Chamber to announce county’s STAR student today

ALBANY — Dougherty County’s STAR Student luncheon will be held Friday at noon at the Chehaw Education Center. STAR students from the Dougherty County public school system and private schools will be announced.

Dougherty County’s nominated STAR Students and Teachers are:

Albany High: STAR Student Ryan Samaaj Thomas; STAR Teacher, Venkateshwar Nagulavancha

Byne Christian School: STAR Student, Ashlyn Grace Elder; STAR Teacher, Sonya Warfel

Deerfield Windsor School: STAR Student, Hannah Takash; STAR Teacher, Debbie Allen

Monroe Comprehensive High: STAR Student, Tylexus Kiara Robinson; STAR Teacher, Linda Brown

Sherwood Christian Academy: STAR Student, William Vega; STAR Teacher, Matthew Sheets

Westover High: STAR Student, Andrew Masters; STAR Teacher, Shay Bradshaw

The PAGE STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) Program honors Georgia’s highest-achieving high school seniors and the teachers most instrumental in their academic development. Since the inception of the program, more than 24,000 STAR students and teachers have been honored.

The STAR program was launched in 1958 by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. In 1994, the PAGE Foundation was invited to coordinate the program in association with the chamber and the Georgia Department of Education. The 86,000-plus members of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators recognize Georgia’s future leaders and the professional educators who have nurtured these scholars through the program.

To obtain the STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on any single test date of the three-part SAT taken through the November test date of their senior year and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class, based on grade-point average.

The Dougherty district winner will represent the county in the regional competition scheduled for March 21 at South Georgia Technical College in Americus.