The Augusta Kiwanis Club hosted the ceremony honoring local STAR Students and Teachers at noon on Monday, with winning pupils with their families and favorite educators gathering at the River Room of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
John Bell Jr. of The Bell Firm presided over the luncheon, first presenting a history of the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition program and its roots in the Space Race in the 1950’s.
Bell then went on to call on all 13 honorees from Richmond County Schools, along with their teachers, the reason they nominated those teachers, and their goals for the future.
Song Ting Tang of John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, for example selected AP literature teacher Katelyn Hamilton, praising her having pushed his proficiency in English and reading. Tang intends to major in biology in college and pursue a career in medicine.
Naomi Lawe of Hephzibah High School chose math teacher Reginald Crawford, saying, “I would not have improved on my SAT had it not been for his skills in communication and his teaching brain.”
Lawe intends to join the U.S. Air Force, where she hopes to take STEM courses and eventually pursue a doctorate.
Nicholas Mims of the Georgia School for Innovation and Classics nominated technology instructor Lee Anderson, for introducing him to cybersecurity, a field he plans to enter by studying computer science.
Another prospective computer science major, Alisha Barton of Cross Creek High School, selected math instructor Andrea Triplett as her STAR Teacher.
“While in school, I know that I can always go to her with any questions or answers and know that she’ll do anything to help me,” said Barton.
Triplett, in turn, touted Barton’s intelligence, diligence and willingness to defy a shy nature to ask questions when she wrestles with a math problem.
“She’ll highlight a question area where she knows where she’s struggling,” Triplett said. “Then in the last five minutes, she’ll come up to me, like a meek little mouse, and say, ‘How do I do this?’”
Triplett contrasts this Barton’s eagerness during virtual classes. “She didn’t hesitate to type in questions after question and she could put that into the terms,” she said. “So computer science for her is so fitting.”
Richard Story, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, traveled from Gainesville Monday morning to be the keynote speaker at the ceremony. Story was himself a STAR Student while attending Harlem High School in 1971.
After praising his own STAR Teacher, Harold Bennett, for introducing him to literature, the classics, and inspiring him to major in English in college, Story went on to express admiration for teachers and their role in supporting the young achievers.
“If there’s ever been a time in our history when teachers needed more affirmation, I can’t imagine when it would have been,” Story said, noting the effects the COVID pandemic has had on school operations in the last two years. “You are still heroes, you were before and you still are. You’ve tried diligently to continue to do your jobs and under unbelievably difficult circumstances. It’s imperative that we as a state as a society properly focused on the importance of these jobs and give teachers the support that they need both monetary and otherwise.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
