Among the many horrors that high school seniors encounter is the dreaded SAT. Composed of evidence-based reading, writing, and math, this daunting exam sends (most) students in to a panicked frenzy, but not senior Jake Churchill. Churchill’s impressive 1600 — a perfect score — placed him in the 99th percentile.This staggering accomplishment is what named Churchill North Atlanta’s 2019 STAR student.

The SAT takes several months of intense studying to prepare for, and Churchill, determined to do well on the test, took several mock SATs to practice. It is evident with his perfect score that all of this hard work paid off. At school Churchill is a well-rounded student with a partiality for math. Ever the math teacher’s dream, Churchill enjoys the investigative aspect of numbers. “I like math because I approach every problem like a puzzle,” he said.

Apart from getting stellar test scores and drilling math problems, Churchill is an active participant within the North Atlanta community. He is a member of the Academic Bowl Team, the Model UN club, and the Mu Alpha Theta, the math honors society. To take a break from the books, Churchill is also heavily involved in the school musical endeavors and is a member of the Marching Warriors, the wind ensemble, and the Symphonic Orchestra that performed at Carnegie Hall in February.

Churchill’s high-level work ethic paired with his musical abilities can somewhat be attributed to North Atlanta’s band director Mr. Brooks. Churchill has endless praise for the hardworking Brooks, who he nominated for STAR teacher. “He has pushed me outside of my comfort zone, facilitating my growth as a musician and a person,” he said.

The respect is mutual between Churchill and Brooks. During his high school careers, Churchill has had the opportunity to learn and work under the musical influence of Brooks. And the school’s band director has enjoyed watching him blossom as a musician and a student. “Jake is a strong presence in the band community and a very hard worker. I’m excited to see what he will do in the future,” he said.

Post-high school, Churchill plans to study engineering and eventually go into renewable energy resources and sustainability. But for now, Churchill is cruising through his last semester of high school in stride. Clearly the sky’s the limit for North Atlanta’s STAR student.