CLEVELAND — A banquet was given in Bethany Caywood’s honor for being named White County High School’s STAR student, an honor that’s reserved for the very brightest.

And then she told the local newspaper her SAT score.

"It was brought to our attention that there could be a higher score," White County principal Bryan Dorsey said Tuesday. "After reviewing the data, there was a student with a higher SAT score that also met the top 10 percent of the class qualification."

The school has since named Cameron Smith as its new winner in the state Student Teacher Achievement Recognition Program, Dorsey said.

Smith will represent White County at the regional competition, set for 7 p.m. March 20 at First Baptist Church in Jasper.

The districtwide winner will advance to the state banquet in April in Atlanta.

Hall County winner Joan Michelle Coles of Brenau Academy and
Gainesville winner Samuel Lovic Dean of Riverside were honored Feb. 26 as winners in the STAR program and will compete against Smith at the regional event.

The program recognizes students who have attained the highest score on the SAT in their school. Winners also must be in the top 10 percent or among the top 10 students of their class based on grade-point average.

Caywood "was offered the opportunity to be a co-STAR recipient at the local level, but (she) wanted to relinquish the title to the student with the highest SAT that met all of the requirements." Dorsey said.

The Kiwanis Club is sponsoring a banquet honoring Smith and his STAR teacher, Denice Delk, at 6:30 p.m. March 24 at West Family Restaurant near Cleveland.

Also, as part of the program coordinated statewide by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, STAR students name teachers they consider as their strongest influences.