Photo provided Two students from Madonna High School are among those recognized as honorary secretaries of state, in honor of their efforts to hold voter registration drives at their school. Pictured during a visit to Charleston in February were, from left, state Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, Madonna guidance counselor Amy Granato, students Rylee Birkhimer and Alenna Alatis, and West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner.

CHARLESTON – Two students from Weirton Madonna High School have been recognized as honorary secretaries of state for their efforts to register members of the school’s senior class to vote.

Rylee Birkhimer and Alenna Alatis, both members of Madonna’s Class of 2026, were among those visiting Charleston in late February for the honor.

Birkhimer and Alatis were recommended for the honor by the school’s principal, Jason Heckathorn, in recognition of their leadership in the voter registration drive.

Nominations for a student to be recognized as an Honorary Secretary of State are accepted only from a West Virginia high school that qualifies for the Jennings Randolph Award. To earn this distinction, a West Virginia high school must host a student-led voter registration drive that successfully registers at least 85% of its eligible student body to vote.

Started by the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office in 1994, the Jennings Randolph Award for Civic Engagement commemorates West Virginia’s late U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph’s legacy as the Father of the 26th Amendment.

Passed in 1971, the amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, an effort Randolph had first championed 29 years earlier while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The students and other representatives of Madonna visited with West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner, and also were recognized by the West Virginia Legislature while in Charleston.

Since Secretary Warner took office in January 2025, more than 17,500 eligible high school students have been registered to vote.

West Virginia’s early voting period runs through Saturday, with voting taking place through the local County Clerk’s offices.