Working with the State STAR Student program doesn’t leave you a lot of time to do anything else that particular day, since you begin interviewing these fabulous students first thing in the morning and don’t finish till midafternoon. Then you have to pick the “best” student out of nearly 20 nearly perfect kids. And then there’s the two-and-a-half hour banquet.

So even if we’ve begun the magical countdown of 100 days, all I had time to do was add on a few more songs to the William Blake lyrics video.

It was remarkable this year that almost all of the students were accomplished musicians. And when I say accomplished, I mean things like “concertmaster of the ASYO,” “first chair flute of All-State Orchestra three years in a row,” or like our 2007 State STAR, Keru Cai, a concert pianist who knocked our socks off at GHP in 2005 with the Rachmaninoff 2nd.

One disturbing thing about this year’s STAR program: in years past, one or other of the local television morning shows would have the STAR student and teacher on to talk about their accomplisments and relationship. They all declined last year, and again this year. Their reason? Just not exciting enough.

Next year I’m going to suggest that the STAR student take the judges hostage. Or maybe the judges should take the STAR student hostage. Either way would be more exciting than talking to an accomplished, witty product of Georgia’s schools and her inspiring teacher.