Josie White has been named STAR Student for the 2025-2026 school year by the Mississippi Business Alliance (MSBA) Foundation, sponsor of the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program. The STAR program was established by the Mississippi Economic Council in 1965. The purpose of the STAR program is to recognize outstanding students & teachers in Mississippi through its Education Celebration. Our theme this year is: The Road to Greatness.
The Manchester Academy senior will be honored during the annual Education Celebration on April 9, 2026, at the Clyde Muse Center, 515 Country Place Parkway in Pearl, MS. The Education Celebration will start at 9:30 a.m.
Star Students are selected based on academic excellence. Both American College Test scores and scholastic averages are compared to determine the school’s STAR Student, explained Vickie Powell of Jackson, Vice President of Foundation and Workforce Initiatives. “The STAR program encourages and promotes academic achievement among Mississippi’s high school seniors,” she said. This year, we will recognize more than 315 STAR Students across the state. Each STAR Student is asked to designate a STAR Teacher, the teacher who has made the greatest contribution to the student’s scholastic achievement.
Mrs. Carrie Chaney was designated as STAR Teacher.
Over 600 STAR Students and STAR Teachers will receive recognition from MEC’s M.B. Swayze Foundation at the Celebration. The top 20 STAR Students –The ALL-STAR Scholars – will receive scholarships and their STAR Teachers will receive awards provided by the Kelly Gene Cook, Sr. Charitable Foundation. The highlight of the Education Celebration will be the naming of the Mississippi ALL-STAR Scholar for 2025-2026 school year, winner of the coveted $24,000 Cook Foundation Scholarship.
