The daughter of longtime educators, Faith Ryan has chosen to follow their footsteps.

The Bradwell Institute STAR student was named the county-wide STAR student at the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce’s annual luncheon to recognize the STAR students and teachers at the county’s three high schools.

Ryan, the daughter of Bradwell Institute principal Dr. Mary Ryan and Liberty County School System executive director of technology and media Dr. John Ryan, will attend the University of Georgia and intends to major in elementary education.

“I was very surprised,” Faith Ryan said of being named the countywide STAR student.

She chose as her STAR teacher Tracie Chavis, a teaching as a profession specialist at the Liberty College and Career Academy. Chavis, who has spent most of her career teaching in the elementary grades, was happily shocked at the honor.

“To be chosen by a student of Faith’s caliber and character is truly meaningful,” Chavis said.

Liberty County High School STAR student Troy Cayo chose LCHS math teacher and Drama Club sponsor Tracie Austin as his STAR teacher and First Preparatory Christian Academy STAR student Landon Hayes chose FPCA coach Shane Smith as his teacher.

“Troy and I are friends, so it was super great to see him get this,” Ryan said of Liberty County High colleague. “It was super great for everyone. They were super impressive.”

Chavis said Faith’s given name is apt.

“I have to admit her parents chose the perfect name,” Chavis said. “It has come to define her character, her purpose and her faith.”

In choosing her STAR teacher, Ryan cited the impact Chavis has had on her. Ryan said she entered the teaching as a profession pathway because she wanted to find a way to make a difference.

“What makes her special is her real heart for her students,” Ryan said. “She taught me that being a teacher isn’t about just doing a job — about being a support for each other. Thank you for showing me a great teacher doesn’t just teach, they inspire a way of life. She really cares about students and she’s made a big difference in what I’ve done.”

Ryan moved to Liberty County from Evans County at age 3, and serves as state vice president of the Engage Club and the chapter president at Bradwell Institute. She’s also in the Beta Club and National Honor Society.

To top that off, she’s also the state college and career academy student of the year.

“What makes Faith standout even more is the person she is,” Chavis said. “She is humble, she is kind, she is receptive to everyone she encounters. She leads quietly, helps willingly and consistently helps others along the way. It is her character that makes her unforgettable.

“She is following in her family’s footsteps but more importantly, she is following a calling, a calling to serve, a calling to inspire and to invest in the lives of children. Faith understands that teaching is not just a profession but a responsibility and a privilege. Your future is bright, filled with purpose and passion.”

Ryan is working as Chavis’ intern and is involved in gifted elementary classrooms.

“She is already impacting young learners in a meaningful way,” Chavis said.

A native of Northampton, Massachusetts, Cayo and his family moved to Liberty County when his sister was born in 2013.

Cayo has his sights on getting into the University of Georgia, where he plans to major in the classics with a minor in Greek. He also is considering attending Kennesaw State University to study history, but his end goal is the same, to work as a curator in a museum.

Deciding on his STAR teacher was no easy task, Cayo said.

“To choose one teacher to nominate one teacher for his occasion was frankly terrifying,” he said. “Every educator, in some shape or form, deserves recognition and acknowledgement for their dedication to creating a learning environment.

“My decision was not from a lack of options, but from an overabundance,” Cayo continued. “However, like a full moon in a clear winter sky, Mrs. Austin outshines any stars in the heavens. While she is of course an astonishing educator whose ability to convey complex mathematical concepts is unrivaled, this is by no means why Mrs. Austin is my STAR teacher.

What separated Austin is she sees her students as people “with lives and souls,” Cayo said. With the Drama Club, she has created “a refuge for those who feel alone and are in need of support and camaraderie.

“It is her ability to create a haven where hate and prejudice are forsaken in favor of love and teamwork that places her above the majority of her peers,” Cayo said.

Austin praised Cayo, calling him one of the hardest workers she’s had in Drama. He’s in charge of costumes, and dedicated himself to ensure everyone had the costume that fit them as a person and as a character.

“Troy does an amazing, amazing job,” she said. “With everything else, this kid is an AP student in the top 5% of his class. The hours he puts in is incredible.”

Landon Hayes started at FPCA when he moved to Hinesville in the fifth grade. He was 11 years old when he met Coach Smith — and it wasn’t on the best of terms.

Hayes got into a fight and was introduced to Coach Smith at lunch detention.

“He had so much pentup energy,” Smith said. “I talked to him about running cross country. I had a couple of kids who I thought would be good role models.”

Since then, Hayes has been named all-region in cross country five times and all-state once, while vowing to break all of former FPCA student D.J. Christiansen’s records.

“He’s broken two of them,” Smith said.

Hayes enjoys snowboarding and cooking in his free time but his goal is to become commercial airline pilot. He is working toward his private pilot’s license now. Hayes and Smith also have bonded over an affinity for remote- controlled airplanes.

Hayes also is an elementary school soccer coach for FPCA.

“He’s a good role model,” Smith said. “We’re going to miss him at FPCA, but he’s going to do a lot of good things.”