Watters named Student of the Year in Academics

Senior Sam Watters was named Student of the Year in Academics by the Rome Noon Optimist Club during a banquet at The Forum on Feb. 28.

Watters, a National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Student and an AP Scholar with Distinction, is a member of the Cum Laude Society, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Gamma Chi Epsilon, Spanish National Honor Society and French National Honor Society. He is president and founder of the Darlington Chapter of Junior State of America and director of dominions of the Junior State of America in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. He is also a member of The Inkslinger staff, the Debate Team, the Green Team and serves as spiritual life liaison in Summerbell House.

In his four years at the Upper School, Watters has received numerous awards and honors, including STAR Student, the Phi Beta Kappa Book Award, the Yale Book Award, The D.A.R. Medal and the 2010 Georgia Certificate of Merit from The University of Georgia. He has also earned E.L. Wright Scholastic Awards for having the highest average in AP World History, AP Environmental Science, English 2, Spanish 4, French 1 and 2 Honors, and Graphic Design. Last summer, he attended Economics for Leaders at Vanderbilt University and Junior Statesman Summer School at Georgetown University.

The son of Tracy and Joe Watters of Rome, he has already been accepted to Washington and Lee, where he is a finalist for the Johnson Scholarship; the University of Georgia, where he is a finalist for the Foundation Fellowship; and Georgetown University. He is still waiting to hear back from Boston College, the University of Chicago, Dartmouth College, Davidson College, Emory University, George Washington University, New York University, Princeton University, Stanford University, the University of Virginia and Yale University.

Other finalists in the competition included Darlington's Zach Martin in Service, Maggie Sparks in Fine Arts and Anna Shea in Athletics.