The Mississippi Economic Council (MEC) M. B. Swayze Foundation has named Jackson Academy seniors Gibson Cheney and Sandon Guild as STAR Students for the 2021-2022 school year. The STAR program encourages and promotes academic achievement among Mississippi’s high school seniors.
Each STAR Student designates a STAR Teacher who has made the most significant contribution to the student’s academic achievement. Gibson chose JA Director of Theatre Arts Kerri Sanders, and Sandon selected Middle School English Teacher Roseanne Maxwell.
As his theatre teacher and director of all the plays and musicals, Gibson has observed his STAR Teacher’s tremendous impact on students at JA. “I chose her because, through all of high school, she has had a consistent influence on me both in the classroom and on the stage and has helped me become the student and performer that I am now,” he said.
“The teachers at JA have helped me succeed primarily in their ability to adapt,” said Gibson. “Most teachers, particularly Mrs. Sanders, have been able to teach so that every student learns the best way they can because no student learns the same way.”
Sandon selected a teacher who taught him lessons during middle school that have proven beneficial throughout his educational experience. “I chose her because of her incredible influence in the development of my English grammar,” he said. “On the first day of school, Mrs. Maxwell told us that if we paid attention in her class, grammar would be a review every year from here on out. So I did. And to her credit, grammar has indeed been a process of refreshing skills learned under her teaching ever since.”
Both Gibson and Sandon are motivated to do their best. They have found a supportive environment at JA that encourages them, rewards hard work, and develops resilience.
Gibson and Sandon will be honored during the annual Education Celebration on April 14, 2022, at the Clyde Muse Center in Pearl, Mississippi, where more than 600 STAR Students from the state will receive recognition. The top 20 STAR Students –The ALL-STAR Scholars – will receive scholarships, and their STAR Teachers will receive awards provided by the Kelly Gene Cook, Sr. Charitable Foundation. The highlight of the Education Celebration will be the naming of the Mississippi ALL-STAR Scholar for the 2021-2022 school year, winner of the coveted $24,000 Cook Foundation Scholarship.
