GREENSBORO, Ga. — Sydney Pattison, Lake Oconee Academy, and Marisa Williams, Nathanael Greene Academy, have been named as their schools’ STAR students for this academic year.

Pattison chose Caroline St. John as her STAR teacher.Williams chose Cynthia Mixon as her STAR teacher.

In addition, Pattison was named a 2024 PAGE STAR Student Region Winner. Rotarian Patricia Randolph announced these winners at a recent Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties weekly Club meeting.

The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program recognizes Georgia’s outstanding high school seniors and the teachers who have been most instrumental in their academic development. Since its creation in 1958 by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the STAR program has honored more than 30,000 students and their STAR teachers. In the mid-1990s, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation was asked to assume responsibility for the oversight, administration, and promotion of the statewide STAR program. Every accredited high school in Georgia is eligible to participate in this preeminent student/teacher academic recognition. To obtain the 2024 STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on a single test date on the SAT and be in the top 10% or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average.

The purposed of the STAR program is threefold: 1) to recognize academic achievement in Georgia’s high schools and to motivate students to be good scholars and high achievers; 2) to honor excellence in teaching, to promote teaching as a career, and to encourage outstanding teachers to remain in the classroom; and 3) to demonstrate the business community’s commitment to excellence in education and to increase interaction between students and the business community.

STAR begins each year in participating high schools throughout Georgia when the STAR Student is named and chooses a STAR Teacher to share in this recognition. The students and their teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in their communities from one of the more than 170 statewide civic organizations and businesses that serve as local sponsors of the STAR program. Students then compete for school system titles, and those winners compete for region honors. Region winners compete for the honor of being named state PAGE STAR Student. STAR teachers continue on with their STAR students at every level of the program.

LOA STAR student Pattison has been a student at Lake Oconee Academy for 13 years, currently in the process of concluding her senior year. She has been highly involved in the academic, athletic, and extracurricular activities of LOA. Sydney is the executive director of LOA Miracle, a fundraising organization for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Along with this, she is the LOA student body vice president and a member of the National Beta Club. She is the co-captain of the LOA cheerleading team while participating in the LOA varsity golf team in her spring semesters. She works as a hostess at the Creek Club at Reynolds Lake Oconee among all her activities.She is currently undecided about her future university, however, hopes to pursue a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and modern languages. She aspires to study abroad throughout her college education and is excited to see what the future holds for her.

LOA STAR teacher Caroline St. John currently teaches AP English Literature, AP Seminar and Creative Writing at Lake Oconee Academy. Caroline founded LOA’s student-led literary magazine, The Archetype, and coordinates the LOA Literary Society which includes LOA’s poetry slam. She also takes great joy in coaching students through the college essay-writing process. She is the 2010 District Teacher of the Year for Rockdale County and the 2012 National Winner of the “Get Busy Living Award” from Stupid Cancer, an advocacy organization for Young Adult Cancer Survivors. Her main passions in life include teaching, reading, writing and speaking about the wonder of life post-leukemia. She graduated from Asbury University with a degree in English secondary education. She also holds a master’s degree in fine arts in narrative nonfiction writing through the Grady College at the University of Georgia. She currently lives in Morgan County with her husband and son, the miracle kid named Mac.

NGA STAR student Marisa Williams is a senior at Nathanael Greene Academy. Her parents are Chris and Danielle Williams of Union Point. She has been on the head of school list throughout her entire academic career and is the president of the Beta Club and vice president of her class. She participates in one-act, literary, cheer, and tennis. She was one of the winners of the Elks Most Valuable Students scholarship and has been elected as Miss Nathanael Greene Academy by the school faculty members. She enjoys reading, her job at Starbucks, and spending time with her friends and family. She considers her determination and positivity to be her most important attributes and sees her parents as her main inspiration and motivators.After high school, Williams plans to continue her education at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, where she has been accepted for the upcoming fall semester.

NGA STAR teacher Cynthia Mixon is from Nashville, Georgia, and was raised on her family farm. She graduated third in her high school class of 250 in 1975 from Berrien County High School.After high school, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Valdosta State University in 1978 with a B.S. in elementary education. Mixon obtained a master’s in early childhood education in 1981, a specialist’s degree in early childhood education in 2000, and in August 2020, she earned an educational leadership degree; all three of her most recent degrees are from Georgia College & State University. Mixon has taught for 45 years as a classroom teacher in Atkinson County Schools, Bibb County Schools and Putnam County Schools.She was the assistant headmaster at Redeemer Episcopal Academy for three years and went on to teach early childhood education at Central Georgia Technical College as an adjunct professor from 2003 until 2015. Currently, Mixon is the head of school for Nathanael Greene Academy and has been since May 2019.

The Rotary Club wishes to congratulate these deserving STAR students and teachers.