Newnan High School student Sarah Chapman was named as the top STAR student for the 10-county region including Coweta County, at the annual Region 3B STAR Student and Teacher banquet in Griffin on Thursday.
She is now a contender for Georgia’s 2015 State STAR student. The announcement was made by representatives of the Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce during the annual regional PAGE STAR event.
Chapman is the daughter of Keith and Lynn Chapman. She was also accompanied at the banquet by STAR Teacher Jo Ellen Gordon – Newnan High School AP Calculus teacher and Math Department Chair – as well as her parents, sister Hannah Katherine, and Newnan High School Assistant Principal Vera Harris.
East Coweta High School senior and Coweta’s 2014 STAR Student Yehong Zhu was chosen last year as the Georgia Region 3B STAR Student.
STAR Students are seniors at Georgia public or private high schools who have the highest score in their school in one sitting on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), taken through the November test date of their senior year. They must also be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average, and of good character.
STAR students are asked to honor the educator who most influenced their academic achievement by naming them as their STAR Teacher.
“The first word that comes to mind when I think of Sarah is flawless,” said Newnan High’s Gordon, of her STAR Student. Gordon noted that Chapman has an unweighted GPA of 100, while taking all AP and advanced level classes
“She just does not make mistakes,” said Gordon. “I teach a lot of really good students, but all of them, and myself included, make arithmetic errors. Sarah can work a number of complicated calculus problems and never make the tiniest calculation error. Her ability to focus and think methodically and logically is amazing.”
She also described Chapman as a hard worker and devoted scholar who has been recognized as a member of the National Honor Society, a National Merit finalist, and this year’s Newnan High School Valedictorian. Chapman is also a community volunteer, NHS Student Government Association Secretary, and an officer for the National Honor Society, Beta Club, and Key Club.
Chapman plans to attend the University of Alabama this fall and double-major in Communicative Disorders and Spanish. Future plans include graduate school and a career as a Speech Pathologist with a primary interest in the treatment of aphasia.
“As the Key Club sponsor, Mrs. Gordon was quick to welcome me to Newnan High and into Key Club,” said Chapman, about her chosen STAR Teacher. “As a junior, I was a student in Mrs. Gordon’s AP Calculus BC class. After missing quite a bit of school for snow and ice that year, Mrs. Gordon freely gave up her Saturday mornings to provide review sessions for her students for several weeks before the AP exam.”
“That is true commitment!” said Chapman. “Mrs. Gordon’s focus is always on the success of her student.”
The Georgia STAR Student will be announced in April, following candidate interviews. Chapman became a candidate for regional honors earlier in March when she was announced as Coweta County’s STAR Student, at an annual program sponsored by the Newnan Rotary Club.
STAR Students from East Coweta High School, the Heritage School, Newnan High School, Northgate High School, and Trinity Christian School were all honored at the event along with their chosen STAR Teachers, parents and school representatives.
This year’s STAR Students and Teachers from Coweta County’s five participating schools were:
· East Coweta High School STAR Student Sonny Byun and STAR Teacher Kirsten Geter (AP English/Composition teacher, East Coweta High)
· The Heritage School STAR Student Seraphina Lee and STAR Teacher Gina Watkiss (AP Chemistry teacher, Science Department Chair, Heritage)
· Newnan High School STAR Student Sarah Chapman and STAR Teacher Jo Ellen Gordon (AP Calculus teacher, Math Department Chair, Newnan High)
· Northgate High School STAR Student Connie Hauser and STAR Teacher Lynn Vance (AP English Language teacher, Northgate High)
· Trinity Christian School STAR Student Caleb Hess and STAR Teacher Jennifer Rinkenberger (AP Calculus teacher, Trinity)
The STAR Program is sponsored state-wide by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE), Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Department of Education.
