West Carteret High School Youth & Government Club

West Carteret High School Youth & Government Club This page is a source for all things WCHS YAG! It is dedicated to chronicling the club in all of its activities while active at West Carteret. Mr.

Cory Noe serves as the Lead Advisor.

NC YMCA Youth and Government Conference - Governor's Gala Photos!
03/26/2026

NC YMCA Youth and Government Conference - Governor's Gala Photos!

We always love seeing our delegates pursue additional service opportunities, such as the Governor's Page Program!This we...
03/19/2026

We always love seeing our delegates pursue additional service opportunities, such as the Governor's Page Program!

This week, Anna S., Campbell R., and Gray F. all served in the Governor's Page Program. This 4 day experience provided them with valuable insight into our state government and its functions, while also providing an opportunity to meet Governor Josh Stein.

Way to go, ladies!

Our very own WCHS YAG Student Delegation Leader and Chief Justice, Makenna Mayo, was selected as one of 50 students nati...
03/08/2026

Our very own WCHS YAG Student Delegation Leader and Chief Justice, Makenna Mayo, was selected as one of 50 students nationwide to serve as member of the YMCA Youth Advocate Program. She is the 2nd Delegate in our club's history to be chosen to serve in this prestigious program, following Grace Hernandez in 2020.

This highly selective program, the Youth Advocate Program, is a four-month civic engagement and advocacy training program that gives students the opportunity to share their Y story with policymakers in Washington, D.C. Youth Advocates learned about the history and mission of the YMCA, what effective advocacy looks like, and how to illustrate the impact of the Y by sharing their Y story with Members of Congress.

Makenna recently traveled to Washington D.C., with all expenses paid for by the Youth Advocate Program. This was a tremendous opportunity for her to learn how to be part of the change we wish to see in our country, and Makenna represented our club, and our school, at the highest level!

Here's what she said to say about the experience:
"While in dc for national advocacy days I am so grateful to have been able to represent WCHS and NC! On days one and two, I connected with other youth advocates, learned about networking, and explored DC. On days three and four I heard from a variety of speakers, networked with adults, and went to several meetings on Capitol Hill. Those meetings gave me the opportunity to interact directly with congressmen/women, as well as their staffers. I was able to share my story in order to propel the YMCA’s 2026 asks, which included monetary funding, bill sign ons, and general support.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time and DC! It was a very valuable opportunity and I encourage others to apply."

We love to see our delegates pursue these additional experiences through YAG. We are so proud of you, Makenna!

Another Conference in the books for West Carteret High School YAG! Can't believe the weekend is already finished. What a...
02/16/2026

Another Conference in the books for West Carteret High School YAG! Can't believe the weekend is already finished. What an experience!

Congratulations to all of our delegates for their hard work and dedication this weekend. We were able to engage in a civic-minded weekend and had an absolute blast. Plenty of great speakers & messages and a challenge to impact our communities upon return. Across the board, our students learned about civic responsibility and they were also encouraged to return to their communities and make a difference.

We had plenty of student leadership running the conference this year. So proud of those that served:
- Sam Johnson - Associate Justice, Court of Appeals
- Makenna Mayo - Associate Justice, Court of Appeals
- Adelaide Kelley - Associate Justice, Court of Appeals
- McKinley Schoden - Governor's Cabinet
- Bella Knipe - Governor's Cabinet
- Kaylee Forcier - Governor's Cabinet
- Tessa Rosania - Legislative Presiding Officer
- Thomas Segrave, Noah Kimbro, Autumn Devan, Maddy Peeples, Emme McKelvey, Campbell Reid, Eleni Manousaridis - Legislative Floor Leaders/Clerks
- Gillam Parker, Gray Fickling, Temple Carter - Legislative Lobbyists
- Anna Sherman & Dillon Reed - Media, Photography
- Izzy Howard - Media, Social Media

We had a record 10 candidates running for office in addition to students who put bills forward, crafted multifaceted campaigns, and made greats arguments. The networking and learning throughout was phenomenal.

So proud of our group, which touted a new record for our club of 76 participating delegates from WCHS, making us the 3rd largest delegation in the state! Thanks to TJ Murray, WCHS YAG expanded into a new program area, as he was the 1st WCHS YAG delegate to ever compete in Mock Trial!

While I'm proud of all the delegates and the hard work they put in this whole year, a special congratulations goes to our election & award winners:
- Adelaide Kelley & Makenna Mayo - Chief Justices, Judicial Branch
- Anna Sherman, Media Managing Editor (2nd highest position in Media Branch!)
- Noah Kimbro, Eleni Manousaridis, Campbell Reid- Presiding Officer, Legislative Branch
- Ally Foley, Zeppy Gavalis, Aubrey Bell - Associate Justice, Judicial Branch (Court of Appeals)
- James Thompson - Case 2 All Star Qualifer
- Aubrey Bell - Model Attorney, Case 2
- Logan Palacios - passed Senate Bill 67 into YAG law, “An Act Requiring Mandatory Body Cameras for all On-Duty Police Officers in North Carolina”
- Luke Birk, Tommy Kellis, Lucas Willson - passed House Bill 62 into YAG law “An Act to Require Trash Cans on all Public Beach Accesses in North Carolina”
- Noah Kimbro - Conference Superlative, Most Outgoing Delegate
- Makenna Mayo - Conference Award, Model Student Delegation Leader
- Caden Cooke - Conference Award, Erica Wolfe Memorial Scholarship. Given to a first-time participant who has modeled leadership & exhibited YMCA Core Values.

