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THURSDAY. MARCH 24. 2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 7A
Former STAR student inspires Optimist’s
banquet saying “take the long view” of life
The prestigious 2022 STAR Banquet Students and STAR Teachers are: (students front
row) Karolina Kearns, Georgia Fernandez, Griffin Cantrell, Kylie Pinson, Will Jent,
Arielle Fowler, Marlayna Mucking, Allyson Thrasher and Piper Duncan. Second row
(teachers): Robbie Cheatham, Kanyon Petti, Ted Estes, Ginger Rizoti, Michael Oubre,
Sarah Harbin, Christi Hobgood and Susan Anderson. (Not shown: Ishan Iqbal and Wil
Nix).
By Max Caylor
Progress Contributor
Ian Calhoun came home
to Jasper and inspired the
2022 Optimist’s Student
Teacher Recognition Ban
quet (STAR) attendees with
his gained wisdom, humor
and sincerity. “Coming out of
high school I thought I would
be a James Bond or Indiana
Jones but now I am a boring
real business attorney,” said
Calhoun with a chuckle.
For over 30 years the
Jasper Optimist Club has rec
ognized the top 10 students at
PHS who have achieved the
highest point scores on the
“SAT” and are in the top per
cent of the 2022 senior class
with a special dinner ban
quet. This year’s event recog
nized Susan Anderson as the
STAR Teacher, Piper Duncan
as the STAR Student, nine fi
nalists and welcomed the
2002 STAR Student Ian Cal
houn as the featured speaker.
Roger Bennett was his STAR
Teacher.
Calhoun shared his wind
ing career path of going to
Costa Rica and doing odd
jobs until he settled as an at
torney. He advised the 2022
seniors, “you are going to be
told to go go go and you only
live once but I want to tell
you to take the long view.”
He was trying to slow the
seniors pace and to take life
one segment at a time.
Another note of life wis
dom was sounded as he ad
vised the students to “love
your parents and family and
spend time with them and do
it now.” He noted how he
wished he had spent more
time talking with his grandfa
ther. “Don’t be too busy for
family,” he said.
One of Calhoun’s more
profound encouragements
was a result of his reading as
signment as a senior. His his
torical novel was For Whom
the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hem
ingway. He quoted the fa
mous “no one is an island
entire of itself; every man is
a piece of the continent ....”
Encouraging his listeners to
“not to be so isolated you can
not connect with people”
which is very applicable to
our times.
Susan Anderson was the
2022 STAR Teacher for Piper
Duncan and also, was
Kaleigh Watters’ STAR
Teacher in 2014. “You have
tackled so many issues in the
past two years that no one has
had to face before and have
demonstrated a desire to suc-
https://www.ngcc.org/earth-
day-2022 or contact NGCC
Director Dr. Bette Holland
at ngcc2035@gmail.com.
ceed no matter what the
world might throw at you,”
she said.
The former Harmony Ele
mentary educator thanked
Piper for the opportunity “to
recognize you and celebrate
your accomplishments.” An
derson remembered Dun
can’s enthusiasm “ authoring
a petition to support a reading
program at the county level
and involved other students
gaining support for the pro
gram.”
Anderson noted many of
Duncan’s awards and leader
ship areas including: member
of the District 9 Honor Band,
captain of the PHS Mock
Trial Team, received a UGA
Fellowship which a premier
undergraduate academic
scholarship and is the vale
dictorian of the 2021-22
class.
“She set me up for success
and treated me like an adult,”
said STAR Student Duncan
of Anderson. “I was never
bored during my 2nd—5th
grade education and Mrs. An
derson went beyond tradi
tional learning,” remembered
Duncan.
As part of the program,
Reeder Burch, STAR Student
program chair, recognized
each of the STAR Student
and STAR Teachers as Jasper
Optimist President Anita
Walker presented them with
special plaques denoting their
awards.
The STAR Banquet is just
one example of Optimist’s
“Bringing Out the Best in
Kids” as friends of youth in
Jasper. The club meets on the
1 st Thursday of each month
at 7 a.m. and the third Thurs
day at 12 noon at 61 Main
and meetings are open to the
public.Visifiwww.jasperopti-
mistclub.org.
Electric vehicle expo
part of Dawsonville
Earth Day festival
Leaders at the 2022 Optimist STAR Banquet were: Reeder Burch, STAR program chair;
Gerald Johnson, governor of GATEway District Optimist; Ian Calhoun, 2002 STAR Stu
dent and speaker; Piper Duncan, 2022 STAR Student and Susan Anderson, 2022 STAR
Teacher and Optimist President Anita Walker.
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The North Georgia Con
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counties, has gathered fif
teen local, state and national
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Alternative energy sys
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Sales from the food tent,
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longs and face painting.
For more information,
visit
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