Not many in Georgia, much less the country, have achieved the perfect 1600 on the SAT. The North Atlanta student who’s come closest to this lofty height is senior Ezekiel Day.

For his SAT score, Day topped all members of the Class of 2017 with an eye-popping score of 1550, a figure that placed him in the 99th percentile of test-takers. Owing to this tremendous achievement, the senior was named North Atlanta High School’s Star Student of the Year.

Hitting such a high mark is cause for widespread admiration among senior peers and some surprise to the award recipient. “I knew I didn’t have a perfect score so I was pleasantly surprised when I was named STAR student,” Day said.

Because of the importance of SAT scores, upperclassmen across the country go through strenuous extra-curricular regimens to prepare for the test. For his part, Day threw himself into the typical immersion in math prep books along with rigorous math tutoring with a friend of his father. “It’s cool because I was able to see all of that work pay off,” he said.

He also pulled off stellar academic performance on top of heavy involvement in Warrior sports. He was a captain on the swim team and he repeated the leadership feat this spring for the lacrosse team. For lacrosse he also was recently named this year’s offensive player of the year. “There’s so much to say positive about this young man,” said lacrosse coach Patrick Cheney. “What’s particularly noteworthy about him is his determination. He’s a model citizen and a leader in the classroom and on the field. Zeke is the complete package.”

For his college, Day plans on attending Georgia Tech and majoring in mechanical engineering. For his career he envisions research and development in aerospace engineering.

His chemistry teacher Jeanne Hall – who Day nominated as North Atlanta STAR Teacher – said she sees in her student a formidable combination of talent, hard work and interpersonal development. “He’s very well balanced and incredibly talented,” she said. “But what may be lost to some is the degree of compassion and empathy I’ve seen in Zeke. He’s the classic all-around great kid and it’s been my honor to have him as a student.”

Day said his high school years have been marked by personal and academic development. “My experience here at North Atlanta has been very real. I’ve been able to work with a multitude of people and being here has really rounded me out,” he said. “The IB program gave me the challenge I was looking for and it helped me to strive toward something bigger. I guess I always wanted a full-throttle academic experience and here at North Atlanta I certainly got that.”

Star lacrosse player, team captain on both varsity swim and lacrosse teams, high performing IB student, stellar standardized test taker, future engineer. This is Ezekiel Day, North Atlanta’s STAR student.