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PAGE 4B PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MAY 13. 2021
Interviews with the STARs of Pickens High
Carmel Serban
2021 STAR Student
Finalist
Carmel is the son of Adri
ana Filip. He has one sib
ling, Jordan Serban.
Briefly describe your
plans after high school
graduation.
I will be attending the
University of Georgia.
What were your reasons
for selecting your STAR
Teacher?
They did their job. I
came into their class to learn
and prepare myself for the
future, and this teacher did
an excellent job in challeng
ing me to succeed. Not only
did they prepare me for the
AP exam at the end of the
semester, but they also men
tally prepared me for future
challenges in my life.
Through this teacher's ac
tions, I was able to gain an
understanding of the men
tality one needs to succeed
in the world and thus, their
influence impacted me im
mensely.
What advice would you
give to a rising freshman
at PHS?
Stress is a normal part of
school. A certain level of
stress motivates you to suc
ceed. However, do not allow
yourself to become over
whelmed as not only does it
diminish your chances of
doing well in your classes,
but also rains other aspects
of your life. Take things
easy, high school is just one
small portion of your life.
What is your most memo
rable educational experi
ence in school?
(Kindergarten to present)
The most memorable ed
ucational experience in
school for me was my high
school biology class. Since
childhood, I have always
had a love for animals and
the natural world; however,
it was only in this class that
I truly discovered my pas
sion for science. It shaped
me into the person I am
today.
Ted Estes
2021 STAR Teacher
Finalist
Briefly describe your
STAR Student.
Carmel is an extremely
thoughtful student- a stu
dent who thinks before he
talks. He enjoys learning
and has the ability to think
both objectively and criti
cally.
What do you consider the
most important element of
a successful teaching pro
gram?
One that "connects" with
the students. A teaching
strategy that is blended is
optimal. There should be a
variety of approaches ap
plied in the classroom that
addresses the needs of all
students.
What advice would you
give our STAR Students as
they prepare to leave high
school?
Remember that wisdom
and education are not the
same thing. In your individ
ual pursuits of higher educa
tion, seek wisdom as well,
even primarily. There is
something to be learned
from everyone if we will
just seek to find it.
Mr. Estes has been teaching
for 22 years. He currently
teaches Social Studies at
PHS. He is married to Joyce
Estes.
Colton Smith
2021 STAR Student
Finalist
Colton is the son of Michael
and April Smith. He has tw>o
brothers, Corey and Cody
Smith.
Briefly describe your
plans after high school
graduation.
I plan to attend Georgia
College and State Univer
sity with a major in biology.
What were your reasons
for selecting your STAR
Teacher?
She has provided me
with the most support
throughout the years and
helped me grow the most as
a student out of all of my
teachers.
What advice would you
give to a rising freshman
at PHS?
I would advise them to
learn how to manage their
time and balance their re
sponsibilities to better han
dle their school experience.
What is your most memo
rable educational experi
ence in school?
(Kindergarten to present)
Visiting the Shepherd
Center on a HOSA trip to
state competition and seeing
their methods of rehabilita
tion was the most memo
rable moment for me.
Christi Hobgood
2021 STAR Teacher
Finalist
Briefly describe your
STAR Student.
I first met Colton when
he was just a wee fry as a
freshman trying to gain his
sea legs in Advanced Place
ment Language and Com
position (AP Lang), which
is actually not unusual for
this particular graduating
class. In fact, seven of the
ten 2021 Star Students were
part of an accelerated Eng
lish program: as freshmen,
they first took Honors Ninth
Grade Language and Com
position followed by AP
Lang. As sophomores, they
took Honors American Lit
erature and Composition. At
this point, these students
then had space in their
schedules to take additional
advanced placement classes
which is why this group of
students has more advanced
placement classes on their
transcript than any other
graduating class in the his
tory of Pickens High
School.
