By Malika Johnson, Director of College Counseling

Each Fall we are honored to provide the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation with the name of the student who has earned the highest SAT Reasoning Test Score in the graduating class, so that they can be recognized in the annual STAR student program. The PAGE Foundation was established in 1985 to prepare future generations of excellent teachers for the State of Georgia and to promote and honor academic achievement. Though scoring well on this test is a truly noteworthy achievement, testing is perhaps one of the least important characteristics one could talk about when recognizing this year’s winner – Daniel Hull.

As a counselor I have seldom had the opportunity to work with a more driven and disciplined scholar and athlete than Daniel. His STAR Teacher, Tim Shafer of our Mathematics Department has had an outstanding working relationship with him both in the classroom and in the extracurricular realm. He is passionate about learning and about the challenges of understanding every concept introduced thoroughly.

Academically Daniel is a stand out by any (and every) measure. He has pursued an increasingly challenging curriculum each year in our highly competitive school and earned extremely high grades. He is a serious student who really does put in long hours and intense focus to achieve at the highest level on every assignment, and every test, every day. Though Mathematics and Sciences are clearly his passions, Daniel achieves admirable results in every subject. He is a born problem solver and exceptionally well-prepared for college level study in engineering. He will be attending Georgia Tech this Fall and has recently been awarded their highest honor for any incoming student, the Presidential Scholarship

Daniel is deeply committed to improving every community of which he is a part. After years as a Boy Scout he earned the Eagle Scout designation as a ninth grader which is incredibly young for someone to have demonstrated such leadership and dedication. He serves as a mentor to younger children in our Lower School and when his own athletic commitments allow he is in the stands cheering his friends on. He is a proud member of Augusta Prep’s National Honor Society, Math, Science, and Chess Teams and served as an intern last summer at a local firm where he was so responsible and mature that most assumed he was already a college student.

In my line of work it is easy to become a little jaded. To look at great test scores and great grades or even a well put together resume, and think that you are dealing with just another “overachiever.” In this case, however, there is substance and to say that Daniel works hard to achieve all that he does would be a gross understatement. He is all that young people should be striving to be today. He knows what he wants and we couldn’t be more proud of him or proud to know him.