Wesleyan School Announces STAR Student and STAR Teacher

The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce has honored Jacob Price as Wesleyan School’s STAR
student for the 2020-2021 school year. In turn, Jacob chose Deborah Brown, high school math,
as the teacher who has had the greatest influence on his academic life.

Beyond stellar academics, Jacob is a four-year member of Wesleyan’s state-champion cross-country team and swim and dive team, where he earned back-to-back Gwinnett County Diver of the Year awards. He is also a three-year member of the Honor Council where he was elected as the president and serves as a peer leader for freshmen. Jacob was Wesleyan’s co-nominee for the Morehead Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a National Merit scholar, and AP Scholar with Distinction granted to students who have earned scores of 3 or higher on 5 or more exams.

When asked why he selected Deborah Brown as his STAR teacher, Jacob said, “I’ve had Mrs. Brown as a math teacher for 3 out of my 4 years in high school, and her class, especially AP Calculus BC, was the first time I really found math interesting. I always liked math before, but it was always just a bunch of numbers. However, Mrs. Brown has shown me how to look at not only math but the world differently – as an observer, a problem solver, and as she would put it, as ‘someone who’s just playing around with math.’ Mrs. Brown’s style of teaching specifically has taught me the benefits of challenging myself mentally. With each class I am presented with some new concept or critical thinking problem that helps me grow as a mathematician every day. I’m extremely grateful for Mrs. Brown constant support and encouragement the last 4 years, and I know that I would be nowhere close to where I am today if I didn’t have her as my teacher.”

Deborah Brown, Wesleyan’s STAR teacher, earned both her BS and MAT in mathematics from Georgia State University. Deborah has taught for over twenty years and is in her ninth year at Wesleyan School.

She has taught the entire range of high school math courses: pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, Algebra III, Euclidean Geometry, Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, and multivariable calculus. Beyond the classroom, she advises the Wesleyan math team and serves as new teacher mentor coordinator for the high school.

In its 63rd year, the STAR program is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and the Georgia Department of Education. To obtain the STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score in a single sitting on the SAT, taken through the March test date of their senior year and be in the top 10% or among the top 10 students in their class based on grade point average. Students and their teachers are honored by receiving special recognition in their communities from more than 165 statewide civic organizations.

Wesleyan School is a Christian, independent K-12 college preparatory school located in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. To learn more about the school, visit wesleyanschool.org