Student’s perfect scores earn her 2017 STAR award

A Houston County High School senior’s perfect SAT score and grade-point average landed her the district’s top student honor Wednesday night.

Nivedha Soundappan, the daughter of Dr. A. Soundappan and Kanjana Jayaraman, was named the 2017 STAR student for Houston County during a reception at the Board of Education’s central office in Perry. Sheila Jones, the teacher she nominated, earned the STAR teacher award.

The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition program, hosted by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, honors seniors throughout Georgia and is based on SAT scores and class rankings.

Soundappan earned a 1600 on the SAT and has a 4.0 GPA. She’s not sure where she is going to college, but she plans to earn a degree in aerospace engineering and then enter the Air Force to work with the research and design division.

She is her school’s senior class president, and she’s involved in Future Business Leaders of America and the National Honor Society. Outside of school, she volunteers with Houston Healthcare, plays classical piano and performs classical Indian dance.

“Nivedha is an excellent student. She embraced the assignments she was given, and she would take them to a new level,” said Jones, who has taught business and computer science at Houston County High for four years. “Nevedha has been such an integral part of my high school experience. We’ve spent so much time together, and it’s an honor she would select me.”

Jones has taught Soundappan in her digital technology and digital design classes and worked with her as an adviser for Future Business Leaders of America.

“She’s taken time out of her personal life to travel with me and to teach me leadership skills,” Soundappan said. “As a teacher, she demands a very high work ethic and dedication from the students. She’s very natural in her teaching. She’s very real world in her teaching.”

Houston County’s four other nominated pairs were student Nicholas Wong and teacher Cherri Nix, from Northside High; Dawson Robert Dooley and Nathan Dooley, from Perry High; Davidson Poole and Ike Thompson, from Veterans High; and Rebecca Walde and Scott Daniel, from Warner Robins High.

Soundappan and Jones will move on to the regional event March 21, and all regional winners will compete at the state banquet April 24. The Houston County STAR banquet was sponsored by the Perry Area and Robins Regional chambers of commerce.

This story was originally published February 22, 2017 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Student’s perfect scores earn her 2017 STAR award."