LBHS Announces 24-25 STAR Student and Teacher

Long Beach High School senior Jose Antonio Garcia III has earned the distinction of being named the 2024-2025 LBHS STAR Student and has selected Dr. Scott Shull as his STAR Teacher.

Garcia is the son of Stacey and Jose Garcia. After high school, Garcia plans to attend college and major in computer science. With this degree, he aims to work as a software engineer. His long-term goal is to live a comfortable life inspiring others.

“I want to travel and run some of the world marathon majors,” Garcia said. “More specifically I want to race in the Tokyo marathon. I want to continue deepening my relationship with Christ and become involved within a church in whichever area I end up living in. My ultimate goal, however, is to live a happy life and wake up every morning seeking to inspire others.”

When asked how Long Beach prepared him for the future, Garcia said LBHS presented an excellent academic curriculum which allowed him to explore his interests and challenged him.

“The teachers created a great environment that promoted learning and made me feel valued. I also wanted to give a special thanks to Mrs. Tucker in the Career Center for always connecting me with rewarding scholarships that will help me afford to attend college.”

Garcia selected Dr. Scott Shull as his STAR Teacher.

“Dr. Shull is an amazing and talented individual who has put nothing but his utmost effort into creating a positive and amazing environment for all students. He genuinely cares about the welfare of his students and the school system. I first experienced this on a bus ride back from a cross-country meet where he helped me study for a chemistry topic I was just starting to learn.”

“One notable attribute made me choose Dr. Shull as my STAR Teacher. He continually pushed me to achieve more.”

Garcia vividly recounts telling Dr. Shull he had scored a 29 on his ACT and Shull telling him “Not good enough”.

“While others would have simply congratulated me, and told me it was a good score, Dr. Shull knew I had not yet reached my potential. He knew that I still had a lot more to give and did not let me settle for anything less than the best. If it was not for him, I would not have this award.”

Shull is honored to be chosen as this year’s STAR Teacher by Garcia whom he first met as an unassuming 10th grade student on the track team.

“He wasn’t flashy, not one for self-aggrandizement, but certainly a student with a silent strength and measured resilience,” Shull said.

“Little did I know what this unassuming young man held such a vast repository of knowledge, character, and determination, the likes of which surface infrequently in any generation of students.”

Through the years, Shull has watched Garcia rack up accolades both on the track and in the classroom.

“His prodigious depth of learning is always coupled with his kindness and mentorship to his fellow students and athletes.”

Dr. Shull moved to Long Beach more than 30 years ago when his family chose the Long Beach School District because of its high caliber school system. Committed to education, his parents felt that making Long Beach home would be an investment in his future. He returned to his hometown and worked for the school district for a short time as his first job out of college. Years later, he returned to the district to teach, or as he says, to “Pay it forward” to a new generation of Long Beach students.

The Mississippi Economic Council (MEC) M. B. Swayze Foundation sponsors the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program. Established by the Mississippi Economic Council in 1965, the purpose of the STAR program is to recognize outstanding students & teachers in Mississippi through its Education Celebration.