Ringgold High School senior Noah Albritton is first in his class and in line to be the valedictorian. He maintains a 4.0 grade point average, in addition to serving as marching band captain and running his own business.Ringgold High School senior Noah Albritton is on top of his game in all areas of life.
He is the school’s STAR Student, captain of the RHS marching band, an Eagle Scout, president of the National Honor Society and maintains the No. 1 status in his class. He is the recipient of the National Merit Scholarship, the Rotary Scholarship and a semifinalist for the Young Entrepreneur Scholarship.
He also operates his own landscaping business – Albritton Outdoor Services – adding to his workload in the spring and summertime.
“Owning my own business is great because I get to do something I enjoy: landscaping,” said Albritton. “It’s just me out there. It teaches me accountability and responsibility. It’s been a learning experience, but it’s been great. I get to do something I love. I like getting to interact with people. A lot of times, it’s an elderly person that needs their yard mowed.”
He got his first taste of landscaping a few years ago, before deciding to break into the business. To earn his Eagle Scout badge, Albritton decided to help beautify the city of Ringgold by removing 15 trees and bringing in seven truckloads of dirt and a few concrete benches with the help of Boy Scout Troop 52.
STAR Students are selected based on their SAT score – which must be the highest in the school. Albritton scored a 2020 out of a possible 2400.
He selected Mark Pierce as his STAR Teacher. Albritton took Honors Literature and Advanced Placement Literature in Pierce’s classes.
“Mr. Pierce is a mentor to the students,” said Albritton. “He teaches how to be a good citizen. Mr. Pierce really wants to affect someone’s life. That’s what is special about him. He’s a phenomenal teacher. You can see the passion he has for students. He teaches about humanity and our world as a whole. We call Mr. Pierce’s class ‘The Year of Enlightenment,’ because he opens up your eyes to so much.”
Albritton added that many of the teachers at RHS are passionate about teaching. His band director, Robin Christian, is another inspiration in his life.
“Being the band captain at Ringgold High School is an incredible experience,” Albritton said. “The band program is well-known. Band Director Robin Christian transformed it from 87 to 250 members. The new theater at the school is named the Robin L. Christian Performing Arts Theater. I really feel it’s an honor to have a leadership role in the band. The band program takes hours and hours to come together. A lot of it is inspired by Mr. Christian. He arrives at 6 a.m. at school and stays till 8 p.m. and loves it. He has done so much for the program.”
Albritton plans to move away to obtain his education, but wants to come back to his hometown of Ringgold afterwards.
“I’m on a waiting list at Harvard,” he said. “I will either study mathematics or economics. “My plan [if Harvard does not work out] is to go to Georgia State University and major in actuarial science. I like mathematics and my dream is to have my own wealth management company. Short term, I would like to become an actuary. I would be a risk manager. They create a mathematical model to show a company how to perform better. I would like to create an investment plan. Then, I could start a wealth management company and go from there.”