awards kicked off under Norton’s predecessor, Max Bacon, who retired in 2019. Norton was on council for a term before assuming the mayorship. He took note of the proceedings and became such a fan of the recognition of academics and leadership that he substantially shook up the format to better spotlight achievements.

“I remembered those ceremonies, and they did them before a council meeting. They’d put light food out outside the council chambers and pack everyone in, and it just felt rushed,” says Norton.

“When I became mayor I just wanted to elevate that event…because  it’s so special that we have so many so many talented young people in the community.”

And elevate he did. Instead of a brief appearance and photo op in the council chambers, the program’s become an event that you could call the Academy Awards of Smyrna education.

As the mayor paints it, it’s a white linen dinner in the community center. The honorees walk a red carpet to the stage and are lauded for their contributions. A big screen displays the names of each student and their school. A medal and a certificate are conferred.

As Norton says, “There’s nothing better than seeing their faces when they are recognized for excellence at their schools. It’s such an awesome feeling. I remember seeing them at city hall before seeing how excited they were, and their parents were to be there.”

Hannah Crisp was one of those honored this year, a signature event for her and her family.

A senior at the private Whitfield Academy, Crisp has a 4.41 grade point average. She has immersed herself in math and computer science classes, aiming toward an engineering career. But her footprint doesn’t stop there.

Crisp developed and enhanced leadership skills as part of the Cobb Chamber’s Cobb Youth Leadership program. She’s involved with the Christian school’s worship team and co-manages the baseball team with a classmate.

She appreciates the positive, supportive attitude her teachers have created, and she says the awards themselves have given her a different perspective.

“I was talking with my mom and we were talking about senior year you have a lot of things, your GPA, your SAT and what colleges you get into. It was nice to step out of that and talk more about the well-rounded side and just a different aspect,” she says.

The program involves a vetting process,  with students nominated by school instructors and staff. School officials weigh those and pick the top three from each high school, middle school and elementary campus to be feted.

The mayor places a high emphasis on character and values.

“The core values for me are high marks academically, a pleasure to be around in the classroom,  being helpful to their fellow students and respectful to their teachers and school staff.”

A form of leadership, to be sure.

The program is open to students from Smyrna or who live just outside the city limits and attend a Smyrna campus.

Crisp says it’s a nice boost as she aims beyond high school-and  that it’s great that all ages are included.

“I thought it was cool that they (elementary school students) were recognized at such a young age because the kids will want to be better leaders and better classmates,” she says.

Norton is a firm believer that the program helps create a lasting impact.

“I don’t have a tracker but I can tell you that the students who come back to Smyrna and talk about their college career or the careers they’re going into…these kids are so impressive. It kind of makes you have faith In our future,” he says.