Five High Schoolers Named STAR Students

To Jason Pritchett, former student Corey Owens is his William Faulkner.

“I call him my Faulkner … I always say that he’s the one student that I’ve taught that I think will become the writer that he’s always wanted to be, even though he’s choosing video game design,” the Honors Literature teacher said of Owens, a senior at Hiram High School. “He’s an extremely talented young man—he writes, he sings, he plays guitar. [And] he’s the most humble young man that I’ve probably have ever known with his intelligence. You would never hear him talk about himself—he just doesn’t do that.”

Pritchett spoke of Owens at Paulding County Schools’ central office Tuesday afternoon during the STAR Program awards ceremony. Owens was one of five high school seniors to be recognized as the STAR Student from their respective schools, and was also named the county’s overall STAR Program winner. Owens selected Pritchett as his STAR Teacher.

Also earning STAR Student honors from their high schools were Kris Henry of East Paulding, Nicki Bigman of North Paulding, Carolina Rivera of Paulding County and Kevin Switzer of South Paulding.

The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition Program recognizes high-performing high school seniors across Georgia and the teachers they select as having been the most influential and instrumental in their academic careers. In more than five decades, the STAR Program has honored more than 22,000 high school seniors and the teachers they selected to share in their recognition. Since 1994, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation Inc. has coordinated the state STAR program along with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Education.

The Paulding County Chamber of Commerce, which has been in existence for 50 years, is the local sponsor of the STAR Program and has been for those five decades. The five honorees, thanks to the Chamber and supporters of its program, each received a laptop computer and other gifts for their accomplishment.

“These recipients today are going to carry the beacon of hope and reflect an example that we hope all of these in our system can follow,” said Stevan Crew, member of the Chamber’s education committee, who emceed Tuesday’s event.

To be nominated for the STAR Program, seniors must have the highest SAT score on one test date through the end of November of their last year of high school, and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students in their class based on grade point average.

Owens moves on to compete for the Region 1 STAR Student honor. Should he be named region winner, he and the 11 other region winners from across the state will be eligible to become the State PAGE STAR Student. Students who win at the region or state level are eligible for scholarships and other prizes.

“To be 100 percent honest, until I got here today, I didn’t even know there was a second level,” Owens said during the event, drawing laughs from those in attendance—family members, school system staff and community members.

A member of the drama program in all four years at Hiram High, Owens earned a 2060 on his SAT, with his highest score a 740 in critical reading; he has an unweighted GPA of 3.6. His plans after graduation are to attend Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta to obtain a degree in video game design.

Henry said she hopes to go to Columbia University in New York to major in English toward the goal of becoming an author and/or an English teacher. She earned a 2040 on her SAT and is currently at the top of her class. She chose Honors French instructor Patricia Monahan as her STAR Teacher.

“At a time when I didn’t know who I was and what I was capable of, she sort of pushed me to do more than I thought I could,” said Henry, whose school involvements include being a part of the yearbook, vice president of Beta Club and a National Honor Society member.

Bigman, who took home an SAT score of 1970 with her top score a 670 in math, plans to enter the University of Georgia’s honors program, where she wants to major in psychology and perhaps business as well, on her way toward a doctorate in psychiatry at Emory University. Currently first in her class, just two of the several entries on her student résumé are being a varsity track athlete and as well as the student body president for all four years at the school, which will see this year its first graduating class. She chose as her STAR Teacher Windi Born, 12th-grade Advancer Placement English Composition and ninth-grade Honors English instructor.

“I’m in [the Student Government Association] … and she’s been my main sponsor for that, and I’ve had her for my freshman English class and also for my AP literature class this year, so I’ve worked with her really closely one-on-one since I was a freshman, and she’s just been a really important part of my life, and she’s been very motivational and has always helped me stay on track,” Bigman said.

Rivera is 12th in her class of nearly 300 students at Paulding County High; she earned 1750 on her SATs.

“I just can’t believe that I got the award, because I feel like I was having a good day on the SAT,” she said.

Rivera selected 12th-grade language arts instructor Leigh Becigneul as her STAR Teacher. She said she hopes to end up at Emory University to pursue a doctorate.

“I want to be a surgeon. As to what type of surgeon, I don’t know—maybe an emergency surgeon. I like heart, so cardio surgeon, maybe?” Rivera added.

Switzer has been accepted to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., but says he is unsure about what major to choose.

“I like to learn foreign languages, and I know that I would like to at least study a few of those,” he said.

Switzer’s STAR Teacher was Annemarie Edwards, 11th-grade social studies instructor. He is currently at the top of his class with straight A’s. A member of National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society, his SAT was 1930, with the highest score a 740 in math.

Superintendent Cliff Cole commended the five students on their accomplishment.

“This is a very special honor and a very special achievement,” he said, “so we’re very proud of you guys and very proud you’re representing our district.