Secretary of State Kris Warner Visits PHS to Introduce Jennings Randolph Award

100 Students Register to Vote After Warner Visit

Emma Casto, Editor in Chief • November 21, 2025

Seniors attended an assembly for Secretary of State Kris Warner on Oct. 29 in the auditorium.

West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner came to Parkersburg High School Oct. 29 to speak to seniors about the importance of registering to vote. His presentation was part of a process for PHS to compete for the Jennings Randolph Award, an award honoring U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph that is given to schools that meet certain requirements in getting seniors registered to vote. To get the silver award, a school must have 85% of its seniors register to vote. For PHS this would be around 285 students. Schools that win the award are given the opportunity to send select students to the capitol for a day with Warner.

“We’ll take two students to Charleston. You’ll be recognized in front of the House of Delegates and the state Senate,” Warner said in regard to what the students will do if their school wins. “You’ll be honorary Secretaries of State. You’ll mirror me and my job for the day to see the other responsibilities I have.”

Warner was elected Secretary of State in November 2024 and this is his first year touring schools to introduce the Jennings Randolph Award. Prior to coming to PHS, Warner had already spoken to 25 high schools around West Virginia. It is his job as Secretary of State to drive voter registration, and he believes it is important for the youth of West Virginia to have their vote.

“There is no reason to wait,” Warner said. “It’s time for your voice to be heard. You now have the same rights as every other American.”

After Warner spoke, students were given an opportunity to turn in their voter registration forms to employees from the Wood County Clerk’s office, Alisha Cross and Noelle Alnidge. The final count of all students registered to vote after turning in papers was 135, with 100 papers being turned in during the assembly and 35 students already registered. As of Nov. 19, PHS was just 85 people away from winning the silver award. Those who have not already turned in a paper are strongly encouraged to get one from their civics teacher and submit it to get the school closer to the goal.

“The United States Constitution guarantees everyone in this country who’s an eligible citizen the right to vote,” Warner said. “But to be able to vote, you’ve got to register first.”

About the Contributors

Emma Casto, Editor in Chief

Senior Emma Casto is a third-year staff member and the editor-in-chief of The Journal. She is also involved in NHS, NEHS and Senior Women’s Club. When she’s not at school she is probably reading a book, hanging out with her family or doing community service with her 4-H club. She is a lifelong Taylor Swift fan and is always listening to her music and counting down the days till her new album. She is very excited for this year and cannot wait to write fun and informative stories and to get to know all of the new staff members.

Brooklyn Miller, Managing Editor

Brooklyn Miller is a senior and the managing editor for The Journal along with being the editor-in-chief for the Parhischan and helping with the PHS Media instagram page. She enjoys taking pictures of school events, writing and most importantly, editing. Outside of her time spent in journalism Brooklyn also is a Red Wing and participates in Student Council, Senior Women’s Club, NHS, DSU and is a member of Quill and Scroll. The very little amount of free time she gets goes to hanging out with her friends and her mom. Brooklyn recently attended the National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville a long with visiting Orlando over the summer to attend Yearbookpalooza and the 2024 National High School Journalism Convention. She is excited to see where journalism will take her in her life, as she plans to attend college and major in journalism with a specialty in advertising.