Newton County Schools (NCS) announced Thursday that Robby Thomas, Jr., a senior at Eastside High School, is the district’s 2025 STAR Student. Thomas achieved this honor by earning the highest SAT score in the district: 1530 out of 1600.
In addition to being named Eastside High School’s STAR Student, Thomas’ exceptional performance has earned him the title of NCS’ STAR Student for 2025.
Thomas has taken numerous Advanced Placement (AP) courses during his high school career, including AP Biology, AP Literature, AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Latin, AP U.S. History, AP Chemistry, AP Language, AP World History and AP Statistics.
In addition to excelling academically, Thoma is involved in several extracurricular activities, including the National Honor Society, the Junior Classical League, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the Eagle Ambassadors. He also plays varsity basketball.
Thomas plans to attend Georgia Tech in the fall, where he will major in aerospace engineering. His ultimate goal is to work for NASA and become an astronaut.
Thomas selected Eric Adams, his Latin teacher, as his STAR Teacher. This marks the 11th time that Adams has been honored as a STAR Teacher.
When asked why he chose Adams, Thomas explained, “He’s been there all four years. He’s the one that saw me in my freshman year, and he told me, ‘You’ve got the brains. You can do and achieve whatever you want.’ And that really helped me improve my confidence.”
Thomas, alongside the STAR Students and STAR Teachers from Alcovy High School and Newton High School, was all recognized by the Kiwanis Club of Covington on Jan. 30, 2025.
Alcovy High School STAR Student Kayla White, who earned a 1360 on the SAT, was recognized as Alcovy High School’s 2025 STAR Student.
White has taken numerous AP courses, including AP World History, AP Art, AP U.S. History, AP English Language, AP Human Geography, AP Macroeconomics and AP English Literature.
She has been accepted to several colleges and universities, including Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University and Georgia Southern, but is waiting to hear from the University of Georgia before making her final decision. White plans to major in psychology and pursue a career as a counselor or therapist.
White selected Amy Fraser, her AP English Language teacher, as her STAR Teacher. This marks the second time Fraser has been selected as a STAR Teacher.
White explained her choice stating, “I think she’s a fun teacher, and I like how she teaches. She can make even the boring stuff engaging for students!”
Jaylen Fannin, who achieved a 1260 on the SAT, is Newton High School’s 2025 STAR Student.
Fannin has taken several AP courses, including AP Biology, AP World History, AP Seminar, AP Chemistry, AP Pre-Calculus, AP U.S. History, AP English Language, AP Physics and AP Research.
Fannin is very active in extracurricular activities at both Newton High School and the Newton College & Career Academy. He is a member of Newton High School’s National Honor Society, Beta Club and Symphonic Band. In addition, he is a member of HOSA, TSA, FBLA, and the Associate Board of Directors at NCCA.
Fannin has been accepted to attend several colleges, including Mercer University, Howard University, Tuskegee, North Carolina A&T, Georgia State University, the Illinois Institute of Technology and the New York Institute of Technology. Although he has not made a final selection, Fannin does plan to major in either aerospace or mechanical engineering. His ultimate goal is to achieve his childhood dream of space exploration.
Fannin selected Taylor Moody as his STAR Teacher. He explained, “She is the first person to really realize that I’m a very hard worker, and up until my junior year, I didn’t really feel like I would have any big rewards in my future. She supported me throughout that whole journey. Not only did she help me throughout the whole Governor’s Honors program process, but she also chose me for the Trainer’s Choice Award and that was something that made me realize that I do deserve some of the rewards and awards coming my way.”
The NCS STAR Students and their STAR Teachers were recognized at the Kiwanis Club of Covington meeting on Jan. 30, 2025. The Kiwanis Club has served as the local sponsor of NCS’ STAR Student program for well over 50 years.
The STAR program, sponsored at the state level by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation, has recognized outstanding high school seniors and their chosen STAR Teachers since 1958. To qualify as a STAR Student, high school seniors must have the highest SAT score in their school and be in the top 10 percent or among the top 10 students of their class based on GPA.
“We are incredibly proud of our STAR Students and STAR Teachers,” said Dr. Duke Bradley, III, superintendent of NCS. “Their achievements highlight the dedication and talent that thrive within our schools. It’s inspiring to see these students excel and honor the educators who have had such a profound impact on their academic journeys.”
