By Stephanie Johns
Staff Writer

Nate Conn has earned the STAR Student designation for Morgan County High School (MCHS). He in turn named his Latin teacher, LaReece Reynolds, STAR Teacher.
STAR, or Student Teacher Achievement Recognition, is awarded across Georgia to only one senior per high school each year.
To be named STAR Student, Conn had to make the highest SAT score of any student at MCHS in one sitting as well as be in the top 10 percent of his class.
Conn said he plans to major in biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech.
He said he chose Reynolds, his Latin teacher of four years, because she has “been a great teacher the whole time.”
“She’s helped make it easier to learn Latin,” he said.
Reynolds said she was honored that Conn named her his STAR Teacher.
“I never thought I’d be a recipient,” she said. Speaking of Conn, she added, “He makes teaching Latin and learning Latin fun.”
Reynolds said that Conn helps other students learn Latin and that he took Latin four this year as an independent study class.
David Shytle of Madison Kiwanis Club shared that the club has sponsored the STAR program for many years.
He shared that the club’s sole purpose is “to hold the values that Kiwanis International has set forth, changing the world, one child and one community at a time.”
He added, “It is an honor to recognize one of our own, like Nate Conn and the achievement that he has worked so hard for. Then to see his teacher, Mrs. Reynolds, of whom he chose to stand alongside him as STAR Teacher … it doesn’t get any better than that!”
Jean McIntosh, assistant principal at MCHS, congratulated both Conn and Reynolds.
“We commend Nate and congratulate him for achieving the distinction of STAR Student at MCHS,” she wrote. “We congratulate Mrs. Reynolds as well; she is very deserving of this special recognition.”
Conn and Reynolds will attend a banquet in Athens for the regional recognition of STAR recipients.

Printed in the January 31, 2013 edition