On Tuesday, March 12, 2024, the Region 8 STAR Student/Teacher Banquet was held at Georgia Southern University. The event took place in the College of Engineering and Information Technology building at 11:30am.
17 counties of STAR Students and Teachers were recognized for outstanding scholastic achievement over the course of their high school careers. This year, two STAR Students tied to receive the regional honor of being named as Region 8's STAR Student winners by the PAGE STAR committee.
This non-typical result of two students being chosen to be Region 8's STAR Student Winner also occurred the previous year at the 2023 Region 8 STAR Student/Teacher Banquet.
2024 STAR Student Winners
Eli Compton from Statesboro High School (Bulloch County) and Emiline Wayde Baxter from Savannah Country Day (Chatham County) were both named as Region 8's STAR Student winners.
Their respective STAR teachers are Mrs. Ashley Thompson (Compton's SHS AP Chemistry Teacher) and Mr. AJ Goldman (Baxter's Upper School Math Teacher at Savannah Country Day). The announcement was made by the Region 8 PAGE STAR sponsor, The Exchange Club of Statesboro.
"We are very proud of Eli and Mrs. Thompson, as well as Emiline and Mr. Goldman, and the academic excellence they exemplify at Statesboro High School and Savannah Country Day respectively," said The Exchange Club of Statesboro.
All of Region 8’s winners attended the luncheon which included several guest speakers. Among the guest speakers were Linda Woods (PAGE Membership Services Representative) and Dr. Amy D. Smith (Associate Vice Presient for Enrollment Management at Georgia Southern University). The mid-portion of the event consisted of each STAR student sharing their post-high school graduation plans and giving a brief thanks to their STAR Teachers.
Quotes from 2024 STAR Teacher Winners
"This is the highest honor that I could be given from a student. I have been voted 'Teacher of the Year' before by our SHS school faculty. But to have a student choose me in this capacity is the greatest honor that I could receive as a teacher. Eli is one of the hardest working students I have met. He loves learning and science, and I look forward to seeing what he will accomplish in the future at Georgia Tech. I know that he will be working for NASA one day." Mrs. Ashley Thompson
"It's great for Emiline Wayde Baxter to receive this award. She has worked so hard and is so deserving of this award. She is passionate about learning and I am honored to be her STAR Teacher. I know she will be very successful in life no matter what she decides to do." Mr. AJ Goldman
About the STAR Student/STAR Teacher Program
STAR is an acronym for "Student Teacher Achievement Program". The PAGE STAR program (in its 66th year), is sponsored and promoted by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE). To obtain the 2024 STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on a single test date on the SAT and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average. Once a school’s STAR Student is named, local county school STAR students compete for their county titles. After the county winner is chosen, county winners compete against each other for their region's honors. Regional winners compete for the honor of being named the State PAGE STAR Student. STAR Teachers move forward in the process with their STAR Students at every level of the program.
Compton and Baxter will move on to attend the PAGE STAR Banquet in Duluth, GA at the Sonesta Gwinnett Place Atlanta on Monday April 29, 2024.
The State PAGE STAR Student will be selected from the STAR Region Winners by a panel of judges.
See the images below for the full list of 2023 Region 8 System Winners, as well as local sponsors for each county.