VIDEO: Students learn about the impact of taxes at Bishop Hall High School

• Local leaders detailed how tax revenues support essential services like road maintenance, public safety, and infrastructure.
  
• The session aimed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications of taxes.
  
• Watch the video what students learned about taxes.

BROADCAST SCRIPT

Over the last few weeks, I've been tracking tax changes in the Thomasville area.

Now, area leaders are making sure the next generation of taxpayers understands how the system works.

I'm getting an inside look at one important lesson every student needs to know.

Students at Bishop Hall High School were busy today, not with textbooks, but with a hands-on workshop on how taxes shape their community.

"I always thought, oh taxes are stupid but they're not. They're important and you can't have pretty much anything without taxes," said Wiggins

Autumn Wiggins, a 17-year-old at Bishop Hall, says the workshop helped her see the importance of taxes.

"Taxes pay for a lot of things that you don't think about. The most common was when you go buy food, you have taxes on that," said Wiggins.

"Many times student won't have an appreciation for the institutions of government but also the fact that they impose taxes on us for various reasons," said Rich.

Jeremy Rich, a history teacher and county commissioner, tells me the workshop started three years ago when his students questioned taxes in his class.

This presentation dives into how taxes fund everything in our local government from schools to public safety and infrastructure.

"Those things are critically important to who we become as a community. It affects our quality of life and standard of living and it's also a huge indicator to which large businesses would be willing to relocate to Thomas County," said Rich.

Students were surprised to learn the real costs involved, like the price of paving a road or purchasing a fire truck.

"People think it's a lot less than it is and it is hundreds of thousands just for the firetruck," said Grizzard.

Blake Grizzard, a 16-year-old student, tells me it's all about the everyday things that we take for granted.

"If we didn't pay taxes, you wouldn't be able to pick up the phone and dial 911," said Grizzard.

But most importantly, this workshop prepares students to take action and be informed when it comes time to pay taxes themselves.

"When you move out of your parents house, you're not completely unprepared for having to pay taxes. know what you're paying, you're not just look at your paycheck and seeing money gone and wondering where it went," said Grizzard.

Neighbors, if you're curious about how Thomas County government operates, You can sign up for the Thomas County Citizens Academy. Enrollment is open now, and the program starts each January.