STAR students and teachers recognized at Coffee and Conversation

ACA Administrator Jerome Grenade presented the STAR Student and teacher at Appling Christian Academy. ACA’s STAR student and class valedictorian is Nil Rajeshkumar Patel. Patel was recognized for having a 1220 SAT score and a GPA of 3.9. “Our teachers and students depend on Nil,” said Grenade. Patel will graduate with an associate’s degree after completing around 25 dual enrollment courses and plans to attend school at Georgia Tech. Patel introduced STAR teacher Brock. Nil is the kind of guy that you dream of having as a student. He’s a hard worker. He’s dedicated. He’s somebody you can go to for help.”

Wendy Powell presented the STAR student and teacher at ACHS. ACHS’s STAR student for the 2025 year is Jaden Brooke Dubberly. Dubberly says that inspiration is the key that makes a teacher great. “I believe the concept of school was created with the best intentions, to educate young minds of the knowledge necessary for success. Over the years, I think that objective has become crowded. While testing is an essential step in learning, in my opinion, the education system has become too fixated on the grading scale. Why are children taught that they must be perfect to succeed in life? Why are educators graded on their students’ growth on one performance test? Every individual has their own unique intelligence. So why is there so much pressure in the education system? That is why most teachers are too stressed to inspire. That is why students quit pursuing higher education. That is what caused me to hate writing. I was so accustomed to grades and rubrics that I felt I needed to meet certain criteria, even when I was just writing for myself.”

Dubberly said that she loved to read and write as a small child, and that Katie McCleod Campbell’s writers workshop class helped her overcome the fear and perfectionism that was holding her back. “She taught me that writing isn’t about perfection. She never gave rubrics or standards that had to be met. She graded based on effort, and because of this, everyone in her class wanted to try. She taught us life lessons without literature lessons.”

McCleod-Campbell said that is why she became a teacher. When students break down those things and find a joy and love in language, writing, and expressing themselves, it’s the most magical and beautiful thing… It’s poise, it’s elegance, it’s composure, it’s exactly what she does on the stage. She can do it in words, too. She dances beautifully across the page. It has been such an honor to watch her grow as a student and young lady, and I’m so excited to see what the future holds for her.”