NCSS and Kiwanis Club of Covington Announce 2019 STAR Students and STAR Teachers
Newton County School System and the Kiwanis Club of Covington are pleased to announce the 2019 STAR Students and STAR Teachers. In order to obtain the STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on a single test date on the three-part SAT. The SAT is a national college entrance exam some colleges and universities utilize to measure critical thinking skills students need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well students analyze and solve problems. It is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, with the new version of the exam worth a total of 1600 points. In order to qualify for STAR Student, the student must also be in the top ten percent or top ten students of their class based on grade point average.
Newton County School System’s three high school STAR Students and STAR Teachers are:
ALCOVY HIGH SCHOOL—JULIA TOWNS
Julia Towns is a senior at Alcovy High School and the Newton College and Career Academy STEM Institute and she is also a Dual Enrollment student at Georgia State Perimeter College. Julia is Alcovy High School’s 2019 STAR Student after scoring a very impressive 1470 out of 1600 on the SAT. In addition to her studies, Julia has played varsity tennis for Alcovy High School and also served on the Newton County School System Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. During her time at Alcovy and the STEM Institute, Julia has taken numerous AP Classes, including World History, US History, Environmental Science, Language, Chemistry, and Calculus. While at Georgia State Perimeter College, she has enrolled in such classes as Anthropology, Sociology, Calculus, English, Humanities, and Economics.
Julia has been accepted to attend the University of North Georgia. While she has not decided on a major, she is considering an engineering dual degree. Her career plans have also not been finalized as of yet.
Julia selected Ms. Heather Henderson from the Newton College and Career Academy STEM Institute, as her STAR Teacher. Julia was enrolled in Ms. Henderson’s 9th grade government class and her 11th grade US History Class. This is Ms. Henderson’s first time being selected as a STAR teacher.
When asked why she selected Ms. Henderson, Julia stated, “She was always my favorite teacher and she always gave me a lot of individual attention, which she does for a lot of her students. She really cares and really would push me. If I got lazy, she’d push me and get me back on track, which was really helpful.”
According to Ms. Henderson, Julia has been a true joy to have in class.
“Teaching Julia has been a privilege,” said Henderson. “She's the epitome of the perfect student: self-confident, meticulous, and inquisitive.”
NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL—JORDYN GREENWOOD
Jordyn Greenwood is a senior at the Academy of Liberal Arts at Newton High School and she was recently announced as Newton High School’s Class of 2019 Salutatorian. She is also Newton High School’s 2019 STAR Student. Jordyn achieved an impressive score of 1290 out of 1600 on the SAT. During her high school career, Jordyn has participated in numerous extracurricular activities at Newton High School, including track and the Academic Team. She has also served as an athletic trainer and the executive treasurer for the Student Government Association.
Jordyn has taken several AP classes during her time at Newton High, including Human Geography, World History, US History, Statistics, English Language and Composition, Chemistry, English Literature and Composition, Computer Science, Micro and Macroeconomics, Calculus, and Biology.
Jordyn plans to attend either Georgia State University or the University of Georgia where she hopes to major in public health and law with a minor in either political science or computer science. Her career goal is to work at the CDC and also visit and assist impoverished nations. She would like to work on healthcare reform by changing policies and laws to create better healthcare.
Jordyn chose her chemistry teacher, Dr. Trupti Shah, as her STAR Teacher. This is Dr. Shah’s first time being selected as a STAR Teacher.
When asked why she chose Dr. Shah, Jordyn stated, “She’s been very supportive of me. She’s always trying to give me advice and she definitely helped me with my math. She’s overall a very sweet lady and she always motivates me to do better.”
According to Dr. Shah, Jordyn is an outstanding student and an even better person.
“Jordyn is very hard working, self-motivated, analytical, organized and respectful student,” said Dr. Shah. “She is quick learner and a team player. She has always overcome all her hardships and excelled in all fields. She is an excellent student and wonderful human being.”
EASTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL AND NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM—REBEKAH STOWE
Rebekah Stowe is a senior at Eastside High School. She is not only the Eastside High School but also the Newton County School System 2019 STAR Student because she had the highest overall SAT score in the district. Rebekah scored an outstanding 1560 out of 1600 on the SAT. College entrance exams do not phase Rebekah as she also scored a perfect score of 36 on the ACT exam. In addition to her classroom studies, Rebekah served as an Eastside High School Ambassador and also participated in Mock Trial and the Junior Classical League. During her time at Eastside, Rebekah has taken numerous AP classes, including Statistics, World History, Language and Composition, Latin, US History, Calculus, Economics, Literature, Biology, and Chemistry.
She has been accepted to attend the University of Tennessee where she plans to major in biological anthropology with a possible minor in Latin. Her career goal is to become a forensic anthropologist.
Rebekah chose her math teacher, Mr. Michael Poor, as her STAR Teacher. This is Mr. Poor’s second time being selected as a STAR teacher.
When asked why she chose Mr. Poor, Rebekah said, “I’ve known him for a really long time because he used to come to my middle school. He also taught my sisters so he’s always been available to ask questions about homework. Last year I had BC Calculus with him and a tools for college success class, which allowed the opportunity to talk to him and get a lot of advice from him. He’s just been very helpful to me.”
According to Mr. Poor, Rebekah is truly an outstanding scholar.
“As I have come to know Rebekah over the past 2 years, I have only become more impressed by the wide range of her abilities, and by her modesty about them,” said Poor. “Rebekah is the epitome of what it means to be scholarly and perhaps the most engaging, pleasant, and humorous person I have ever had the privilege of teaching in my 18 years in education.”
“These STAR students are indicative of the high-quality, high-caliber students we have in Newton County,” said Samantha Fuhrey, superintendent of Newton County School System. “We commend Julia, Jordyn, and Rebekah for staying the course and demonstrating what one can accomplish through hard work and discipline. In addition, we thank the parents, teachers, and leaders who have supported these students through the years.”
The PAGE Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation. Since its inception, the STAR program has honored more than 27,000 students and the teachers they have selected as having had the most influence on their academic success.
For more information, contact Ms. Sherri Davis, Director of Public Relations for Newton County Schools, at
[email protected] or by phone at 770-784-2908.
###