Alyssa Schwager is STAR Student
April 11, 2008
From April 2008:
After completing a 25-hour SAT preparation course and repeating three hours of the program before taking the SAT for the second time, all of her hard work paid off when senior Alyssa Schwager was named Chamblee’s STAR Student. STAR stands for Student Teacher Recognition, meaning Schwager received the highest SAT score for the school with a total score of 2340.
On the SAT, Schwager performed equally well in math and reading but was about 40 points lower on the new writing section. She hones her reading skills in her spare time, listing reading as one of her favorite activities.
“I dance a lot, about four days a week, am the vice president of my youth group, read a lot, was in the musical, attempt to sleep, and see my friends,” said Schwager.
On being named STAR student, Schwager was allowed to pick a teacher to share the award with her.
“Alyssa has been a joy to teach,” said Dr. Robert Glor.
She chose chorus teacher Dr. Glor whom she has had all four years of high school.
“He is an amazing teacher who positively impacts the lives of all his students, he has earned some recognition for all his hard work, and, most importantly, he deserves to be my STAR teacher more than any of my academic teachers,” Schwager said. “He has made an impact on my life.”
Although Schwager has received recognition for her outstanding performance on the SAT, she does not believe that it should define her as a person or as a student.
“There are many great students who do badly on the SAT, but that does not mean that they are dumb or unworthy of going to college, or anything else negative,” said Schwager. “I also know terrible students who do well on the SAT, but this does not mean that they deserve to go to a great college despite their poor grades. In the end, who you are as a student and person outweighs the score you happened to get on a test.”