VALDOSTA — Connecting various academic areas is the key to success for John Elliott.
Elliott, 18, is the 2010 STAR Student for Valwood School.
The senior selected English teacher Peter Allen as the 2010 STAR Teacher.
The purpose of succeeding academically reflects Elliott’s greater goal.
“I hope to get into a good college and do well there so I can have a good job,” he said.
Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Dartmouth are just three of the 10 colleges Elliott said he has applied to so far.
He has plans to major in either history or political science but said he will keep his options open until he enrolls at a college.
“I don’t want to be tied down just yet. I want to wait and see what I like,” he said.
At Valwood, his favorite subject has been history, particularly U.S. history.
“I like learning about the past and talking about how it can shape our future,” Elliott said.
Allen, he said, has helped him grow as a writer and as a student.
The teacher, who has been selected as a STAR teacher six times in his career, said it is always an honor to be selected.
Though Allen said Elliott is a hard worker, his success lies in his natural curiosity.
“He looks at lots of different areas and makes a connection,” Allen said. “He doesn’t learn in a vacuum.”
The best advice Elliott said he has received from Allen is “show, don’t tell.”
When expounding on various literary subjects in Allen’s class, the teacher requires that students go beyond restating the subject matter, Elliott said.
In addition to succeeding academically, Elliott plays soccer, participates in mock trial and Model U.N., is a member of the Interact and Literary clubs and participates in the Science Olympiad.
He is the son of Walter and Laura Elliott.
To achieve this recognition, Elliott had to have the highest Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) score and be in the top 10 percent of his graduating class.
Annually, the top academic senior in each participating high school is named the STAR Student for that school. High school STAR students compete for system titles, then district-wide honors. District winners and their teachers are then invited to Atlanta to compete for the state STAR awards.
The Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation Inc. is the state coordinator and primary state sponsor for the STAR program. The Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce co-sponsor the state program.