Warner Robins High wins STAR student, teacher awards

Warner Robins High School senior James Luppino is the 2016 System Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Student for Houston County. His STAR Teacher is Louis Leskosky. Luppino was presented a $400 check and Leskosky was presented a $100 check.

The winners were announced during a program and reception hosted by the Perry and Robins Region Chambers of Commerce on Tuesday at the Central Georgia Technical College Auditorium.

Luppino and Leskosky will attend the Region STAR banquet on March 15 at the Middle Georgia State University, Macon Campus.

Each STAR Student was recognized and presented a certificate and a check for $100. Each STAR teacher was recognized and presented a certificate and engraved plaque. 2016 STAR honorees from the Houston County School System are:

Houston County High: Andrew Han and teacher James Brock;

Northside High: Aya Abdulla and teacher Shelley Stahl;

Perry High: David Forsee and teacher Joseph Sendek;

Veterans High: Tyler Frye and teacher Jennifer Douglass;

Luppino is a senior at Warner Robins High School. He volunteers with Family Promise of Greater Houston County in their Car City event, helping increase awareness of homelessness in the Warner Robins area. Luppino hopes to continue similar charitable work in college and beyond through the Engineers Without Borders organization. He will be attending Auburn University in the fall majoring in mechanical engineering.

Luppino is not only the Houston County STAR Student, but a National Merit Finalist as well. When not at school or playing soccer, he enjoys writing poetry and attending Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Leskosky teaches Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government, AP Art History, AP Modern European History, and honors literature at Warner Robins High School. This is his eighth year teaching, all of which have been at Warner Robins High School. Leskosky earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Duke University before attending the University of Georgia School Of Law. After receiving his Juris Doctor, he went into private practice in Macon. Leskosky went on to earn his Masters of Arts in Teaching and joined the Houston County School System. In addition, Leskosky coaches the Warner Robins High School Academic Team, the Quiz Demons, and serves as Warner Robins High School’s gifted lead teacher.

This is Louis Leskosky’s third time serving as the school level STAR teacher and his first at the county level. He has also had the honor of serving as Houston County’s Gifted Teacher of the Year in 2013.

STAR Students select the teacher who has been most instrumental in his or her academic development as their STAR Teacher. The STAR program was created to focus attention on Georgia’s outstanding students and teachers.

To obtain the STAR nomination, students must have the highest score in one sitting on the SAT taken through the November test date of their senior year. Students must also be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class. STAR students compete for system, region and state-level awards.

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