County's top students compete for STAR title

Seven public and private high school seniors are vying for the coveted title of 2003 Columbia County STAR student.

The finalist with the highest SAT score will earn the title of Columbia County STAR student and the right to compete at the state level against other top-scoring students.

The county's STAR student will be named at the Harlem Woman's Club 42nd annual Student-Teacher Achievement Recognition Program and Reception on Thursday. The program begins at 4 p.m. at the Harlem Woman's Club, 170 Milledgeville Road, Harlem.

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Coordinated statewide by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation, the STAR program was created to recognize Georgia's outstanding students and the teachers who have been most instrumental in their academic development.

Each year a top academic senior in participating Georgia high schools is named the STAR student for that high school. To obtain the STAR nomination, students must have the highest score in one sitting on the SAT taken on any grade level through the November test date of their senior year and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class.

Each high school STAR student is asked to name a STAR teacher.

The 2003 STAR student finalists and the teachers who most influenced them are:

Augusta Preparatory Day School

STAR Student: Ashwin Erik Rajendra

STAR Teacher: Tim Shafer

Augusta Christian (tie)

STAR Student: Erin Swearingen

STAR Teacher: Carolyn Giddens

STAR Student: Kathryn Ellis

STAR Teacher: Leslie Dawson

Harlem High School

STAR Student: Tiffany Umlauf

STAR Teacher: Joyce Cheek

Evans High School

STAR Student: Rajib Bhattacharjea

STAR Teacher: Mary Stout

Lakeside High School

STAR Student: David Tian

STAR Teacher: Charles Haywood

Greenbrier High School

STAR Student: Lesley Marie Graybeal

STAR Teacher: Tom Smallwood