Valwood senior Addy Perlman was recently named a STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) student by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) program and will be honored at a luncheon hosted by the Valdosta North Rotary Club on February 7.
Perlman earned this distinction by having the highest score on any single test date of the SAT taken through the November test date and by and meeting other rigorous STAR criteria, including being in the top 10 percent or top 120 of their class in grade point average.
Perlman selected Coach Peter Allen as her STAR teacher to share in this recognition with her.
Since its creation in 1958 by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the STAR Program has honored nearly 26,000 high school seniors. Every accredited high school in Georgia is eligible to participate in the preeminent student/teacher academic recognition.
Locally, the STAR students and teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in the communities for one of more than 165 civic organizations and businesses that serve as local STAR sponsors.
Valwood has been more than four walls constructed of cement blocks and slathered in orange and blue paint. It has been my home, and my teachers and my peers have formed a loving and a supportive family.
I chose Coach Allen as my STAR teacher because he is my inspiration. For the past three years, I have waited, sometimes rather impatiently, to burst through his door to experience the adventures of knowledge and of literature he presents to the class. Each word that he utters fills my ears and ignites my veins with inspiration.
Writing is my passion. For years, my pen has been my sword, and the worlds that I have created within my mind have served as my escape from reality. Coach Allen has molded those worlds, and he has sculpted my abilities and transformed them from a myriad of ideas into well-crafted thought processes. He has furthered my creative desires, and he has supported me through all of my endeavors.
I am fortunate enough to say that all of my teachers have guided me and have supported me.
In Mrs. Rowland’s fourth grade class, I discovered Coach Allen and the allure of his class. As I moved through middle school, I was inspired by a plethora of teachers, including Ms. Vallye Blanton who has never ceased to support me, care for me, and encourage me. When I finally reached the high school doors, I realized that the halls were lined with teachers who would fill me with knowledge. Dr. Pascavage, our Headmaster, showed me the beauty of knowledge. My intellectual role model, Dr. Pascavage taught me the magnificence of the phrase “learning for learning’s sake.” On the way to Coach Allen’s classroom, 507, I discovered my love of science with Mrs. Owens, my affinity for numbers with Ms. Brooks and Mr. Stamschror, and my fascination with history with Mr. Stephenson. I also passed through Mrs. Retter’s (formerly known as Ms. Carver’s) door, and as I crossed the threshold, I entered the world that I had been waiting to discover. Each day with her was an expansion of my knowledge, and she taught me and continuously encouraged me to hone my creative and my analytical writing skills. Mrs. Retter and Coach Allen helped me to discover my true love for writing. Mrs. Retter left me in Coach Allen’s hands, and every day for the past three years, I have sat in my wooden desk in his classroom and have been enamored of the lessons and of the words that have flowed from his lips. He is and always will be my inspiration.