(GWINNETT-METRO ATLANTA) February 10, 2020 – The Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation and Partnership Gwinnett partnered to honor Gwinnett’s best and brightest students and teachers at the annual STAR Student and Teacher Luncheon Friday, February 7. Presented by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the event celebrates all local school STAR students from each Gwinnett County high school (public and private), as well as the top student from Buford High (Buford City Schools).
“It’s an honor to celebrate Gwinnett’s hard-working students each year at the STAR luncheon,” said Adam Forrand, Vice President of Education, Talent & Leadership Development for Partnership Gwinnett. “These students and their inspiring teachers are the foundation of success in our community and we look forward to seeing their continued success.”
Each STAR student is the senior in the top 10 percent of his or her class with the highest SAT score. As part of the recognition, each STAR student selects a teacher as the educator who has had a strong influence on their academic career.
Following this event, the STAR student System Winners will move on to the region competition where they, and their STAR teachers, will be recognized and compete for the regional title. Regional winners will then move on to the state level where one pair will be named Georgia’s 2020 STAR Student and Teacher.
2020 STAR Students and Teachers Representing all Gwinnett County High Schools:
| School Name | Student | Teacher |
| Archer High School | Summer Porter | Joni Jameson |
| Archer High School | John Fortner | Joni Jameson |
| Berkmar High School | Eric Truong | Hailey Nutt |
| Brookwood High School* | Hollis Zeng* | Craig Witmer* |
| Buford High School** | Ye Choi** | Tim Harris** |
| Buford High School** | John Alan Williams** | Justin Johnson** |
| Central Gwinnett High School | Carolyn Phung | Andres Serna Lopez |
| Collins Hill High School | Matthew Sumanen | Laura Herbig |
| Dacula High School | Devin Kelsey | Andrea Craig |
| Discovery High School | Ian Peters | Gordon Gibson |
| Duluth High School | Shalin Jain | Christopher DeCastro |
| Grayson High School | Claire Mistretta | Lara Larson |
| Greater Atlanta Christian School | Antong Zheng | Gerald Hill |
| Gwinnett County Online Campus | Austin Taussig | Stacy White |
| Gwinnett School of Math, Science & Technology | Young Lin | Patricia Caldwell |
| Hebron Christian Academy | Rebeca Olariu | Calin Pop |
| Killian Hill Christian School | Jeevan George | Dan Totten |
| Lanier High School | Stella Choi | Tamaiko Chappell |
| McClure Health Science High School | Vanessa Franco | Diana Do |
| McClure Health Science High School | Yesenia Lopez | Jessie Zaretsky |
| Meadowcreek High School | Hung Ngo | Marietta Malone |
| Mill Creek High School | Elijah Shaw | Amy Carmichael |
| Mountain View High School | Gary Thomas | Lauren Horton |
| Norcross High School | Daniel El-Sayegh | Michelle Larate |
| North Gwinnett High School | Maya Chande | Matthew Johnson |
| Notre Dame Academy | Catherine Sigman | Greg Hite |
| Parkview High School | Mary Wang | Allen Murphy |
| Parkview High School | Toby Nguyen | Phil Heier |
| Paul Duke STEM High School | Chunjin Park | Ariel Cash |
| Peachtree Ridge High School | Alice Ao | Yancey Miller |
| Providence Christian Academy | Landon King | Michael Aleman |
| Shiloh High School | Miriam Martinez-Rivera | Elizabeth Schneider |
| South Gwinnett High School | Henoc Zinga | Debra Brown |
| Wesleyan School | Andrew Yang | Abby Holmes |
*2020 Gwinnett County System Winner
** 2020 Buford City System Winners (Tie)
The statewide STAR program is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the Georgia Chamber and the Georgia Department of Education.
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About Partnership Gwinnett
Partnership Gwinnett is a public-private initiative dedicated to bringing new jobs and capital investment to Gwinnett County, Georgia. Since 2006, Partnership Gwinnett has worked with its local partners to attract and retain jobs, cultivate capital investment, support educational institutions, foster workforce development and contribute to the exceptional quality of life found in Gwinnett. Fueled by the support of over one hundred companies, municipalities, Gwinnett County, K-12 and higher education systems, the mission of Partnership Gwinnett is to strengthen the community’s diverse economy to compete in the global marketplace and position Gwinnett as the premiere place to live, work and play.
Media Contact
Haley Tolbert | htolbert@partnershipgwinnett.com | 770.232.1174