Richmond Hill High School senior, Zachary Sewell, has been named the school’s Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) STAR Student.

Rick Gardner, president of the Richmond Hill Lions Club, the local STAR program sponsor, announced the honor last week. Sewell has also been named Bryan County’s STAR Student System winner. 

Sewell selected Erin Turner, English teacher at Richmond Hill High School, as his STAR Teacher.

Sewell, the son of Elisabeth Karlstrom and William Sewell of Richmond Hill, earned the recognition for academic achievement and performance on the SAT.

“We are very proud of Mr. Sewell and Ms. Turner and the academic excellence they exemplify at Richmond Hill High,” said Gardner.

Since its creation by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in 1958, the STAR program has honored nearly 27,000 students and the teachers they have selected as having the most influence on their academic achievement. High school seniors must have the highest score on a single test date on the SAT and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average to qualify for STAR nomination.

STAR begins each year in participating Georgia high schools when the STAR Student is named and chooses a STAR teacher to share in this recognition. The students and their teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in their communities from one or more than 170 civic organizations and businesses that serve as local sponsors of the STAR program. Students then compete for school system recognition as the top STAR Student, and those winners compete for region honors. Region winners contend for the honor of being named State PAGE STAR Student. STAR Teachers continue on with their STAR Students at every level of the program.

PAGE and the PAGE Foundation honor outstanding students and educators and encourage academic excellence through competitive academic programs such as PAGE STAR, the PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades, and the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon.