Dalton High STAR student strives for 'perfect'

Jul. 23—Abigail Liu, Dalton High School's 2020-21 STAR student, is "the whole package," said Jennifer Balog, who taught Liu for three years.

"Every student has a special talent, but she's the rare one who has been blessed with so many," said Balog, a history teacher at Dalton High. "She picks up everything very quickly, but she's also very hard-working."

When Liu learned she was Dalton High's STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) student, she was "very excited and happy the work I'd put in paid off," she said. She was also thrilled to share the news with her parents, who, while "also very happy," weren't shocked, either.

Though both college math professors, Liu's parents haven't obsessed about her academics, rather they've trusted her, and that faith has been richly rewarded, she said.

"They're always like 'Well, she'll be OK' because I expect a lot from myself and put pressure on myself."

"They don't have to remind me about my grades or to get my work done because I'm hard on myself," she said. "I set the bar pretty high."

The STAR program is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) and the PAGE Foundation. Each STAR student chooses a STAR teacher to share in the recognition, and Liu chose Balog.

"Whatever she tells me to do, it always benefits me in the end," Liu said. "Her assignments prepare me for the exams and give me everything I need to know."

Balog was "shocked" to be selected, because "I know how gifted Abigail is in math and art," among other subjects, and "there's a wide range of great teachers here," she said. "It's very special."

Liu particularly enjoyed Balog's lessons on the civil rights movement, as the teacher adroitly demonstrated how "there were lots of civil rights leaders who all had different ideas about the best ways to move forward," said the member of Dalton High's class of 2021. "It also applies to our current (situation) right now."

History is "about more than dates and names," Balog said. "There's always more than one person involved, so you have to understand the differing perspectives of everyone involved."

To obtain a 2021 STAR nomination, graduating high school seniors must have had the highest score on a single test date on the SAT and be in the top 10% or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average, according to Kris Horsley, communications specialist for Whitfield County Schools.

Students and their teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in their communities from one of the more than 170 statewide civic organizations and businesses that serve as local sponsors of the STAR program, and STAR teachers continue with their students at every level of the program.

Liu will attend Georgia Tech this fall, and is likely to study math, although she's not yet certain of her major, she said.

"I'm just good at it — solving equations is like doing a puzzle or a game — and I guess it runs in my blood" with two math-professor parents.

She'll most miss "the people" of Dalton High after she leaves for Georgia Tech.

"All of my friends, the people I've spent four years with, will go to different places and states," she said. "I worry we'll fall out of contact."

Georgia Tech is "close to home" in Atlanta, but also full of people who have had different life experiences than many of those in Whitfield County, she said. "I've been in Dalton" since moving from Alpharetta in second grade, and "I'm looking forward to meeting different people, (although) it might be hard because I'm not very extroverted."

"She's going to be great," Balog said. And she'll hardly be alone, as Dalton High is "sending a cohort" of members of the class of 2021 to Georgia Tech.

In addition to math and history, "art has been a hobby of mine all my life," and Liu routinely used her artistic skills to draw or paint decorations for Dalton High's homecoming festivities, she said.

"There are actually some similarities (between art and math, as) in math, there are patterns and sequences you can apply to your art."

Liu is a model to other students, especially her work ethic, Balog said.

"Nothing is halfway done with Abigail, and I've never gotten an assignment from her that wasn't thorough from A-Z."

"I don't like to turn in anything half done," Liu said. "I'll always take the time to make it perfect."