Richmond County School System celebrates 12 STAR students and teachers at a local church on Monday, Feb. 12.
Honoring students from across the county, the Augusta Kiwanis Club hosted this year’s STAR program, otherwise known as the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition program, with a banquet at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Sponsored statewide by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators and the Georgia Department of Education, the STAR program identifies high school students who received the highest score on the SAT on a single test date and fall in the top 10% or top 10 of their class, based on grade point average.
Each STAR student is then tasked with selecting a teacher to receive the honor of being recognized as a STAR teacher.
STAR students and teachers of 2024 included:
- Academy of Richmond County: Travis Wright Jr. (student) and Brian Joiner (teacher)
- Aquinas High School: Katherine Welsh (student) and Anne Norviel (teacher)
- A.R. Johnson Magnet High School: Rafael Geraldo (student) and Stephanie Campbell (teacher)
- Cross Creek High School: Landon Morgan (student) and Williams Saunders-Cummings (teacher)
- Curtis Baptist School: Kadence Anderson (student) and Caroline Camp (teacher)
- Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics: Bennett Williford (student) and Roland Anderson)
- Hephzibah High School: Jillian O’Tyson (student) and Rachel Misner (teacher)
- John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School: Galen Bobrow-Goss (student) and Lisa Brown (teacher)
- Lucy Craft Laney High School: Jayden Williams (student) and Willie Adams (teacher)
- Richmond Co. Tech Career Magnet School: Sophia Foster (student) and Marcia Crawford (teacher)
- Westminster Schools of Augusta: Catherine Joiner (student) and Vivian Hornsby (teacher)
- Westside High School: Casey Fowler (student) and Benjamin Mattice (teacher)
Awarding each with a certificate, the Kiwanis Club’s John C. Bell Jr., head of Richmond County’s STAR program, said he believes the event is important because every outstanding student should be honored by their community.
“It’s fun to see these bright young kids … and they deserve it,” he said.
After congratulating all attending students and teachers, the Kiwanis Club announced Johnson’s Geraldo as the county’s overall STAR student.
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“I was really happy and a little worried, especially because I know the STAR student from Davidson is pretty smart. Apparently our scores were one question apart,” Geraldo said, who earned a 1530 on his SATs. “But I’m really excited and glad that I got it.”
Happily accepting his award, Geraldo said he selected his longtime history teacher Campbell because she made his least favorite subject interesting and memorable.
“She always makes the class so much more fun, and it just feels like a better atmosphere whenever I’m in her class,” he said.
Campbell said she was honored to be chosen by Geraldo and was not at all surprised at his success in winning this year’s award.
“He is so smart and such a go-getter. He’s running his own race and there’s no competing with him,” she said. “He’s such a wonderful student.”
In the future, Geraldo said he plans to earn a bachelor’s in computer science from Georgia Institute of Technology or Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Following the announcement of this year’s STAR student, the banquet concluded with a speech from keynote speaker Cathy Cox, president of Georgia College and State University.
Quoting famous football coach Vince Lombardi, Cox said students must choose to be excellent, because extraordinariness does not happen by chance or by accident.
“‘The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor,’” she recited.
Encouraging students to work hard and focus on their long term goals, Cox said remarkable individuals have to sacrifice and prioritize to achieve their dreams.
“It’s about doing your best and giving your best to everything that you do,” she said. “… because no one is going to hand you admission into a graduate program and – even if you come from a pretty well-connected family – it’s doubtful anyone is going to hand you a great job right after graduation.”
As students went out into the world to pursue college and other forms of education, Cox said she hopes each learns how hardwork and dedication give more meaning and value to accomplishments.
“All of this goes back to the decision of whether you’re going to be great or just middle of the road and average. Whether you’re going to get the most out of your life or just coast along – it’s your decision and it’s a decision you need to make right now,” she said.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
