NATCHEZ &045; The STAR students at area high schools excelled in more than just ACT scores this year.

The Student-Teacher Achievement Recognition award is given to the student at each Mississippi high school with the highest score on the college preparatory test, and sometimes their success stops there.

But not this year. Adams Christian’s Lauran McGaughey, Cathedral’s Will Carter, Trinity’s Will Harris and Natchez High’s Lacy Vines all have a long list of school and community clubs and projects.

AC’s McGaughey, 18, is a member of the honor society, Beta Club, Science Club and Fellowship of Christian Students.

She’s played softball and tennis and spent part of her high school career working at The Eye Center.

When she’s not in school McGaughey has portrayed significant roles in several Natchez Little Theatre’ productions.

In the fall, McGaughey, who made a 31 on the ACT, will start college at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Natchez.

The highest ACT score possible is a 36.

Cathedral’s Carter, who scored a 32, has served as Student Body President, National Honor Society president, Key Club vice president and a member of the Peer Ministry Team.

He played football, tennis and soccer and is the vice president of the Jefferson Street United Methodist Church youth group.

Carter plans to attend LSU and major in engineering.

&uot;I’m really interested in physics and calculus,&uot; he said. &uot;And (engineering) is widely used in every workplace.&uot;

Trinity’s Harris scored a 32 on the ACT and has been active in student council and Key Club. He is vice president of the Mayor’s Youth Council, has been in the band since eighth-grade and since in the Trinity Episcopal Church choir.

He has been accepted to the LSU Honor’s College where he plans to major in philosophy.

&uot;I either want to be a college professor or go into the Episcopal seminary,&uot; Harris said.

NHS’s Lacy Vines played softball and was chosen as a 2004 Sweetheart Maid by her classmates.

She received the human anatomy, U.S. history, trigonometry and the nutrition and wellness awards for NHS.

She plans to attend Co-Lin next year and later Alcorn State University to major in nursing.

STAR students must also have a 93 average in school. All four were invited to a reception in Clinton during the annual Education Celebration on April 8.

Each STAR student can choose a STAR teacher. McGaughey chose senior economics teacher Rusty McPhate; Carter chose Elizabeth Voss; Harris chose English teacher Gwen Young and Vines chose history teacher Creseda Crawford.