Banks County High School senior Alyssa Zohoranacky has been named the 2024-2025 STAR Student, an honor awarded to the graduating senior with the highest SAT score and academic achievement. As part of this recognition, Alyssa selected Mrs. Taylor Barrientes as her STAR Teacher, citing her support, dedication, and influence throughout high school.
Alyssa has been an outstanding student at Banks County High School, balancing a rigorous academic schedule that includes dual enrollment classes, high school coursework, extracurricular activities, clubs, and band. She credits her time at BCHS with teaching her how to manage her workload effectively, an essential skill she believes will contribute to her future success.
Looking ahead, Alyssa plans to attend the University of North Georgia, one of the state’s top nursing programs. She aspires to become a nurse, drawn to the profession for its hands-on impact in helping people through care and compassion. Her long-term goals include furthering her education to become a nurse practitioner.
"I believe that I will be able to excel at this UNG and look forward to attending nursing school there," Alyssa said. "When I visited the campus, I fell in love with its small size and charm. I have wanted to be in the healthcare field for as long as I can remember, and I want to be a nurse to directly interact with the people in my community and help them through any illnesses."
Alyssa’s choice for STAR Teacher, Mrs. Taylor Barrientes, has significantly influenced her educational journey. She has taken multiple classes under Mrs. Barrientes, including psychology and economics, and has participated in the social sciences club and academic team under her leadership.
“She is a great role model for me, always juggling everything with grace and always encouraging all her students to learn. She makes fun activities which are hands-on to help us remember concepts such as having us all stand making a neuron chain with the end of the neuron throwing confetti at the next group of students to show the electrical impulses”, Alyssa shared.
Alyssa also expressed gratitude to Mrs. Whitfield, a Banks County Primary School teacher, for her kindness and encouragement during her transition to public school. "I am very fortunate to have become one of her ‘Owl Stars’ and to have her continued support throughout my time at BCHS.”
The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program honors Georgia’s highest-achieving high school seniors and the teachers most instrumental in their academic development. Since its creation in 1958 by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the STAR program has honored more than 30,000 students. In the mid-1990s, the PAGE Foundation was asked to assume responsibility for the oversight, administration, and promotion of the statewide STAR program. Every accredited high school in Georgia is eligible to participate in this preeminent student/teacher academic recognition.