Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School senior and Catoosa County STAR student Destin Sisemore, left, stands with his STAR teacher Lisa Beck, who teaches biology and co-sponsors the LFO Academic Decathlon Team.
Photo by Katie WardLakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School valedictorian Destin Sisemore is currently touring Ivy League universities and will likely be inducted to the school’s Wall of Fame.
“These are the best schools in the nation and I’m trying to choose between them. Who gets that opportunity?” said Destin, who has offers from Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Stanford and Brown. “It’s surreal. Are there any wrong decisions? I don’t think so. But is there a right decision? Possibly.”
After recently touring Princeton, Harvard and Brown, he plans to tour Yale and Stanford this week.
Destin credits the LFO High School Academic Decathlon Team for preparing him for the future. He said he learned how to give speeches and answer questions in an interview setting through his involvement.
The team has won first place at the state level three years in a row.
Destin said he also owes his academic success to the great teachers at LFO and the number of Advanced Placement courses offered at the school. He has taken nine advanced classes, including macroeconomics, psychology, calculus, and anatomy and physiology, in addition to numerous other subjects at LFO, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
“We have fantastic teachers at LFO,” he said. “I got a letter [from Ivy League schools] saying that my teachers think the world of me, and that was really cool.”
Destin is the current STAR student for Catoosa County. He chose Advanced Placement biology teacher Lisa Beck as his STAR teacher, in part for the countless hours she spent helping him peer-edit his college applications. Beck also co-sponsors the LFO Academic Decathlon Team with her husband, Ian.
“We are very proud of him,” LFO principal Terri Vandiver said of Destin. “It’s a huge honor for our academic success at LFO. He is one of the most well-rounded guys you’ll ever meet.”