For the past several weeks, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout Georgia to events honoring STAR students and teachers.
These are the students in each high school who have earned the highest score on the SAT, and the teachers they selected as having had the greatest influence on their academic success.
The PAGE Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program is jointly sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE), the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the state Department of Education.
I wish the public could join me at the annual state PAGE STAR banquet tonight to witness an inspiring awards presentation for the top students from our state’s public (and private) schools.
Among those honored are 10 who scored a perfect 2400 on the three-part SAT.
Eight of these attend public schools and two attend a private institution.
Nearly all will attend some of our nation’s most prestigious universities (including the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech) this fall.
Although the STAR program recognizes academic success, our state’s STAR students and teachers are remarkable in many ways.
Supryia Immaneni, a region winner from Statesboro, has already in her young life volunteered in India, where she administered polio drops and assisted in Eye Camps.
She has been accepted to Northwestern University and the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Jake Albert, a region winner from Walton High School in Cobb County, has a passion for dancing but also is gifted in science and foreign languages. He will probably study all of these — and more — when he attends college in the fall.
Others competing to become the state STAR student for 2012 have performed in Carnegie Hall, won national science competitions, raised thousands of dollars for charities, established overseas refugee organizations, and participated in breakthrough medical and scientific research.
Many local STAR winners also have amazing stories.
Although obviously gifted academically, Alex Stoddard of rural Harris County has chosen not to attend college in favor of immediately pursuing a career in photography.
He must be pretty good at his chosen profession because he already has showings scheduled in Paris and Australia this summer.
Julia Dixon from Marion County plans to attend Emory or Vanderbilt. She ultimately wants to return as a pediatrician to provide needed health care in southwest Georgia.
Lindsay Bloodworth of Wilcox County earned her STAR-student status despite surgery to remove a tumor from her neck.
Her STAR teacher, Wade Burnette, tells of Lindsay’s positive attitude and the “courage and resilience” she demonstrated to other students and the faculty.
Lindsay plans to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and begin work toward a career in nursing. She hopes ultimately to attend the Medical College of Georgia.
These are just a few of the many stories about remarkable students and teachers in our state’s public and private schools. I have no doubt they would inspire residents across the state.
Allene Magill is the executive director of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
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