The Gazebo Gazette
JACKSON (GG) — The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) has selected Cannon Parker of Gulfport High School (GHS) in the Gulfport School District to serve as the high school SBE junior representative for the 2026-27 school year.
Student representatives are non-voting SBE members who serve two years and provide input on policy decisions that affect Mississippi public schools. Each year after the senior representative graduates, the junior representative is promoted to the senior representative position and a new junior representative is appointed.
At Gulfport High School, Cannon is a Class of 2028 Student Council Representative, a member of the school’s golf, football, and baseball teams; and serves as a GHS representative to mentor West Elementary Student Council Members. He is a member of the school’s 30-plus Club, having scored a 33 on the ACT. He also holds a 4.25 grade point average. His additional community service and extracurricular activities include assisting with a Salvation Army Thanksgiving food drive, Kiwanis Pancake Day and being a youth group leader for a St. James Youth Group canned food drive.
“I believe I can help bring positive change to my community and to the state. It is important to me that students are provided with the opportunities they need to succeed and that their voices are heard in decisions that directly affect their education,” Cannon wrote in his student rep application. “The policies and initiatives of the Board should be student-centered and created with students’ best interests in mind. I believe I would be a strong candidate for this position because I am able to represent diverse groups of students across my district. My experiences both in the classroom and on the athletic field have allowed me to connect with students from different backgrounds, interests, and academic paths.”
The eligible applicant pool for the 2026-27 junior representative included 33 students. The 11 semifinalists will join the Mississippi Department of Education State Superintendent Student Advisory Council, which will provide input about educational opportunities and policy with the state superintendent of education.
Approximately 15 state boards of education have successfully implemented student advisory programs. In 2018, the SBE adopted a policy outlining the criteria for adding student representatives to the State Board.
