After receiving a perfect score on his second SAT, senior Shane Mudrinich knew he had a pretty good shot at the STAR Student award.
He was right.
Then his next challenge was to choose a STAR Teacher, and he picked English teacher Nancy Close because he said she is his favorite teacher of all time and one of the best teachers at school.
Close taught Mudrinich in his 9th grade English gifted and 11th grade AP Language and Composition classes. She was also his Academic Team coach for four years.
“She is very smart, witty and cares a lot about her students,” Mudrinich said. “She has a great personality and is easy to talk to yet is somewhat awkward at the same time.” That, Mudrinich said, is exactly what makes her endearing.
Soon after Principal Audrey Toney made the announcement at the end of January, faculty and friends were soon congratulating the two honorees.
“This is the highest honor of my teaching career,” said Close, who has been teaching English for 17 years. “This is also the first time I have really won an award for teaching, so it is very exciting.”
Close said her favorite “Shane” memory occurred when her students were learning about rhetorical strategies and he kept making quips about the process of finding them, making the assignment more refreshing for everyone.
The two are now in the running for state-level recognition. Each high school names a STAR Student and Teacher who compete against each other at county, regional, and state levels to become the Georgia STAR Student and Teacher of the year.
The competition culminates in a statewide event in Atlanta. At each level, students and teachers will attend banquets with civic and business leaders who will recognize them for their achievements.
On Thursday the county’s STAR students and their teachers will be honored at a dinner at The City Cafe in Fayetteville at 7 p.m. The students’ families, school principals and counselors are also invited.
At the high school level, the STAR Student is chosen each year based on the highest SAT score from a single sitting. Mudrinich and Close move on to district competiton March 21 in Griffin.