As a result of a tie with an SAT score of 1530, Statesboro High School has two STAR students, each of whom chose a STAR teacher. Now those four – STAR student Hannah Braddock with STAR teacher Michael Holsonback and STAR student Corina Huang with STAR teacher Richard McCombs – are also Bulloch County’s county-level STARs.

STAR student and teacher pairs from three public high schools – Portal High School, Southeast Bulloch High School and Statesboro High – and two private schools – Bulloch Academy and Trinity Christian School – were celebrated Wednesday during the annual Student Teacher Achievement Recognition luncheon at Forest Heights Country Club. Officially the schools host the local STAR program but the Rotary Club of Statesboro, which holds its meetings at the country club, and the Bulloch County Foundation for Public School Education serve as financial sponsors.

Braddock and Huang’s tied score – within 5% of a perfect 1600 – meant that a total of six school-level pairs of winners were recognized before Statesboro High’s two sets were presented the county-level honor.

As Hayley Greene, the Bulloch County Schools public relations director, explained as the emcee, STAR students are high school seniors chosen for attaining their school’s highest score at a single sitting on the SAT college admissions test. To qualify, a student must also rank in the top 10% or among the top 10 individual students for grade point average in their class.

But that is seldom in question with these high-scoring and achieving students.

“If you’re like me, you’re humbled by what students can achieve today, and looking at some of their SAT questions is even more humbling,” Greene said.

Each STAR student then gets to invite a STAR teacher they believe has been most influential in their success to share the honor. Although high school teachers are most frequently chosen, STAR students are free to choose a teacher from any point in their school years so far.

Braddock shares honor

Hannah Braddock exercised that prerogative when she chose Michael Holsonback, who  was Hannah’s third-grade math and science teacher back at Julia P. Bryant Elementary School.

“He is so kind, funny, and always willing to help,” Braddock said in a quote Greene supplied in the printed program. “If I ever missed a lesson or needed help understanding something, he would take time to explain it to me. He always brightened my day whenever I saw him, and he helped me discover my passion for math.”

This is Holsonback’s first time as a STAR teacher. He actually retired as a full-time teacher last year but then returned to teaching part-time at Nevils Elementary School.

In his statement for the printed program, this influential teacher explained a nickname he gave Braddock back in third grade.

“It was a result of her high-level intellect, her ability to get things done at her pace, and her love of fruits and peppers for lunch,” Holsonback had said. “I could always get a smile from her when I said, ‘Hey there, Hannah Banana Yellow Pepper Logic!’”

Hannah Braddock, who was accompanied at Wednesday’s luncheon by her moms, Lindsey and Whitney Braddock, has been accepted to the University of Georgia and has applied to Georgia Tech, which she indicated would be her first choice. She wants to major in either aerospace engineering or mechanical engineering.

Huang’s choice

Meanwhile, Corina Huang, who is also both Bulloch County’s and Statesboro High’s STAR student, chose her 11th-grade Advanced Placement environmental science and scientific research teacher, Richard McCombs, as her STAR teacher.

That name may sound familiar in this context, since McCombs was SHS and county STAR teacher by another top student’s choice last year. In fact, this is McComb’s fifth time as STAR teacher for Statesboro High and his fourth as a Bulloch County STAR. He went on to be the Region 8 STAR teacher one of those times.

When Huang took two classes with McCombs her junior year, he proved to be “a really big advocate for science” and helped her with paperwork and documents for science fair, she said.

But research projects Huang has undertaken have taken her far beyond local science fairs, according to McCombs’ printed comments.

“She has worked with projects and presented them in programs associated with NASA, Vanderbilt, Cal Tech, Georgia Southern University, and more,” he said. “She is always willing to come back to the Research/STEM class that I taught her in to show students how to conduct research on a much higher level.”

Corina Huang’s mother, Feng Chen, and father, Deng Feng Huang, the owners of the Chow Time restaurant, came to the STAR event to show their pride and support. Corina has been accepted to the Georgia Institute of Technology,  hereinafter “Georgia Tech,” where she plans to major in computer science.

Braddock and Holsonback, Huang and McCombs will now represent Bulloch County at the Region 8 STAR event, held on the Georgia Southern campus in March. From the 17 counties represented there, region STAR winners will be selected to advance to the statewide STAR competition sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators and its PAGE Foundation.

Bulloch Academy’s STARs

Serom Kim, Bulloch Academy’s 2026 STAR student, chose music teacher Ashley Wren as the school’s 2026 STAR teacher. She said she has loved teaching Serom since she arrived at Bulloch Academy in eighth grade.

“She is academically brilliant, musically talented, and one of the most exceptional students I have ever had the privilege of teaching,” Wren said.

Serom Kim is a multi-year exchange student. Her father, Seog Young Kim, and mother, Jinon Park, live in South Korea, while Kim resides with a local host family here. Serom has not yet committed to a university, but so far has been accepted to Georgia Tech, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Penn State.

She plans to major in mathematics.

Portal High STARs

Cannon Thompson, Portal High School’s STAR student, chose his mother, Ashley Thompson, as his and the school’s 2026 STAR teacher. She was most recently his teacher for an Examining the Teaching Profession class in 11th grade, but had taught him before.

“Working with Cannon as a teacher was an enlightening experience,” she said. “As his mother, I have always known he was curious and intelligent, but seeing him through a teacher’s lens allowed me to witness firsthand his unwavering dedication to his academics, his remarkable work ethic, and his drive for excellence.”

His father, Matt Thompson, is also supportive of their success. Cannon Thompson has been accepted to the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern, Mercer University and Augusta University and has yet to make a final decision. He plans to major in pre-law studies and become a civil litigation lawyer.

Trinity Christian STARs

Trinity Christian School’s 2026 STAR student, William “Billy” Adams, chose his 12th grade Comparative Religions teacher, Garrett Gay, as his STAR teacher.

“Billy is a student that every teacher hopes to have in their class,” Gay said. “He is firm in what he believes, leads by example, and is very gifted academically. Billy is a superb student and encourages his classmates to strive for excellence.”

Billy Adams, whose parents are Bill and Allison Adams, plans to attend Georgia Southern and is still contemplating a choice of a major field of study.

Southeast Bulloch STARs

Southeast Bulloch High School’s 2026 STAR student, Noah Robinson, chose his ninth-grade honors biology teacher, Danielle Hibbs-Heiser, as his STAR teacher. Robinson has been active in the STEM Club under her guidance for three years and said the club is “providing an amazing, supportive community that pushes us to be better versions of ourselves.”

This is Hibbs-Heiser’s second time around as STAR teacher representing SEB High.

“Noah is a truly exceptional, highly self-motivated and brilliant young man who consistently demonstrates intellectual independence and real-world work ethic necessary for success in today’s modern industries,” Hibbs-Heiser said in the printed statement.

Noah Robinson’s parents, Sam and Rebecca Robinson, were there to show support. Noah will attend Georgia Tech, beginning with the Ignite Summer Launch Program. He plans to major in computational media.