Love of math guides STAR's choice

A teacher with a penchant for being easygoing and getting to know her students on a personal level was named STAR Teacher at Evans High School by STAR Student Nick Reed.

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"I never thought that I could have such an impact on a student where he or she would say that in all of their 13 years of school I was the most influential," said Becky Horner, a math teacher at Evans High. "Nick was in my gifted geometry class in the ninth grade and my memories of him are intelligent, very mature, honest, caring, dependable and determined."

Horner said Nick definitely stood out among his peers in that "he knew what he wanted to accomplish in school, what it would take to do it and how to do it. And the nice thing is that he actually did it."

The son of Richard and Lynn Reed of Martinez, Nick said he was honored with the recognition at his school.

"I'm a joint enrollment student and there is a requirement that you have to have a certain SAT score in order to be joint enrolled," said Nick, explaining that one of his counselors told him he had a good chance of being named the school's STAR Student.

When asked why he chose Horner, Nick said she's "a very good teacher and enjoyable."

As president of the school's math team, of which Horner serves as a sponsor, and one of the students responsible for helping start the first MAO Honor Society at the school, Nick looked to those teachers who had influenced and inspired his love of math.

"When you start a new school, you wonder what the new teacher's going to be like; is it going to be someone you are going to get along with and adapt to," he said. "Since I'm in the gifted program, you are in it with some of the same students for years and years. Ms. Horner just let us hang out and have fun while learning at the same time."

Nick also is a member of the marching, concert and competition bands, Spanish Honor Society and Beta club.

He's actively involved in Advent Lutheran Church where he serves on the lay ministry board.

A National Merit Finalist, Nick plans to enroll in Georgia Tech in the fall and hopes to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for graduate studies. He wants to major in computer science.

"Nick is a teacher's dream," said Horner. "I have been so blessed to have had him in my class. I can only hope that my own children will have the drive, the desire and the ability to be as well-rounded and successful as Nick."