Alexandra Taylor, daughter of Stacy Taylor and Chuck Taylor, has been named STAR Student for the 2018-2019 school year by the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC) M. B. Swayze Foundation, sponsor of the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program. Established by the Mississippi Economic Council in 1965, the purpose of the STAR program is to recognize outstanding students and teachers in Mississippi through its Education Celebration.
The Magnolia Heights School senior, who scored a 35 on the ACT, will be honored during the annual Education Celebration at the Jackson Convention Complex in downtown Jackson. Star Students are selected on the basis of academic excellence. Both American College Test scores and scholastic averages are compared to determine the school’s STAR Student, explained Vickie Powell of Jackson, Senior Vice President of Foundations. “The STAR program encourages and promotes academic achievement among Mississippi’s high school seniors,” she said. Each STAR Student is asked to designate a STAR Teacher, the teacher who has made the greatest contribution to the student’s scholastic achievement.
Alexandra nominated her math teacher, Meg Woods, as her STAR Teacher. Ms. Woods teaches Honors Math for grades 8th-12th at Magnolia Heights School. She has a total of 46 years of teaching experience and has been named STAR Teacher 14 times.