Local high schoolers got a crash course in leadership this week with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, and gathered with their families and deputies Friday night to celebrate their achievements.

The culmination ceremony for the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office’s Youth Leadership Academy saw each participant in the program receive a certificate to serve as a reminder of the lessons they learned over the past week, and a few of the graduating class received special awards for their accomplishments.

As part of the academy, the students spent the week with deputies performing team-building and leadership exercises and learning from some of the leaders in the community — including local World War II and Korean War veterans. 

Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry spoke to the youths during the ceremony, and told them they should be proud for wanting to go above and beyond what many of their peers are doing. 

When the academy was first created under the tutelage of Lt. Rex Sorrow in 2015, the idea behind it was to make sure that young people of Cullman County had the proper tools to be successful in the future. 

“We need the young men and women to become the leaders of our community, because they’re going to take over,” he said. 

Gentry said some of the week’s activities — such as the daily runs at 5 a.m. or the rope course — may not have been easy, but completing those challenges showed them what they could achieve if they put their minds to it. 

“It told you that you could accomplish anything you wanted to,” he said. “And that’s what leadership is about, is being willing to do something that is hard, that not everybody’s going to do, but to accomplish it.”

Gentry told the students that they are the next round of leaders in Cullman County, and they need to continue to work hard and take that extra step to make sure their community thrives. 

“What you can make out of it is great, and will be amazing, but you’ve got to dedicate a little more to it,” he said. “That’s what this course is about, it’s about taking the opportunity to do more than you have to.”

Award winners for the week included: 

• Top Gun Award- Holly Pond High School’s Rylan Griffin
• Fitness Award- West Point High School’s Kanaan Sutter
• Best Essay- Cullman High School’s Allie Heaton
• Leadership Certificate- Fairview High School’s Darren Roberts
• Staff Excellence Award- Cullman High School’s Ariel Jacobs