North Gwinnett News

Congratulations to the Cherokee County School District’s 2023 STAR Students and Teachers!

The STAR, or Student Teacher Achievement Recognition, Student honor is awarded to the high school senior from each Georgia public and private high school with the highest score on any single test date of the SAT and who also ranks in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of his or her class based on grade point average.  Each honored student is invited to select his or her favorite teacher to be named that school’s STAR Teacher.

“Congratulations to our STAR Students and Teachers on their dedication to academic excellence,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said.  “We know it takes years of hard work by our STAR Students to achieve this level of success.  We’re deeply grateful for our STAR Teachers for their role in this success, as well as the success of countless other students who benefit from their exemplary classroom instruction and support.”  

The CCSD honorees are: for Cherokee High School, a tie between student Griffen Bon and Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry teacher Mark Segall and student Braden Flournoy and AP Computer Science teacher Carla Thornton; Creekview High School, student Kylie Buchanan and AP Chemistry teacher Jason Hardin; Etowah High School, student Avi Stein and AP English teacher Tina Parmar; River Ridge High School, student Nandita Bipin and Honors English teacher Wendy Vander Veen; Sequoyah High School, student Taryn Mareau and AP English teacher Dr. Cathy Murphy; Woodstock High School, student Lydia Lord and AP English teacher Jacqueline Vance.

The overall Cherokee County winner is the school honoree with the highest eligible SAT score, and this year, that was a three-way tie between Griffen Bon and Braden Flournoy of Cherokee HS and Avi Stein of Etowah HS.  They now advance to regional competition, and the 12 region winners will contend for the State PAGE STAR Student title; STAR Teachers continue with their students through these additional levels of recognition.

All of CCSD’s STAR students and teachers recently were honored at the annual STAR Student and Teacher Recognition Ceremony hosted at the Canton Theatre by the Canton Lions Club, which has been the local sponsor since the STAR program began in 1958.  Each of the high school winners received a $500 award from the club, and the three overall winners received an additional $1,000. 

“Each year we are honored to host these amazing students and teachers to recognize their achievement as the STAR Student and Teacher from their high schools.  We are especially proud of the county winners and their teachers and wish them success at the region level,” club President Barb Wicks said.

Dr. Hightower noted that the Lions Club’s continued longtime support of the program is greatly appreciated.   The CCSD honorees will be recognized by the Cherokee County School Board and Dr. Hightower at the February School Board meeting.

Original source can be found here.