Schools Name STAR Students, Teachers

Jasper County High School and Piedmont Academy have chosen their STAR students for the 2022-23 school year, and the students have chosen their STAR teachers.

The STARs were to be honored yesterday at a luncheon at the Visitors’ Center, hosted by the Monticello-Jasper County Chamber of Commerce. At the luncheon one will be named the county’s STAR student and teacher.

Bryant Harrison is representing Jasper County High School, and he chose Christie McAlum as his STAR teacher.

For Piedmont, the STAR student is Nick Richards who chose Martha Sammons as his STAR teacher.

The STAR (Student-Teacher Achievement Recognition) program honors students and teachers for exemplary achievements. Generally based on Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) scores, the highest scorer at each school represents his or her school, then goes to system level, which in Jasper County, is the same as school level. Now, the two school STARs compete to be county STAR. Whoever is named county STAR will compete in the region, and could move on to the state competition.

Mr. Harrison is involved in band, Beta Club, and Quiz Bowl.

“I plan to attend a four-year university to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. I have not yet decided what college I am to attend, but I have been accepted to both the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Alabama and am awaiting a decision from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

I have not quite explored what I would like to do for a career, but I think I would greatly enjoy anything in the field of aircraft design.

I chose Ms. McAlum because she is a teacher that is always excited to teach. She has a passion for her job and a passion for mathematics, one that coincides with my own. Not only that, but Ms. McAlum has a fun personality that makes it a joy to be in her classroom. She is easily my favorite teacher, and she helped to expand my love of learning. Thank you, Ms. McAlum.

Bryant is undoubtedly the finest mathematics student I have taught in 15 years. He is brilliant, driven, has an unparalleled work ethic, and has an inherent love of the beauty and logic of math. I have known (and taught) Bryant for the past two years. He has a superb work ethic; he never misses an assignment, and his work is always conscientious and clearly focused on the objective of real learning.

Additionally, Bryant worked exceptionally well with his peers as they debated approaches and engaged in problem solving. He especially enjoyed coming up with multiple angles for working a problem. Several of the current Calculus students ask Bryant for help/tutoring in Calculus. Bryant applied for and was accepted into the Georgia Tech distance learning program and is currently taking Linear Algebra.

I now teach Bryant in AP Psychology and his work ethic, intelligence, and commitment to knowledge shine there as well. He is quick and readily understands concepts and has great recall and application skills. Overall, Bryant is a truly exceptional and gifted student. Beyond the classroom, I have worked with Bryant both in Beta Club and quiz bowl. Bryant is unfailingly reliable, works well with peers, and is very dedicated.

For quiz bowl, he is always up for studying material and buoys up his fellow teammates. Bryant is vice president of Beta Club and embodies the club’s motto of leading by serving others. He helps brainstorm creative ideas for the club and then is integral in helping to implement them. He competed last year at state and nationals in both engineering and robotics. For robotics, two of the team members were younger and did not always contribute as much to the group effort. However, after the group competed at nationals Bryant spoke to the younger members specifically and said he was proud of what they had created and presented together.

He works to encourage others and to build them up. In addition to quiz bowl and Beta, Bryant is part of our high school band, the community band, and plays on the high school golf team.

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Mr. Richards had this to say:

“During both my eleventh and twelfth grade years I have been guided through the most rigorous English courses and the college journey by the finest English teacher: Ms. Sammons. Able to teach any student English and virtue, she is well-versed in all forms of literature and instruction. From teaching Latin to English 2111, Ms. Sammons knowledge abounds from her years of studying and teaching. She dedicates many hours of her day to teaching the students she loves and to helping them outside of school hours if need be and while she stays in her classroom often her reach goes far beyond.

She has guided many students down their college paths. Whether it be getting into the university of their dreams or applying for scholarships, she is overqualified in all her fields of work. She assisted me in writing multiple college application papers as well as helping me to apply to the universities of my choice. She too guides those with ears to hear down the Christian path, finding God in all works of life and literature and shepherding students through moral lessons that can change even the most corrupt of hearts. I have been given an honest college experience thanks to Ms. Sammons.

Realizing I will not succeed academically in college on my intelligence alone and learning how to truly study is something she has taught me, and she has shown me the true extent of my academic capabilities. Her make-or-break courses and tough teaching forces me to study harder than ever before and I truly believe I have never developed so fast academically as a student. She has broken me and molded me into a STAR student. She saw the potential in me and knew I needed to be taught humility, though she could also see my grammar was in dire need of fixing. I am able to arrive any time of the morning and study in her classroom with her as long as needed and though she grades more papers than any mortal has ever seen, she still finds time to help each individual student.

I have come to genuinely enjoy English and literature and thrive in the subjects at hand due to her exemplary guidance and instruction as my most morally upright and superb mentor. The credit for all my academic achievements belongs to Ms. Sammons, my STAR teacher.

This is what Ms. Sammons had to say about Mr. Richards.

It is my esteemed pleasure to be named as Nick Richards’ STAR Teacher for the Class of 2023. When I first met Nick, I knew that he was special. His face would light up when I discussed literature, and he truly seemed to enjoy our class. As a student in my college English classes and my Bible class, his knowledge and his ability to interpret what we read impressed me daily. His peers look to him for guidance and understanding on difficult topics.

Nick is never shy in giving me his opinion and his “take” on matters for discussion. He is my sounding board as we banter back and forth on pertinent topics. Nick’s greatest asset is his love for God. I appreciate his caring and kind attitude for others. I can depend on him to support and help me in any and all endeavors. Nick lives every day by example; his interactions with his classmates and his desire to succeed are contagious. He is an A+ student and was chosen as “Most Likely to Succeed” by his classmates. His writing skills are impeccable, and I can’t wait to read his essays.

We have decided that he must have been one of my children at some point in another life, for we have always been “in sync” since we met. Nick will be a success in whatever endeavor he chooses, for he has God as his guide. I cannot imagine this year without Nick, for he is one of the brightest lights in my day. He will be attending the University of Georgia in the fall; as a UGA alumna myself, the Bulldogs will be blessed by his presence. Whether he becomes a successful author, a compassionate minister, or a prestigious professor, I will always be honored that he chose me to represent him, for It is one of the proudest moments in my life.