Teacher is a remarkable STAR

Back in 2005, one of the Lakeside High School students who shared the STAR Student recognition that year pointed out the obvious about the annual award.

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"It's nothing that special," he humbly opined. "The only selection (criterion) is the SAT score."

Specifically, students receive the STAR award for getting the one testing-time highest score on the SAT in their school, and then move on to county, district and state competition. It's the only time the SAT is actually used to pick winners. (Students also must be in the top 10 percent of their classes.)

Not so, however, with the STAR teacher award. Solely the choice of the STAR student, STAR teachers are picked by those top students as the one educator who has most influenced their school career.

It is truly amazing, then, that one teacher has so dominated those choices: Charles Heywood, a now semi-retired Lakeside teacher.

When Lakeside and Columbia County STAR student Lindsey Liu received the honor this year, she chose Heywood as her most-influential teacher.

It's a familiar spot. Heywood has been chosen STAR teacher 12 times since he came to Lakeside, after having been selected three times while previously teaching at Evans. That means 15 entirely different students have tapped Heywood as their favorite educator.

That is a phenomenal honor, and one well-deserved by a teacher who never fails to make a lasting impression on his students.

Heywood, along with Liu, will now compete for district honors. Best of luck to both!