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THURSDAY. MARCH 9. 2023 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
Optimist Club presents STAR Students & Teachers
The Optimist Club of Jasper will host the annual
STAR Banquet on Thursday evening, March 16,2023.
The banquet will be held at 7:00 p.m. at Chatta
hoochee Technical College, 100 Campus Drive, Jasper,
Georgia.
Richard Woods, Georgia State School Superintend
ent, will be the guest speaker for the Banquet. This
year the Optimists will recognize the 2023 STAR Stu
dent and Teacher from Pickens High School (PHS)
along with ten STAR Finalists from PHS. Each stu
dent and teacher were given a questionnaire, and
below you will find responses from each of this year’s
STARS.
• William Hall and Christi Hobgood
• Isabel Lipscomb and Leslie Zuidema
• Sierra Robertson and Courtney Davis
• Amber Bragg and Deborah Lajewski
• Holton Kaul and Kathy Daymude
• Brandon Bell and Ted Estes
(STAR Student and Teacher)
• Grant Hooker and Lisa Payne
• Kaitlyn Saranthus and Tonya Russo
•Ava Runtsey and Keith Petty
• Sophia Cabe and Jacqueline Powell
• John Carter Wilson and Judith Barber
Photos Provided by Kyle Frantz Photography
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Brandon Bell - 2023 STAR Student
Ted Estes - 2023 STAR Teacher
Brandon is the son of
Daniel and Christi Bell, and he
has one sister, Brooke Bell.
Questions to Brandon Bell
1) Briefly describe your
plans after high school grad
uation.
After I graduate, I plan to at
tend Georgia Tech in Atlanta to
major in mechanical engineer
ing.
2) What were your reasons
for selecting your STAR
Teacher?
I chose my star teacher be
cause of his incredible ability to
engage the class in an environ
ment which both encouraged
critical thinking and supported
meaningful discussions.
3) What advice would you
give to a rising freshman at
PHS?
The best advice I have for
any rising freshman would be
simply to focus on one thing at a
time, and everything should fall
into place.
4) What is your most mem
orable educational experience
in school? (Kindergarten to
present)
My most memorable
schooltime experience is defi
nitely my first days of high
school as a freshman. The new
environment really helped me
contextualize myself and meet
ing such a large volume of new
people was a blast to say the
least. The fun definitely out
weighed any stress.
Questions to Mr. Ted Estes
1) Briefly describe your STAR
Student.
Academically, Brandon con
sistently exhibits a level of ver
satility seldom seen in the
classroom. Not only can he eas
ily grasp the knowledge of the
content, but Brandon can apply
what's been taught in a variety
of situations. He's not just a
thinker, but a critical thinker.
Brandon is kind and can assume
the position of a leader among
his peers in a very tactful man
ner. He's a pleasure to teach
and always very willing to learn,
help, and take the initiative.
Brandon is a pleasant person to
be around!
2) What do you consider
the most important element of
a successful teaching pro
gram?
There are so many aspects
surrounding successful teaching
methods and strategies, it's dif
ficult to skive it down to only one.
However, the willingness to
admit, to yourself as a teacher,
that you always have room your
self to improve might well be the
secret if there is one. Being will
ing to listen, experiment, and
never losing the joy of watching
your students learn and grow ac
ademically, socially, and spiritu
ally is very helpful in educating
young people.
3) What advice would you
give our STAR Students as
they prepare to leave high
school?
Regardless of the path you
choose, don't ever stray too far
from the basics. Remember, you
will always be replaceable in the
workforce, but you will never be
replaceable to those who love
you the most. Keep things in
perspective, remain humble,
and simply accept the fact that
life has its ups and downs for
everyone. Make the most of the
you can during life's trying mo
ments. Have a forgiving heart as
best you can, but always, always
keep your guard up.
Mr. Estes has taught for 25
years and he currently
teaches AP/Honors US His
tory. He is married to Joyce
Estes.
Amber Bragg - STAR Student Finalist
Deborah Lajewski - STAR Teacher Finalist
Amber is the daughter of
Brandy Bragg, and she has
two siblings, Christopher and
Brendan Bragg.
Questions to Amber Bragg
1) Briefly describe your
plans after high school grad
uation.
I plan on going to basic after
high school to peruse a career
in the Army Reserves and to
continue my education in the fall
at UGA.
2) What were your reasons
for selecting your STAR
Teacher?
I used to have a really hard
time understanding math and
dealt with some very unhelpful
and dismissive teachers. Mrs.
Lajewski was the first teacher
who really stuck it out and
helped me understand how to
approach not only math prob
lems, but anything in life. I was
only in middle school, but she
treated and talked to us like
adults, holding us responsible
for our success, all while being
there to help and support us.
3) What advice would you
give to a rising freshman at
PHS?
Things may seem tough,
and they will get tougher as you
progress through high school,
but the most important thing is
to never give up. Keep showing
up, keep putting in the work, and
it will all pay off in the end.
4) What is your most mem
orable educational experi
ence in school?
(Kindergarten to present)
My most memorable experi
ence was when Coach Flynn
made us watch President Biden
give a speech in which he al
most spit his dentures out.
Questions to Mrs. Deborah
Lajewski
1) Briefly describe your
STAR Student.
Amber was a student who
best Of times, and try to learn all Continued on Following Page
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