ATLANTA--Senior Christ Upchurch was named Marist School’s STAR student for 1995. The Student Teacher Achievement (STAR) Program recognizes academic achievement of Georgia high school students and the teachers most instrumental in the student’s academic development. Louisa Moffitt, a history teacher at Marist, was selected by Chris to be his STAR teacher.

“Chris is a history teacher’s dream because the subject consumes him. He reads beyond the assignment and goes at his work very independently,” she said.

“I admire her teaching style and I love history. She doesn’t just teach the facts -- the real stuff history is made of,” Chris said of his teacher.

He qualified as STAR student by being in the upper 10 percent in Marist’s senior class and by achieving the highest score in the school on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). After being named STAR student by an individual school, selected students then compete for county, district and state honors.

An active Boy Scout for seven years. Chris has been a senior patrol leader, an assistant scoutmaster, and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He is an Eagle Scout, the highest rank a scout can earn.

He is a member of the Marist Student Council, president of the National Honor Society, a member of the Academic and the High-Q teams, and math honor society, Mu Alpha Theta. In 1994, he attended the Governor’s Honors program in social studies and is a consistent Dean’s List and Honor Roll student.

A runner, he has participated in Marist’s cross country and track programs. In 1994, he placed third in the state AAA Cross Country Meet. As a senior, he was named to the Atlanta Track Club All-Metro Team.

After being accepted by the United States Military Academy at West Point and Davidson College, he will attend Georgetown University on an Army R.O.T.C. scholarship. He is the son of Lanny and Kathleen Upchurch of Vinings. The family attends St. Thomas the Apostle Church.