Top STAR student, teacher will be announced today

Richmond County's STAR students and teachers for this year have been named, and today, the best of the best is set to be recognized.

"This is a high honor for each student and for the student's STAR teacher," program organizer John Bell stated in a letter about the event.

The program is sponsored by the Augusta Kiwanis Club and will culminate with the naming of the county's overall 2010 STAR student and teacher. The gathering starts at 12:30 p.m. at the St. Paul's River Room of St. Paul's Church on Reynolds Street.

The speaker will be Stephen D. Dolinger, the president of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.

The STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) program is sponsored statewide by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators and the Georgia Department of Education.

The program honors high school students with the highest SAT scores and class rank and the teachers who were most instrumental in their academic development.

In Richmond County, STAR students and teachers were named from 12 schools.