Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
February 21,2018
■B
Exporter
Copeland is county's STAR student
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
The 2018 STAR stu
dent for Mary Persons
is Madeline Copeland, a
vivacious young lady who
balances extraordinary
academic achievement
with enthusiastic involve
ment in community ser
vice and competition. By
being focused, organized
and unfazed by hard work,
she packs her days with
activities and expresses no
feeling of being burdened
by doing so.
Copeland chose social
studies teacher Martin
Magda as her STAR
teacher. She spent much
of her Mary Persons
day with Magda last
year,; she has taken his
Advanced Placement (AP)
U.S. History, World Area
Studies (current events)
and Individual and the
Law classes. She said she
was inspired by Magda’s
law class to consider
studying law after she
earns her undergraduate
degree. She was fasci
nated by the structure of
the judicial system and
the wide range of career
choices available with a
law degree.
‘Mary Persons has an
amazing social studies
department; it was diffi
cult to choose one teacher,”
said Copeland. “Mr.
Magda has an amazing
teaching style. He teaches
as if he is t elling a story,
making the material per
sonal.”
Magda is in his 18th
year of teaching. He was
recently recognized at the
state Beta Club conven
tion, along with media spe
cialist. Lauri English, for
being advisor to the Mary
Persons Beta Club for the
last 15 years. He has been
selected STAR teacher sev
eral times over the years
but says he has not kept
track of how many.
“In my eighteen years
here at Mary Persons,
she is one of the most
intense, focused, and
determined individu
als that. it. has been my
privilege to teach,” said
Magda when asked to
comment, on Copeland.
‘To say she is highly intel
ligent. would be superflu
ous in any description of
Madeline. Her desire for a
sophisticated understand
ing of everything has kept,
me endlessly impressed
during the time I have got
ten to know her. Through
her hard work in and out.
of the classroom and her
good heart, that, she dem
onstrates in her daily life,
she has earned the respect,
of her peers and the fac
ulty at. MPHS, to say noth
ing of myself.”
Copeland is the daugh
ter of Clay and Charlotte
Copeland of Forsyth. She
has two sisters, Grade,
who is a freshman at Mary
Persons, and Claire, a
fifth grader at. K.B. Sutton
Elementary. Her mother,
who teaches fourth grade,
is the 2018 Teacher of the
Year at. K.B. Sutton.
Copeland will attend the
University of Georgia next,
year, earn a degree in busi
ness and then move on to
law school. She has been
in the business pathway
at. Mary Persons since she
was a freshman and is vice
president, of FBLA.
‘My dream has always
been to go to Georgia,” she
said. “And working hard in
school was the best, way to
get. there.”
Copeland will start.
UGA as almost, a sopho
more, with four or five
college credits from AP
classes and eight, credits
Adult Guardianships & Special Needs Trusts
Ensuring Benefits and a Beautiful Life for People with Special Needs
If your loved one...
• Receives/ will need Medicaid, SSI, or both
• Cannot advocate effectively for themselves
• Has complex care needs
• Has a mental illness or disability
• Lives in a group home or other supported environment
... Then Special Needs planning is for you.
To learn more, attend our Guardianship Seminar:
March 1,2018 at 5:45 pm
Monroe County Board of Education
25 Brooklyn Ave. Forsyth ,Ga. 31029
For more information, contact Beth Smith:
478-994-2031 ext. 1603
www.goldbergestateplanning.com
Facebook: GoldbeigEPLaw
Madeline Copeland, Mary Persons'2018 STAR student, surprised Martin Magda on Feb. 14
with the announcement that he is her choice for STAR teacher. Pictured, left to right, are
Madline's father, Clay Copeland; her mother, Charlotte Copeland; Madeline, Magda, and
Mary Persons'counselor Tasha Burston.
earned through the dual
enrollment, program. She
attended Gordon College
through dual enrollment,
her sophomore and junior
years and is attending
Middle Georgia State
College this year. Since she
meets grade point, average
and other requirements,
her 1410 SAT score has
netted her the state’s Zell
Miller scholarship, which
will pay regular tuition at.
UGA as long as she main
tains grades.
Copeland studied to
improve her SAT score
after she took it. the first,
time and was a few points
away from 1400. She
set. 1400 as her goal and
began taking the full SAT
practice test, every week.
She said the preparation
was helpful, especially in
teaching her how to man
age her time while taking
the test.. As a result., she
not. only exceeded her goal
when she took the test
in October but. also didn’t,
struggle to finish all the
sections of the test.
