On May 7, the Starr’s Mill High School chapter of the National Beta Club held its annual induction ceremony. Over 200 students were inducted into the organization, and the ceremony included live music played by the Starr’s Mill Band.
In contrast to previous induction ceremonies, the 2026 Beta Club Induction featured a speech from guest speaker and Panther alumnus Lieutenant Colonel John Waters.
“Finding something you’re passionate about, being in a club,” Waters said. “Finding something you like is going to give you the opportunity to grow, and discover what you like and don’t like.”
Waters graduated from Starr’s Mill High School in 2003. He was a member of the Beta Club, and he ran on the school’s cross country team. He spent his time working toward an ROTC scholarship for entry into the air force academy. Waters later graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in International Affairs.
“I poured a lot of time into flying outside,” Waters said. “I worked at the local airport, so I tried to move up and have small leadership roles there. It showcased that what they were looking for was, ‘Hey, we want you to be a leader first’.”
During Waters’s time in the Air Force, he was a F-16 fighter pilot and the commander of the F-16 Viper Demonstration team. Waters touched on this experience during his speech at the induction ceremony. He described how being the pilot was not a result of just his skills, but instead the collaborative efforts of many different people.
“[Waters being here] is really special to me,” Beta Club sponsor and math department chair Kristen Peavyhouse said. “Him and his wife graduated from here, so it’s really special to have him speaking tonight.”
Waters has retired from active duty. He flies as a commercial Boeing 777 pilot, and he hosts his own podcast. You can listen to his podcast or see videos of Waters’ flights on YouTube.