The STARS Shine Bright at Prep

The rewards we receive as teachers can be few and far between, and most often come in intangible ways: the aha! look from a student who finally gets it, the “thank you” from a student who has stayed behind for extra help, and my personal favorite, the “I finally like reading!” from a student who had previously confessed to never having actually read a book before. But no teacher chose this profession because of the tangible rewards; instead, when our students succeed, we succeed, and enjoy quiet satisfaction in knowing our part in their success. So when Lampton Moore popped in to my room back in March to ask me to be his STAR Teacher, I was surprised, delighted, and honored, just to name a few of the emotions that brought tears to my eyes in that moment.

by Sarah M. Atkinson English Department

STAR stands for Student Teacher Achievement Recognition and is a program sponsored by the Mississippi Economic Council, the Kelly Gene Cook Charitable Foundation, and the M.B. Swayze Foundation to honor the student with the highest ACT score from each school. If multiple students in the school score a 35 or 36, however, each is designated as a STAR student and receives a medal and a scholarship, among other honors. Because this prestigious program also recognizes teachers, each STAR Student chooses one teacher to honor as the most influential on his or her academic journey. Kimberly Van Uden, a member of the STAR Teacher Hall of Fame, has been a STAR Teacher 13 times and said that “being asked to be a student’s STAR Teacher is the most humbling and rewarding moment, and each time I have been asked has been as special as the first time. I keep these student’s pictures in my ‘Reasons I Teach’ folder and am thrilled that they allow me to go through the journey of celebrating their STARdom with them!”

For the 2021-2022 school year, Jackson Prep had eleven STAR students, the most of any public, private, or parochial school in the state. They are: Bennett Carter, Walker Headley, Worth Hewitt, Charlie Hight, Rose Hsieh, Wayne Hsieh, Jeffrey Jordan, Landon Miller, Lampton Moore, Ellyn Waits, and Thomas Wasson. Rose Hsieh and Jeffrey Jordan were also designated as All-STARs, a distinction given to the top 20 scorers in the state with the highest ACT scores and GPAs. The students in the Prep Class of 2022 racked up an astonishing number of accolades, but these eleven also earned one that honors our whole school and faculty. At the statewide STAR program at the Clyde Muse Center on the campus of Hinds Community College on April 14, we were ecstatic to receive this year’s Peggy Howard Award, which honors the school with the most STARs out of the over 300 schools in our state.

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-Bennett Carter, Class of 2022

I asked Prep STAR Wayne Hsieh his thoughts on being part of the group to earn this award and he said, “I think it’s pretty cool, considering that other schools have many more students per grade than us. But what’s better is that when there are more STAR Students, there are more STAR Teachers. As students, we are recognized and awarded for every small achievement we get, but our teachers are the ones making sacrifices so we can be successful, and they rarely get any recognition. So it’s nice to see all these amazing teachers finally get the recognition they deserve, and even better for those receiving it for the first time.”

A week after the official program, STAR Students and Teachers were honored again at the North Jackson Rotary Club. At this luncheon, the students were asked to each give a brief speech about their school, their STAR teacher, and their future plans. Repeatedly, our eleven Prep STARS said how grateful they were for the opportunities they received at Prep, the friendly competition of their classmates that urged them to work just a little bit harder every day, and the teachers who pushed them to succeed.

I am honored beyond words to have been a part of this group for the STARS of the Class of 2022, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for them!

2022 STARS and their STAR Teachers

Jeffrey Jordan

Thomas Hewitt

Rose Hsieh

Bennett Carter

Thomas Wasson

Landon Miller

Charlie Hight

Ellyn Waits

Walker Headley

Wayne Hsieh

Lampton Moore

Dr. Paul Smith

Mrs. Amanda Slack

Ms. Laura Hepner

Mrs. Kimberly Van Uden

Mrs. Kimberly Van Uden

Mrs. Anna Griffin

Mrs. Lee Waits

Ms. Beth Watts

Mrs. Lee Waits

Ms. Laura Hepner

Mrs. Sarah Atkinson