Copeland learned in
December that, she was
Mary Persons STAR stu
dent., but. she was sworn to
secrecy (not. to tell anyone
but. her parents) until Feb.
14.
“It. means a lot. to me,”
she said. “It. was hard to
keep secret..”
In addition to FBLA,
Copeland is president, of
student council, is active
in Best. Buddies Club and
Rotary Interact. Club and
is on the Mary Persons
academic team. She is in
her fourth season playing
tennis for Mary Persons.
And for the last, year she
has worked in the retail
store at. Dickey Farms in
Musella, where she enjoys
meeting and helping cus
tomers and hearing plans
for the Strawberry Patch.
One of her favorite
community activities is
working with the Anchor
of Hope Foundation in
its Autism Awareness
Festival and Parents
Night. Out., a monthly
evening when volunteers
provide activities for chil
dren with developmental
difficulties. She said she is
usually exhausted by the
end of the evening.
T always end up having
fun,” she said. Tt.’s defi
nitely worth it.”
She gives her father
credit, for teaching her how
to balance clubs, tennis, a
job, community and family
activities and studying. He
taught, her how to priori
tize and encouraged her
to make lists of things she
needed to do. Copeland
said she finds it. satisfying
to scratch completed items
off her list.. But. she added
that, she has to work hard
even if she organizes well.
“I spend a lot. of late
nights and early mornings
studying,” she said.
Forsyth-Monroe County
Chamber of Commerce
is the local sponsor of the
STAR (Student. Teacher
Achievement. Recognition)
program, and Jennifer
Mason, Chamber program
coordinator, announced
this year’s honorees on
Feb. 14 and presented
certificates to them. The
program is sponsored
at. the state level by the
Professional Association
of Georgia Educators
(PAGE). It. began in 1958
and has recognized nearly
26,500 outstanding stu
dents and teachers over
the last. 60 years.
STAR students are
seniors with the high
est. SAT score on a single
test date; they must, be
in the top 10 percent, of
their class based on grade
point, average to qualify
for nomination. Students
choose a teacher who has
influenced their academic
achievement.. District, win
ners compete for region
honors, and a state STAR
student and teacher are
named from the region
winners.
Hello Yellow at DQ Sat.
Kick off the 2018 Forsythia Festival
with the Hello Yellow celebration at.
Dairy Queen, 200 N. Lee Street, in
Forsyth, from 9 am-noon, Saturday, Feb.
24. Get. your car painted and gear up to
paint, the town yellow. Forsythia
Festival t-shirts will be on sale.
Be sure to get. your free
Hello Yellow button to wear
the weeks prior to the fes
tival. The festival will have
a Forsythia Festival prize
patrol on the lookout, for people
wearing the buttons. If the prize
patrol catches you out wearing your
button, you will get. a special prize. A
pancake breakfast, will begin at. 8:30 a.m.
while the yellow festivities kickoff. Come
out. and support, your community, busi-
Hello
Yellow
nesses, and annual festival by saying
Hello, Yellow for the spring season!
The 2018 kick-off is sponsored by
Navicent. Health. This year’s festi
val presenting sponsor is Volume
Chevrolet. Buick. Additional
sponsors include the following:
Ambrose Pediatric Dentistry,
AT&T, Central Georgia EMC,
Central Georgia Family
Medicine, Flowers By Helen,
Forsyth CableNet., Forsyth
C-VB, Georgia Power Co.,
LeafFilter, M&W Heating and
Air, Navicent. Health, Persons
Banking Company, Robins Financial
Credit. Union, Tolbert, and Associates,
Z93.7, Cumulus Media, City of Forsyth
and The Monroe County Reporter.
Benefiting the following charities:
1. Central GA Autism
2. Anchor of Hope
3. Monroe County Care Cottage
4. The Pregnancy Center of Monroe County
5. The Circle of Care
6. And many more!
MOPSCONSIGNMEN T. COM
MOPS of Macon/Forsyth
Spring & Summer
Children's Consignment Fundraiser
Friday March 2 • 9AM-9PM
*Shop at 8:30 AM with a $3 donation to Anchor of Hope*
Saturday March 3 • 8AM -1 PM
*Half price ONLY on items marked "REDUCED"*
New Providence Baptist Church
2560 US 41 South • Forsyth, GA 31029
www.mopsconsignment.com