This has been a week that communities can be proud of.

Newton County residents should be beaming as Newton students shine, and the spotlight is on them for the right reasons.

The week opened with high school athletes agreeing to use their talents to earn a college education, setting courses for roughly the next four years.

And Thursday, the Newton County School System’s top academic performers were honored. Alcovy High School’s Victoria Wardlow, Newton High School’s Vitaliy Semenikhin and Eastside High School’s Kolyse Wagstaff were named Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) students.

The honor is bestowed upon the top student at each high school in the county, as decided by the highest scores on the SAT, the colleg entrance exam, on a single test date, and their standing among the top 10 percent of students in their classes.

Wardlow, Semenikhin and Kolyse worked hard for everything they have earned, and the community should be happy to recognize them as stars. They not only put in the effort while in Newton County, but also will carry their hometowns with them as they move on to their university careers.

If their high school days are any indication, then the hard work they will put in during college will spread Newton’s reputation, as a great place to raise young people, far and wide.