Nashville, Tenn. – Pigeon Forge High School received the Secretary of State’s Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Level Award by registering 85% of the eligible students who are 18 or older to vote.

“I am proud to celebrate Pigeon Forge High School earning the Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Level Award,” said Secretary Hargett. “Our office created the Anne Dallas Dudley Award program to encourage all eligible Tennessee high school students to get registered and participate in our electoral process. I applaud Pigeon Forge High’s commitment to civic engagement.”

High schools that register at least 85% of the eligible students earn the Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Level Award and those that register 100% of the eligible students earn the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level Award.

“Congratulations to Pigeon Forge High School on achieving Silver Level for the Anne Dallas Dudley Award,” said Sevier County Administrator of Elections Nathan Whaley. “This prestigious award is a testament to the commitment that the faculty, staff, and students have in contributing to our democracy.”

Pigeon Forge High School, along with eight other high schools representing a total of eight counties, earned the Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Level Award. Thirteen Tennessee high schools in 13 counties earned the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level.  All Tennessee public, charter, and private schools and home school associations could participate in the second annual Anne Dallas Dudley Award program.

“I am proud of our Pigeon Forge High School students who have put in a lot of hours of work to encourage their peers to register to vote and engage with their community,” said PFHS social studies teacher Dusty Helton. “I appreciate Secretary Hargett and his office for recognizing our students’ efforts to register their classmates. Thank you to the Sevier County Election Commission and PFHS Principal Dr. Ben Clabo for your continued support of a student body that gets registered to vote and becomes civically engaged.”

The Secretary of State’s Anne Dallas Dudley Award, launched in 2021, is named after renowned Tennessee suffragist Anne Dallas Dudley. She helped lead the successful effort to get the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ratified nationwide and in her home state. On Aug. 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th and final state needed to pass the Amendment giving women the right to vote.

The award is part of the Secretary of State’s civics engagement initiative to increase voter registration in Tennessee and prepare students to be actively engaged citizens. For more information about the Anne Dallas Dudley Award and other Department of State civic engagement efforts, visit sos.tn.gov/civics.