Harris Named New Albany High School STAR Student

Sarah Kathryn Harris has been named STAR Student for the 2017-2018 school year by the Mississippi Economic Council M. B. Swayze Foundation, sponsor of the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program.

The New Albany High School senior will be honored during the annual Education Celebration on April 12, 2018, at the Jackson Convention Complex in downtown Jackson.

Sponsors for this prestigious event and the Mississippi Economic Council are: AT&T; Atmos Energy; BancorpSouth; Barksdale Management; Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi; Cooperative Energy, Electric Cooperative of Mississippi; Entergy Mississippi; Ergon, Inc.; Ingalls Shipbuilding; Mississippi Power Company; Nissan North America, Inc.; Sanderson Farms, Inc.; Trustmark National Bank; Walmart; and Yates Construction. Additional local support for the STAR program is provided by MEC members from communities across the state.

Sarah Kathryn Harris with her STAR Teacher, Gladys Pounders.

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.

Harris is the daughter of Matt & JJ Harris. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Government, Spanish Club, National Technical Honor Society, Technology Student Association, and FBLA. Harris is an honor roll student and has received many academic awards. She is a member of the NAHS soccer team. She participates in the Northeast Mississippi Youth Foundation and is a graduate of the Union County Leadership Academy.

Each STAR Student is asked to designate a STAR Teacher, the classroom teacher who has made the greatest contribution to the student’s scholastic achievement. Harris chose Gladys Pounders as her STAR teacher.