Katie Odegaard Is STAR Student
Katie Odegaard, a senior at Piedmont Academy, was named the county’s STAR student Monday at a luncheon sponsored by the Monticello Kiwanis Club.
Miss Odegaard chose Daniel Funt as her STAR teacher and said she worked hard to score well on the SAT to give him the honor.
Also honored at Monday’s banquet was Samantha Talley from Jasper County High School, and her STAR teacher, Brian Patrick.
Miss Talley had the highest SAT score at Jasper County High School.
STAR is the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program that recognizes the highest Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scorer at each accredited high school in the state. Locally the STARs are honored by the Monticello Kiwanis Club. The Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) is the state’s overall sponsor of the program.
Monticelloan Jimmy Jordan is PAGE’s membership services representative, and he presented the awards to the STAR student and teachers from each school, then presented the county award to Miss Odegaard.
The guest speaker for the program was Dr. Shannon Barton who was STAR student at her school in 1990. She said she knew the pressure that seniors face. She urged the students to stay faithful to their values. She talked about the opportunities that a small town affords, and encouraged the students to stay true to their roots.
She said she was lucky because she always knew she wanted to be a doctor and practice in a small town, such as Monticello. She attended Mercer Medical School which offers a great program for family doctors.
Miss Odegaard stressed how she had taken the SAT several times in an effort to achieve STAR student just so she could honor Mr. Funt. She credits her teacher with helping her figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life. She plans to be a biochemist. Mr. Funt has taught Miss Odegaard for about six years.
Mr. Funt said that he met Miss Odegaard when he was working at Piedmont the summer before he actually became employed with the school. He was working there and Miss Odegaard was volunteering there, also. When he taught her earth science, she became totally engrossed in science. He has since taught her life science, biology, chemistry, and she is now taking AP chemistry.
