Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Georgia Wright ('16) named STAR Student for Rome City
Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Rome, GA
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Wright (’16) named STAR Student for Rome City

March 7, 2016 | 629 views

Mary Margaret Wright ('16) and history teacher Kelly McDurmon

Darlington senior and STAR Student Mary Margaret Wright has been recognized as the STAR Student for the Rome City district, and will go on to compete at the regional level later this month. The announcement was made at a meeting of the Rome Exchange Club on March 5. 

Darlington's Kelly McDurmon will also advance with her to the next stage of the competition. Wright named the history instructor as her STAR Teacher during an assembly last month in Morris Chapel. 

"[McDurmon] taught me what it means to be an individual, both personally and intellectually," said Wright. "He taught me the importance of not only questioning what's in front of you, but also yourself and why you think in the way you do. He’s also a fantastic wrestling coach, avid tea-drinker, and generally hilarious."

Mary Margaret Wright
 has taken 19 AP and Honors classes and has been designated an AP Scholar with Honor by The College Board. In September, she was named a Commended Student by the National Merit Scholarship Program. At Darlington, the senior plays volleyball and also swims, serving as the team's captain. She is a member of the Darlington Instrumental Music Conservatory and Science Club, and co-founded the school's Gender Equality Club. Wright also holds membership in the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, National Honor Society, and Spanish Honor Society. She has volunteered her time as an Admission Tiger Expert, and out in the community with Floyd Medical Center and the Rebecca Blaylock Child Development Center. 

Wright is also a past participant in the Duke University TIP program, where she studied tropical medicine and ethnobiology in Costa Rica. 
To date, the senior has been accepted into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Georgia Honors Program. She is the daughter of Mary Frances and Sid Wright ('75) of Rome.

Kelly McDurmon came to Darlington in 2004, and holds a B.A. in History from Berry College. He teaches AP U.S. History and American History, and serves as head wrestling coach and assistant coach for varsity football. Before working at Darlington, he taught and coached at Rockmart High School, his alma mater. McDurmon has been honored numerous times with various awards as a wrestling coach, and is a past recipient of a grant from the Thatcher Faculty Development & Research Fund. He and his wife, Heather, are the parents of Ansley (’12), Anne Marie (’15), Rhett (’19) and Luke (’21).

"Mary Margaret has a tremendous impact on her peers," said McDurmon. "In a very kind and thoughtful way, she causes her classmates to be introspective about who they are. The best part of teaching her is that she makes class so interesting." 
 
The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and the Georgia Department of Education. The program recognizes Georgia seniors who have scored the highest on the SAT during a single-day attempt and are in the top 10% of their class based on grade point average.

Click here to read the March 5 Rome News-Tribune article about the presentation of Rome and Floyd County's STAR Students and Teachers.