At next year's Conference, West Carteret YAG will currently be represented in 5 of the 10 state officer positions within the Court of Appeals program area (including both Chief Justices for the 1st time in our history). WCHS YAG will also be represented in 3 of the 6 Associate level state office positions in the Legislative program area, a new record for our club. Finally, we will also be represented within the Media program in an executive position for just the 2nd time in our club's history. We are so proud of our delegates for expanding into key state leadership positions, and hope to see that growth continue!

In total, we had 10 candidates for 2026-27 office, 3 delegates serving in Media, 24 Judicial Participants (Court of Appeals; 3 Associates Serving + 20 students competing + 1 Mock Trial Participant), and 42 Legislative Participants (3 GovCab/1 Presiding Officer/3 Committee Clerks/4 Floor Leaders/13 Bill Groups). Just to recall, this club began 11 years ago with just 6 inaugural members!

A special thank you to our adult advisors & chaperones, Cory Adam Noe Madison Clark Tiffany Mayo Janice Buckley Kay Julie Thomas Salyards Clifton Noe who make this program possible for our kids.

Looking forward to next year already!

After arriving in Raleigh on Thursday, WCHS YAG began our participation in the 34th NC YMCA Youth Legislature Conference...
02/15/2026

After arriving in Raleigh on Thursday, WCHS YAG began our participation in the 34th NC YMCA Youth Legislature Conference. Our students argued their bills in committees before progressing into full legislative chambers on Friday, while our Court of Appeals & Mock Trial delegates practicing their presentations Thursday evening before beginning their full competition on Friday. Our 6 candidates for Associate level state offices in Legislative & Judicial gave their speeches to their respective program areas, while 2 of our candidates for executive offices in the Legislative Branch gave their speeches to the entire 1100+ member conference.

We went late into the evening on Thursday, while we then started at 8 AM and went until 5 PM on Friday. Our delegates represented our club & school with the utmost class and professionalism. We could not be prouder!

Coming up next --- Friday Fun Night, Saturday competition & the Governor's Gala!

We made it to Raleigh and are in the midst of competition. Send your well wishes to these hard working students, our ded...
02/13/2026

We made it to Raleigh and are in the midst of competition. Send your well wishes to these hard working students, our dedicated chaperones & advisors!

WCHS YAG has also set another club record heading into this year's Conference - 10 candidates for state office! So proud...
02/12/2026

WCHS YAG has also set another club record heading into this year's Conference - 10 candidates for state office! So proud of each of them!!!

We are so excited for the 2026 NC YMCA Youth Legislature Conference!Our delegation travels to Raleigh for competition to...
02/12/2026

We are so excited for the 2026 NC YMCA Youth Legislature Conference!

Our delegation travels to Raleigh for competition tomorrow, but some of our fantastic state officers are already up there, helping set the weekend for success.

We wanted to take a moment and highlight our state officers in the Governor's Cabinet, as well as the Legislative & Executive Branches.

D.C. - Day 4!We concluded our time in D.C. with a last minute addition to the trip - a visit to Arlington National Cemet...
01/20/2026

D.C. - Day 4!

We concluded our time in D.C. with a last minute addition to the trip - a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. It is such a moving experience, and we were fortunate to be able to take it in. From the Eternal Flame at JFK's memorial site to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier & everything in between --- what a way to end such a lovely trip.

We were busy & certainly got our steps in over these 4 days! So thankful to spend time together and share this travel experience. Let's do it again next year? 🫡

D.C. - Day 3!We began the day with a tour up the Washington Monument, before visiting the African-American History Museu...
01/19/2026

D.C. - Day 3!

We began the day with a tour up the Washington Monument, before visiting the African-American History Museum. After lunch at the museum, Mr. Noe led the group on a walking tour of various monuments and memorials around D.C. We visited the World War 2 Memorial before walking the length of the reflecting pool and traversing the steps up to the Lincoln Memorial. Then, we took in the Korean War & MLK memorials before walking the length of the tidal basin (also stopping at the FDR memorial before ending at Jefferson.

A trek back to the National Museum of American History followed before we enjoyed an excellent dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill, a D.C. staple. A busy day, and our 3rd day with plenty of steps, as we get ready to come back.

Arlington National Cemetery and then back home tomorrow!

D.C. - Day 2!We began with a trip to the Library of Congress (while we enjoyed a light snow) before splitting into two g...
01/18/2026

D.C. - Day 2!

We began with a trip to the Library of Congress (while we enjoyed a light snow) before splitting into two groups. One group went to the Holocaust Museum, while the second ground toured the Botanical Garden and walked the National Mall before meeting back up at The People's House, an interactive White House exhibit. A short metro stop later, we took in the Presidential Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery before dinner at the Rice Bar & ice cream at Van Leeuwen's.

A successful, but tiring, day!

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4700 Country Club Road
Morehead City, NC
28557

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