Caden Clark and Angie Marks Represent Piedmont Academy
Richard Caden Clark was named STAR student for Piedmont Academy based on his SAT scores, and he chose Angie Marks as his STAR teacher.
The STAR Program is designed to recognize high school seniors who have the highest SAT score in their graduating class and meet all the other program requirements. How many classes a student takes off campus or how involved the student is with extra-curricular activities at the school are irrelevant in determining the STAR Student, according to the announcement from the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, statewide sponsor of the program.
Locally, the Monticello Civic Club sponsors the STAR banquet which will be held next Thursday, Feb. 7, at Monticello First United Methodist Church at noon.
Caden had the followoing to say about why he selected Ms. Marks as his STAR teacher.
“In ninth grade, I met a teacher who influenced me in ways other teachers haven’t. From that day on, she would continue to develop me into the young man I am today. Mrs. Marks has made a great impact in my high school career through her dedication to teaching me to work hard, not only in the classroom, but outside as well.
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“Mrs. Marks has taught me to strive for excellence and be a hard working student. I believe Mrs. Marks has a great learning environment that allows the learning experience to be enjoyable. She has influenced me to always listen with an open mind as well as treat others respectfully.
“Mrs. Marks is an incredible role model to her students because she fosters determination to excel in the ever expanding minds of her students. Her diligence and humble personality are only icing on the cake. All of these qualities are why I chose Mrs. Marks to be my Star Teacher.”
Mrs. Marks said the following about Mr. Clark:
“I am tremendously honored to be Richard Caden Clark’s STAR teacher. Caden is an incredibly intelligent, caring, and creative student. He is the student I can depend on to understand the fine meanings of not-so-obvious ideas presented in a literary work. He is the student I can depend on to lighten the mood when his class is struggling with difficult assignments or concepts. And finally, he is the student I can depend on to take a creative twist on any assignment and find more meaning, and usually, more humor, than I imagined possible.
“As a student, I know that I can always depend on Caden to give thoughtful consideration to his reading and class discussion. Voted ‘Wittiest’ by his senior classmates, he is very capable of not only understanding upper level thinking, but manipulating thoughts to make excellent points, and many times, puns and irony.
“He knows how and when to ask for help as well—another aspect of his great intelligence and common sense. Caden also excels in academics earning Honor Roll status throughout his high school career. He is also a member of both our National Honors Society and Beta Club. His intelligence and wit are well-documented in his outstanding academic record, but another aspect of Caden’s character can be seen in his work with others.
“Caden cares about others, and this quality shines through in his work and in his interactions with others. He works well with his classmates because he cares about others. His witty demeanor attracts others because he lessens the seriousness of tense situations. He has served others through projects with our school’s FFA and his church. Reliable and caring are words that easily describe Caden’s character, but his most outstanding quality is his creativity.
“A very talented writer, one of the first papers Caden wrote for me as a junior dealt with
“What if. . .” Caden took the topic and decided to become a “redneck.” Using dialect and his observations on society, he created a very entertaining and insightful, paper on a stereotype. A master of humor and sarcasm, Caden is also a very capable writer when doing analysis as well. He is insightful and picks up on innuendo and irony often missed by his classmates. His writing is simply a unique pleasure to read.
“Because of his many unique attributes, I have no doubt that Caden will go far in life and make all of us, including his STAR teacher, very proud to say: “I knew Caden when . . .”
