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Star students honored in DeKalb

By Brian Egeston
be@brianwrites.com

The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce March 6 honored some of the best students in the county at the annual Student Achievement Award Recognition (STAR) luncheon. The occasion, held at the W Hotel–Perimeter, saluted top academic seniors in each participating high school with the highest score on one sitting of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) taken through November 2008.

Selecting students is a simple process, however selecting a STAR teacher is a bit more adventurous. STAR teachers are chosen by the STAR students, who can select any instructor for any reason be it emotional or entertaining.

Sydeny Swain was the STAR student from Towers High School and chose Jermain Morell as her STAR teacher. “He’s more than my teacher,” said Swain. “He’s my mentor. It’s not just about me. He drives all the way from Macon every day to teach Towers High School band.”

Jan Michael Archer who plans to attend Stanford and study archaeology was Stone Mountain’s STAR student. His choice for STAR teacher was Timothy McCullough. “True story. I flipped a coin,” Archer said. “It didn’t come out the way I wanted it so I flipped it again.”

Daneil Guidot, St. Pius X’s pick, chose Eugene Brisbane for a STAR teacher. Brisbane has instructed Guidot in math for three years and has found a way to make math interesting Gidot said. The St. Pius standout plans to study pre-medicine at UGA.

M.L. King’s STAR student was Wing Lueng Ng, who will attend the University of North Carolina to major in business and help out with his family’s corporation. He chose Tosha Oliver as the STAR teacher because, he said, her challenges pushed students to achieve their maximum potential.

Claire Ittner was running late for the program. The Marist senior had to finish a French exam then make a mad dash over to the hotel. She arrived just in time to take her seat and later find out that she was the recipient of the Alonzo L. McDonald Sr. Scholarship for having scored a perfect 2400 on her SAT. “My dad told me [about the score],” said Minter. “He was more excited than I was.

I didn’t know how big of a deal it was until right now. Actually it’s just a big relief for me. Now I don’t have to take it again.” Ittner chose Dr. Louisa Moffit as the star teacher. Moffit who’s been a STAR teacher four times, has taught history at Marist for 23 years. “Claire is a star in so many ways beyond academics. She’s a kind, compassionate and wonderful young woman,” Moffit said.

Brandon Stallings from Lithonia High has been accepted to attend Yale on scholarship, but he’s holding off on the commitment. After all, he hasn’t heard from Harvard. Regardless of the institution, he will major in economics and political science. Stallings chose Cliff Tyree for a STAR teacher. “This guy is a phenomenal historian,” said Stallings. “He’s comparable to Henry Louis Gates. He’s been inspirational to my development not only as a student, but also as a man.”

Jacob Reid represented Lakeside as a STAR student and said he wants to attend Rice University. “I hope to study…anything that strikes my fancy,” said Reid. Only a teacher with a good sense of humor could get Reid’s nod. He chose Garry Saltmarsh. “He sees the good in every student, choosing to separate the behavior of the person from their abilities.

His quirky sense of humor makes it one of the few classes I look forward to,” said Reid. In 10th grade, Reid said, the teacher gave an assignment in which students were to write a speech about any subject. Reid used the opportunity to satirically lambaste Saltmarsh, which he took in stride according to Reid.

STAR student Anna Gable from Decatur High School chose Julia Martin, her second grade teacher, as the STAR recipient because she urged that English was much more than spelling words and math was much more than arithmetic.

When Uyen Thuy Ha from Cross Keys High School accepted her STAR award, she had special words for her teacher Monique Whorton. “Ms. Whorton helped me not just in the classroom, she helped me with my personal problems with my family,” Ha said, fighting back tears.

Benjamin Minter from Chamblee selected Dr. Jessica Hunt, his multi-variable calculus teacher, who was recognized for her 12th STAR teacher award.

“Quite often, we hear about that small fraction, that 10 percent of students who aren’t doing well,” said DeKalb Chamber CEO Leonardo McClarty. “It’s the stories that we heard today that don’t get reported. Students are actually finding a confidant in teachers. Today was refreshing to hear. There’s a lot of positive going on in DeKalb County.”

2009 DeKalb County STAR students are:

Samuel Mindel Ben Franklin Academy
Dennisa Thomas Cedar Grove High School
Benjamin Miner Chamblee Charter High
Hoa Luu Clarkston High
Uyen Ha Cross Keys High School
Anna Gable Decatur High School
Matthew Hughes DeKalb School of the Arts
Emily Chapman Druid Hills High School
Yijun Gu Dunwoody High School
Jacob Reid Lakeside High School
Brandon Stallings Lithonia High School
Claire Ittner Marist School
Wing Ng Martin Luther King, Jr. High School
Kera Wright Miller Grove High School
Sabyne Peller Redan High School
Monique Payton Ronald McNair High School
Ashley Evelyn Southwest DeKalb High School
Daniel Guidot St. Pius X Catholic High School
Samantha Hairston Stephenson High School
Jan Archer Stone Mountain High School
Syndney Swain Towers High School
Caroline Williams Tucker High School
Janat Jingo W. D. Mohammed High School
Robyn Kalwerisky Yeshiva Atlanta High School