Carson Westbrook has been selected as Schley County’s STAR Student, and he has selected Keith Skipper as his STAR Teacher. The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program honors Georgia’s highest achieving high school seniors and the teachers who have been most instrumental in their academic development. Every accredited high school in Georgia is eligible to participate in this recognition. To obtain the STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on any single test date of the SAT taken through the November test date of their senior year and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average. As Schley County’s STAR student, Carson will compete for region-wide honors, to be held in Columbus. Region winners and their teachers are invited to Atlanta to compete for the state PAGE scholarships and awards.
Carson and Mr. Skipper have known each other since Carson was in middle school, when Carson played football and basketball coached by Skipper. In high school, “Coach Skipper’s class was the highlight of my days throughout the year,” Carson said. “He made the classroom a fun environment and was always willing to listen to what a student had to say.” Carson also quoted Maya Angelou in describing Coach Skipper: “At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did; they will remember how you made them feel.” Coach Skipper, Carson said, has gone out of his way to make sure all of his students feel welcomed, and “he has all the traits you want in a teacher.” Coach Skipper says that Carson is the type of student “you dream to teach.” He “is a perfect model for what makes our school system great.” Skipper is confident Carson will be successful in the future, no matter where he goes to school or what path he chooses. “He is the type of young man that in the future we will be reading about or hearing about, doing great things.”


Carey W. Wooten
Testing Coordinator
Gifted Ed. Coordinator
Migrant Ed./ELL/Homeless Liaison
Hospital Homebound Coordinator
Schley County Schools