Kelsey Rappe and Daniel Baisier Named Wesleyan Star Students
The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce has honored Kelsey Rappe and Daniel Baisier as Wesleyan School’s STAR students for the 2017-2018 school year. In turn, Kelsey and Daniel were each able to select the teacher who has had the greatest influence on their academic lives to be named Wesleyan’s STAR teachers. Kelsey selected Dawson Zimmerman, and Daniel selected Kevin Kadzis. Click "Read More" to learn more about Wesleyan's STAR students.
Beyond stellar academics, Kelsey Rappe is the president of the student body, manager for the football team, a member of the Arab Model League and History Bowl teams, and actively involved in Wesleyan drama productions and student-led worship. She is also a peer leader for freshmen, a Wesleyan ambassador, a four-year member of the Wesleyan track team, and a three-year member of the swim team. To date, Kelsey has been accepted to the University of Georgia Honors program, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Honors program, and the University of Virginia. She is currently a finalist for the Morehead Cain scholarship, which would provide a full ride to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kelsey selected Dawson Zimmerman as her STAR teacher. “I entered 9th grade English with low expectations, but Mr. Zimmerman was different than any teacher I had encountered previously,” said Kelsey. “He taught us to think outside-of-the-box and strive to look for the bigger picture in novels and life. He embraced my crazy, non-linear way of thinking, helped me discover my passion for writing and communicating, and has been an ongoing source of support and advice over the past four years.”
Dawson Zimmerman received his bachelor’s degree in English from Clemson University and began teaching at Wesleyan as a faculty fellow in 2013 before officially joining the teaching team in 2014. In addition to teaching 9th-grade Honors World Literature and 11th grade British Literature, Dawson coaches J.V. soccer and 8th-grade football and is a sponsor for the literary meet.
Senior Daniel Baisier is a founding member and captain of the History Bowl team and a member of the 2017 High-Q championship-winning Academic Bowl team. He also competes on the Science Bowl and Math teams and was a four-year member of the cross-country team. As a junior, he was selected to represent Wesleyan at the Governor’s Honors Program in the field of social studies, and as a sophomore, he participated in a summer research project on World War II at Florida State University. To date, Daniel has been accepted to the University of Georgia Honors program, Georgia Tech, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Research Scholar program, and the University of Virginia. He has been named a Bernard Ramsey Honors Scholar at the University of Georgia and is a finalist for the Foundation Fellows scholarship at the University of Georgia, a semi-finalist for the Jefferson scholarship at the University of Virginia, and a finalist for the Johnson scholarship at Washington & Lee University. The Foundations Fellows, Jefferson, and Johnson scholarships would cover the cost of attendance at their respective institutions.
When asked why he named Mr. Kadzis as his STAR teacher, Daniel said “Mr. Kadzis challenged me to think about history in new ways, and his enthusiasm for the subject made his class the highlight of my day. The critical thinking skills he taught me have helped me through every AP social science I’ve taken since. Most importantly, he’s been a friend and mentor to me for years, beginning long before I ever came to Wesleyan.”
Kevin Kadzis received his bachelor’s degree in human geography with a minor in history from the University of Georgia and went on to receive his master’s degree of education in social science from Georgia State. He joined the teaching team at Wesleyan in 2011 and currently teaches AP US History, while also serving as head swim and dive coach, and water polo coach.
Kevin also served as critical thinking coordinator before becoming the grade chair for freshmen boys this year.
It is its 60th year, the STAR program is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and the Georgia Department of Education. To obtain the STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score in a single sitting on the SAT, taken through the November test date of their senior year and be in the top 10% or among the top 10 students in their class based on grade point average. Students and their teachers are honored by receiving special recognition in their communities from more than 165 statewide civic organizations and businesses and will be honored at a luncheon on March 2.
We are honored to have Kelsey Rappe, Daniel Baisier, Dawson Zimmerman, and Kevin Kadzis represent Wesleyan as our STAR students and teachers. Congratulations to all!