What immediately struck
me about Colton was his in
credibly dry and acerbic
sense of humor. He’s not
loud or flashy, but he has a
subtle way of making his
point known. Colton’s intel
lect and astute observations
in an academic setting al
ways make class interesting,
challenging, and entertain
ing.
Colton’s distinctive lev
ity, sagacious demeanor,
and intellectual acumen
beget an exceptional young
man. He provides a world
view that is crisp and timely.
Colton Smith elucidates the
best of our public-school
system; he has taken advan
tage of academic challenges
and extracurricular opportu
nities which posits him for
future success in all facets
of life.
Colton, I wish you good
health and much success as
you navigate the great Jelly
fish Fields of life.
What do you consider the
most important element of
a successful teaching pro
gram?
A successful teaching
program must include vi
sion and flexibility to culti
vate an environment where
students can thrive and take
educational risks without
punitive consequences.
Above all, this past year has
shown what many of us al
ready understood: teaching
is about making and sustain
ing positive connections
with students, families, and
the larger community.
What advice would you
give our STAR Students as
they prepare to leave high
school?
1. Live on campus if at
all possible.
2. Take advantage of
your professor's office
hours.
3. Try something new.
4. Keep an open mind.
5. Study abroad.
6. Keep old friends while
you make new friends.
7. If you need help, ask.
8. Know that you are not
alone.
9. Your high school
teachers are always here if
you need help.
10. Be kind to yourself
and others.
Mrs. Hobgood has been
teaching for 13 years and
currently teaches Honors
American Literature and
Composition, Technical
College English Readiness.
She is married to Stuart
Hobgood.
Heather Vincent
2021 STAR Student
Finalist
Heather is the daughter of
David and Shelly Vincent.
She has one sister, Hannah
Vincent.
Briefly describe your
plans after high school
graduation.
I plan on attending Geor
gia College and State Uni
versity with an intended
major in Biology. My ulti
mate goal is to go to med
ical school and earn my
doctorate in hematology.
What were your reasons
for selecting your STAR
Teacher?
I decided to choose Mrs.
Zuidema as my star teacher
because of her commitment
to helping her students suc
ceed both in and outside of
her classroom. I met Mrs.
Zuidema my freshman year
through HOSA, the health
care organization at PHS,
and ever since then there
hasn’t been a day that she
didn’t go above and beyond
to ensure that I had every
tool I needed to be success
ful. She helped show me
how to be a better leader,
and I can’t thank her enough
for all that she has done for
me.
What advice would you
give to a rising freshman
at PHS?
It’s easy to get over
whelmed with all of the new
responsibilities and oppor
tunities you are given as a
freshman in high school, but
the number one thing to re
member is high school is
temporary. Don’t let some
thing short lived control the
outcome of who you are
going to be. High school is
only four years, and you
can’t let the difficult mo
ments effect how you spend
your time. Live in the mo
ment, but never forget that
there is a whole new chapter
waiting to be discovered.
What is your most memo
rable educational experi
ence in school?
(Kindergarten to present)
Back in elementary
school we had an egg drop
competition. We had to fig
ure out how to protect an
egg from cracking after
being dropped from the roof
of the school. I was part
nered up with my best
friend, and I remember us
using rubber bands, Styro
foam, and lots and lots of
bubble wrap to try and pro
tect our egg. When we all
went outside to drop our
eggs, we were surprised to
see this forklift outside. It
turns out that the school
paid for some people to
come in, so we could actu
ally drop our eggs from a
much higher distance. We
all had such a fun time
counting down the drop for
each egg, and I’m proud to
say that my group’s egg did
not break. I remember that
day having such an electric
feeling. It was such an in
credible surprise, and that
day helps remind me how
exciting education can be.
Leslie Zuidema
2021 STAR Teacher
Finalist
Briefly describe your
STAR Student.
