Stephen Peppers Named Chattooga High Valedictorian

After High School, I’m going to work full-time with Parker Systems as a videographer. Parker partners with Motorola to do disaster recovery after hurricanes and we put videos out every day while we are in the field. I went on my first hurricane with them in the fall and I am ready for the next one.

I am also planning on doing more film projects. Walt Disney has a great quote about filmmakers “We don’t make movies to make money. We make money to make more movies.”

Which extracurriculars, clubs, sports, have you been a part of?

I filmed football with, AllOnGeorgia and Chattooga High School, for 6 years, I played soccer my freshman year, I was a member of the CHS Self-Defense Club, led by my incredible Uncle Nicky Peppers, and I was in 7 shows with Chattooga Curtain Call.

How do you want to be remembered from high school?

I want to be remembered as the tall, long hair nerdy guy who loved Jesus, loved Batman, and worked diligently at the tasks he was given.

Favorite Class / Favorite teacher (does not have to be high school)

My favorite Academic Class was Pre Calculus with Mrs. Beasley. My favorite elective class was Criminal Justice. My favorite teachers were Alvah Beasley, Chris Hodges, Nicky Peppers, Chief Robinson, and Ben Windom.

Where did you attend elementary/middle school?

For the majority of my elementary and middle school education, I attended Providence Preparatory Academy, a small Christian school in Rome. I was also homeschooled and attended Lyerly Elementary towards the end of my middle school career.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In ten years, I think I’ll be married, have two or three feature films under my belt, own a few more Batsuits, have a dedicated home theater, and be on my way to becoming a millionaire.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll read this article in 10 years and find that I was completely wrong. As long as I get to wake up every morning and do what I love to do surrounded by the people I love, I think I’ll be ok. Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV)

Will you continue making movies after high school?

Absolutely! I cannot wait to push my creativity on each project I work on. Currently, I’m working with my friend and collaborator, Sean Wegener, on a story treatment for my first feature film. I plan on making at least one more short film before we begin production on the feature, so stay tuned!

In addition to making my own films, I will be working alongside other filmmakers as an editor, cinematographer, and visual effects artist.

Which class was the most threatening to your valedictorian status or was most challenging?

Probably English 2130 with Mrs. Appelbaum. I took the course during the first semester of my senior year and it was one of the most rigorous classes I had taken in a while. Mrs. Appelbaum is very meticulous with her grading system, she doesn’t leave a lot of room for error. Personally, I admire that approach because it forces me to work harder.

What has been the highlight of high school?

The highlight of high school has been making lifelong friends and memories. I know it sounds corny, but I have seriously enjoyed getting to hang out with incredible people and work on great things.

Describe your high school experience in three words:

Growing, Challenging, Rewarding

Complete the sentence: “I will always remember…”  (something from school)

I will always remember Coach Alvah Beasely’s 2-1-1 speech.

What will you miss most about CHS after you graduate?

The people. I have made many lifelong friendships with both students and teachers at the school. We all have a unity that is pretty special. Even if I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to going to school every day, I knew I could always get through the day because I was surrounded by great people.

How hard did you work to be valedictorian, was it a goal?

Going into high school, I had no aspirations of becoming the valedictorian. After the first 4½ week grading period, my dad asked me if I was doing my best work in school. I had at least a 90 in all my classes, but I wasn’t putting in very much effort. He told me that if I applied myself, I could become the valedictorian. I took on his challenge and the rest is history.

What is your greatest achievement during high school? (Besides valedictorian)

I think the success I’ve had in my career is technically the greatest “achievement” I’ve made in high school. My short film Pies in Disguise (2022) featured in multiple film festivals and even won an award for best student film. I have a job that I love working at where I get to do what I love to do, make videos. I’m blessed to have the success that I have and I can’t wait to see where I’ll go in the future.

How have you changed since freshman year?

Physically I’ve gotten a little bit taller and in better shape overall. As a person, I’d like to think that I’m more mature and have learned how to interact with people better. My friend Sean Wegener once told me that “teenagers are just adults with zero experience.” I’d like to think that over the course of my high school career, I’ve gained a little experience.

Out of all your years in high school, which one was your favorite and why?

My favorite year of high school was my sophomore year. We had returned to school after Covid and it was refreshing to be with my friends again. I met Dylan Bryson, the star of my film Pies in Disguise (2022), and Adam Dawson, two of my close friends to this day. I had the best math class ever with Mrs. Beasley and my friends (We would have been the main characters in a sitcom about the class). Outside of school, I was making my third short film and producing a weekly YouTube series called Two Minute Doctrine with my friend Sean Wegener. That year was a good balance of work and time spent with my incredible friends.

A senior quote:

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16 (NIV)

A word of advice for underclassmen:

If you want to succeed in high school, push yourself as far as you can, and then a little more. Make good friends, friends who will push you to be a better person, friends who won’t let you give up when things are hard, friends who are driven. Take your school work seriously, especially in the classes you don’t like. Talk to teachers, they’re cool people.

Who had the most impact on your education?

Collectively, I think Providence Preparatory Academy had the most impact on my education. The school wanted its students to have a strong foundation. We learned the fundamentals of each subject. For English, we learned grammatical structure, phonetics, storytelling techniques, and speaking basics. For Math, we learned how and why the fundamentals of math worked and memorized multiplication tables and other useful tools. For Science, we learned about the scientific method and how to find evidence of Biblical creation. History was a HUGE subject at school. My history teacher, Mrs. Peggy Decker, went beyond just using history textbooks and made history come alive through various projects, guest speakers, field trips, and much more.

I don’t think I would be where I am today without the strong foundation I got from PPA. I am thankful for everyone who worked at that school during its operation to make it the best place for a kid to learn.