Baldwin County STAR student to be named Thursday

Jan. 27—The race to be named Baldwin County's 2023 STAR (student teacher achievement recognition) student is, for the second year in a row, among four finalists.

The local schools — Baldwin High, GMC Prep, and John Milledge Academy — usually produce one senior finalist, but Baldwin is now running a two-year streak of having a tie at the top.

This year's finalists from the public school are Elaine Abella and Xuan Yang. Representing GMC Prep will be Tucker Ivey, while Emma Soltay will carry the John Milledge banner. All four are already winners at the school level, but will now vie for the county-wide title. Baldwin County's winner for 2023 will be announced at an award ceremony to be held Thursday.

But the STAR program isn't just about the students. It also gives the pupils the opportunity to select educator who has had a significant impact on their educational journeys as a STAR teacher.

The STAR program is now in its 65th year in Georgia and is sponsored, administered and promoted by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE). Since its creation, the STAR program has honored nearly 29,000 students and teachers. To obtain the STAR nomination, graduating high school seniors must have the highest score on a single SAT test date and be in the top 10% or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average.

Locally the STAR program is sponsored by the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce along with the local Exchange Club, Kiwanis Club, and Rotary Club.

Here's a little info about each of the exceptionally talented students and their chosen STAR teachers.

Baldwin's Abella is the senior editor of the school's yearbook and has also been a member of the tennis team. Twice in her high school career she has won first place in the Oconee Regional Technology Fair, so it's easy to see why she plans on attending Georgia Tech to pursue a major in computer science. In December 2022 Abella was named Exchange Club Youth of the Month, and she calls her parents her biggest motivator in her life. Abella has selected Jessica Thompson as her STAR teacher.

Abella's co-STAR student is Xuan Yang, who has also been a member of Baldwin's tennis team as well as the chess club. Yang was a finalist for the Governor's Honors Program in mathematics, and is an AP scholar with distinction. After high school, he plans to pursue a double major in neuroscience and economics at Emory University and later get accepted into a dual Ph.D. and M.D. program. Yang chose Michael Blom as his STAR teacher.

Ivey of GMC Prep is a member of multiple honor societies as well as the school's marching and concert bands. Ivey has been a state champion in literary, one-act play, and riflery. He was a semifinalist for the Governor's Honors Program in mathematics, and has been named a distinguished cadet in the categories of leadership and academics. Ivey plans to attend the University of Georgia and study astrophysics before pursuing a higher degree at an Ivy League school. He hopes to one day learn the science behind black holes. Ivey selected Alisha Rochon as his STAR teacher.

John Milledge's Soltay serves as president of both the Watson-Brown Junior Board of Trustees and the JMA Beta Club along with her office of vice president for the JMA National Honor Society. Soltay, who came to Milledgeville from the Atlanta suburbs before her junior year, has received both the Silver and Gold Presidential Service Awards for accumulating more than 250 service hours in one year. Because of a lifelong fight with food allergies, Soltay wants to pursue a career in medicine, specifically pediatric nursing to help spread awareness about food allergies and take care of kids who have to be on-guard at every meal. She has not chosen a college yet, but she has been accepted to Mercer, Auburn, the University of South Carolina, Louisiana State University and Georgia State. Soltay's STAR teacher is Rebecca Brasher.

The four Baldwin County STAR student finalists and their teachers will be honored at a banquet Thursday where the county winner will be announced. The local winner will move on to the regional level Tuesday, March 14, in Macon.