Riverwood High STAR Student Sam Spetalnick &
Jeremy Kopkas STAR teacher

Sam Spetalnick of Riverwood High School has been recognized as a STAR student by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators based on receiving the highest SAT score at the school,  as well as academic excellence,  extracurricular activities and community service.   For his STAR teacher Sam has selected Jeremy Kopkas,  his IB 20th Century History teacher:   “I chose Mr. Kopkas as my STAR teacher because more than anyone else,  he has tapped into the way that I think and helped me to understand my own mind.   He helped to mold me into a skeptic of every word that I read and everyone that I meet.   None of this influence would have been possible without his infectious enthusiasm.   Besides, it's easy to be inspired by a man who jumps on the table in the middle of the room when talking about Hitler's rise to power."

Sam is a National Merit Finalist,  an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Candidate,  and was awarded both the Jefferson Book Award from the University of Virginia, and the Sewanee Book Award for Excellence in Writing.   Sam has been a mainstay of the performing arts program at Riverwood,  with major roles in numerous drama productions including The Wiz and To Kill a Mockingbird,  plus was part of the band in several productions.   A trained classical guitarist and cellist,  Sam plans to major in both classical guitar performance and history in college.   He will most likely attend the University of Texas at Austin.  Sam is the son of  Thomas and Kelly Spetalnick of  Sandy Springs.