Warner Robins High School senior James Luppino is the 2016 System Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Student for Houston County. His STAR Teacher is Louis Leskosky. Mr. Leskosky is a Humanities teacher at Warner Robins High School. The winners were announced during a program and reception hosted by the Robins Regional & Perry Area Chambers of Commerce on February 23 at the Central Georgia Technical College Auditorium. Luppino and Leskosky will attend the Region STAR banquet on March 15, 2016 at 6:00 PM at Middle Georgia State University in Macon. The Region winner will advance to the state event which will be held in April in Atlanta.
Luppino has been described as the epitome of a well-rounded student excelling at everything he does. He is a member of the the Quiz Bowl team, and the Men’s soccer team at Warner Robins High School. He also participates in Lifeteen at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He is a National Merit Finalist as well as an AP scholar with distinction. Luppino was the 8th congressional District Representative for the Congressional Youth Program and a graduate of Youth Leadership Robins Region. He has been awarded with the Golden Eagle Citizenship award, and the Warner Robins “Team Player” Award. Upon graduation, he plans to attend Auburn University and major in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering. During and after college, he hopes to work with Engineers Without Borders, an international organization committed to supplying proper sanitation, food and water supply, infrastructure and energy to areas in need.
Other 2016 STAR honorees from the Houston County School System are:
- Houston County High School – Andrew Han, STAR Student & Mr. James Brock, STAR Teacher
- Northside High School – Aya Abdulla, STAR Student & Mrs. Shelley Stahl, STAR Teacher
- Perry High School – David Forsee, STAR Student & Mr. Joseph Sendek, STAR Teacher
- Veterans High School – Tyler Frye, STAR Student & Mrs. Jennifer Douglass, STAR Teacher
- Warner Robins High School – James Luppino, STAR Student & Mr. Louis Leskosky, STAR Teacher
- The Westfield School – Daniel Scarborough, STAR Student & Mrs. Kathy Pfohl, STAR Teacher
Each STAR Student received a $100 scholarship from the Robins Regional Education Foundation. STAR Teachers received engraved acrylic star awards. In addition, the System STAR Student and Teacher each received an additional scholarship award from the Education Foundation.
About STAR
The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program honors Georgia’s highest achieving 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 (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) Program has honored nearly 25,500 high school seniors who have in turn chosen their STAR Teachers to share in this recognition. Every accredited high school in Georgia is eligible to participate in this preeminent student/teacher academic recognition.
In the mid-1990’s the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation was asked by the Georgia Chamber and the State Department of Education to assume responsibility for the oversight, administration and promotion of the statewide STAR program. PAGE’s 90,000-plus members and the PAGE Foundation Board of Trustees are privileged to continue the tradition of recognizing Georgia’s future leaders and honoring the professional educators who have nurtured these scholars.
To obtain the STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on any single test date of the three-part SAT taken through the November test date of their senior year and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average. Nominees’ SAT scores must be equal to or higher than the latest available national average on the critical reading, math and writing sections. Each high school STAR Student is asked to name his/her STAR Teacher. High school STAR Students compete for system titles; and system STAR Students in turn compete for region-wide honors in the 12 STAR Regions. Region winners and their STAR Teachers are invited to Atlanta to compete for the state STAR scholarships and awards.
Locally, STAR Students and STAR Teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in their communities from the more than 165 civic organizations and businesses that serve as local STAR sponsors. Region recognitions are coordinated by Region Chairs who serve as ambassadors for the state program in the 12 STAR regions. The State PAGE STAR Banquet, held in Atlanta each year, is a gala affair attended by several hundred STAR supporters, including STAR Students and Teachers (who attend as guests of their local sponsors), their families, civic and business leaders and many Georgia educators.
At the state banquet, the Region Winners and all local winners attending are recognized. Region Winners are interviewed, and the State PAGE STAR Student and STAR Teacher are announced. At the local, region and state levels, the PAGE STAR Program unites educators with the business and civic community to honor academic excellence.
