Hannah Takash named Dougherty County STAR Student for 2017

ALBANY — Deerfield-Windsor School senior Hannah Takash was named Dougherty County’s STAR Student for 2017 at the 57th Annual STAR Student luncheon Friday at Chehaw’s Educational Center.

Takash named Debbie Allen as her STAR Teacher.

Takash was among a group of six county students vying for the title.

The other five students and their STAR Teachers were:

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

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

• 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.

“This is not just a celebration of students, it’s also a celebration of everyone in this room,” Ufot Inyang, the Dougherty County School System’s Director of Academics, said. “We commend them all for their effort, drive and passion.”

Deerfield Headmaster Dave Davies was also effusive in his praise.

“We get a lot of publicity because of our athletic teams, but we have to try like crazy to get our academics recognized,” Davies said. “Programs like this elevate the academics of all of the schools in our community.”

STAR Teacher Allen said she was not surprised Takash was named the county’s STAR Student.

“Hannah does everything you would expect from a STAR Student and does it well,” Allen said. “She’s not here today because of her SAT score, she’s here because she’s special.”

Takash said she was in awe of the honor.

“Winning is almost indescribable; it’s an incredible honor,” she said. “I’ve already been accepted at Georgia Tech, but I still have four other applications out and I am waiting on the responses before I make a decision.”

Takash said she is leaning toward becoming a mechanical engineer.

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.