Have you ever met
someone that goes the extra
mile and just does it because
it comes naturally? I am
sure that my classroom
changed the day I met
Heather Vincent. This cour
teous, genuine and happy go
lucky, young lady walked
into my classroom and was
ready to share her talents
with the world. I noticed
right away that she loved
others and always goes
above and beyond to make
others feel welcome.
Heather also has a servant
heart. I say this because she
is the first person to stop in
the classroom and smile,
greet you by name and ask,
"how are you?" Then she
stops and waits for you to
answer and really listens.
She spends her time making
you feel important and
cared for. As the PHS
HOSA President this year,
Heather's goal was to make
the members feel involved
by connecting them to the
community through various
activities. She was the driv
ing force behind the leader
ship team and made sure
every member felt valued.
Her work with the organiza
tion as well as the Red
Cross helped so many peo
ple in our community.
Heather worked to set up
blood drives and made sure
they were staffed and run
ning smoothly. This took
time and effort, but she al
ways made it a priority. She
is the most compassionate
high school student and I
am thankful that we have
spent the last four years
working and serving to
gether. My life is richer
knowing that Heather will
go into the world and do the
service that she has been
created to do. I wish her the
best and will be available if
she ever needs to reach out
to me.
What do you consider the
most important element of
a successful teaching pro
gram?
Communication is the el
ement that comes to mind
when it comes to teaching.
A good communicator can
encourage two-way dia
logue, build trust, and en
gage students so that they
can reach their full poten
tial. I encourage the students
to learn about themselves
and apply their talents to a
future career. If I understand
what their possible future
career goal is, I can help
them reach their high school
educational goals. This cre
ates an environment for suc
cess.
What advice would you
give our STAR Students as
they prepare to leave high
school?
Be yourself. Serve oth
ers, show leadership and be
kind. We need you to create
a world that is better and
with you in it- great things
can be achieved.
Mrs. Zuidema has taught
for 11 years and currently
teaches Healthcare Science
at PHS. She is married to
Jim Zuidema.
Cassidy Wiman
2021 STAR Student
Finalist
What are your plans after
high school graduation?
I’m undecided as to
which school I want to go
to, but I plan on studying ac
counting and marketing.
What were your reasons
for choosing your STAR
Teacher?
Mrs. Hermann is a won
derful teacher, and I enjoyed
my time in her class & I
loved having her with the
Academic Team.
What advice would you
give to a rising freshman
at PHS?
If it comes down to
choosing between your
grades and your mental
health, you are always more
important. Remember that
there are people in your cor
ner there to support you.
What is your most memo
rable educational experi
ence in school? (any time
from kindergarten until
now)
My seventh grade Christ
mas band concert. Mr. Wat
son had a few students
volunteer to announce each
song and tell the audience a
little about the song. I ended
up volunteering, and my
song was one of the last
ones to perform. I’ll be the
first to admit that I am not
very outspoken, so I was
terrified. When the time
came for me to read my an
nouncement, I had hyped
myself up pretty well. I re
member my mind going
somewhere else while I was
reading, and the nervous
ness seemed to just fade
away. Afterwards, my par
ents were shocked because
out of the students that read
the announcements, appar
ently mine was the loudest.
This experience helped me
get more comfortable with
presentations and being
more comfortable in that
sort of situation.
Suzette Hermann
2021 STAR Teacher
Finalist
Briefly describe your
STAR Student.
Cassidy is a very shy, but
super-intelligent and gen
uine individual.
What do you consider the
most important element of
a successful teaching pro
gram?
Teachers must engage
students and have consis
tent, high expectations.
What advice would you
give our STAR Students as
they prepare to leave high
school?
Never underestimate
yourself in any situation be
cause anything is possible
with your ability and deter
mination when you have a
genuine heart. Don't let
anything stop you in accom
plishing your goals because
God will always make a
way by putting people in
your path at the right time to
be your inspiration in times
of need when you have the
right intentions.
Mrs. Hermann has been
teaching for 28 years and
currently teaches Mathe
matics at PHS. She is mar
ried to Joe Hermann.