In Focus @ GWA
A news bulletin for the families of George Walton Academy
January 10, 2019
Email: info@gwa.com
Website: www.gwa.com
Phone: (678) 635-3800
Facebook: facebook.com/GeorgeWaltonAcademy/
Twitter: @georgewalton
Key Deadlines & Dates
- Counselor Chat: Jan. 17
- Yearbook Order Deadline EXTENDED: Jan. 18
- Blood Drive: Jan. 18
- K4/K5 Student Holiday: Jan. 18
- School Holiday: Jan. 21
- Chili Cookoff & Bingo Night: Jan. 31
Our GWA families may have noticed a new addition to our beautiful campus! The new construction and re-positioning of the Spring Street gates are part of our ongoing effort to improve campus security. The gatehouse will help better monitor traffic coming and going through campus. GWA families will be issued a sticker to allow seamless entry and all other visitors will be required to register upon arrival. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this week, and should be fully operational by the beginning of February. Stickers and instructions will be sent to families soon.
We Proudly Introduce...
GWA welcomes Cathrine Shepard as our new upper school physics teacher. Cathrine has a broad background in the sciences and will be a strong fit for our physics program. She earned a master’s degree in science education from the University of Georgia, and is now completing her master’s work in marine science and holds a bachelor of science degree in chemistry with a minor in sustainability.
Cathrine said she chose George Walton Academy because she likes the style of teaching and creativity that is allowed. Her goals while at GWA are to “try to implement more of my own teaching by using phenomenon-based learning.” She wants students to understand why and how things work instead of simply memorizing facts and formulas.
Dawg Days Presents Exciting Opportunities
Winter Term Dawg Days are in full swing on campus! Upper school students are embracing the classics and going “old school” in a variety of Cool Courses. They are discovering the art of fine photography by using a large format camera, listening to vinyl recordings while learning the history of decades old music and breaking out classic games like Dungeons and Dragons. Others are utilizing 14th century engineering principles to build trebuchets and compete for prizes based on launch accuracy and distance. These mini-courses give students a chance to leave the everyday routines behind and follow their own curiosities!
Terrific Job, Super Readers!
Back row (L to R): Lucie Pulliam, Maisen Rogers, Phillip Akin, Lucy Harrison, Oliver Reid
Front Row (L to R): Andy Harkins, Ryver Bailey, Addie Trinh, Jaxi Hicks, Benton Yeater
Heavy Machinery at Work!
Congratulations #gwaproud winner!
Winter Term Adventures
Help support the American Red Cross! GWA is hosting a blood drive on Friday, Jan. 18 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and we need volunteers to donate blood. Please make an appointment by visiting redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code gwa, or call 1-800-2767. Photo ID will be required to participate. Do your part to help save lives!
Congratulations to our hard-working marching bulldogs! The following GWA students have qualified to represent George Walton with the All-State band at the District level-Jolie Lanier, Gabie Cason, Alex Carrillo, Gracie Wood, Barbara Hammons, Julie Cato, Mason Lee, Julian Brown, Daniel Harkins, Russel Moore, Claire Volk, Madison Smith, Brooks Dokes, Mac Geoffroy, Mike Pulliam, Eli Scornik, Emma Barley & Will Bowick for the ninth-10th grade level; Lydia Akin, Alex Aull, Brody Lindsey & Bailey Croker for the 11th-12th grade level.
We also had 20 students who scored high enough to advance to the second-round auditions! These students try out for the All-State Band against the entire state of Georgia's best high school players from every school program, which is already a tremendous accomplishment.
We had seven diligent young students who made the final cut and will be representing George Walton in this year's All-State Band-Brody Lindsey, Alex Aull, Eli Scornik, Brooks Dokes, Mike Pulliam, Alex Carrillo, and Gracie Wood.
We are proud of these students for their above and beyond accomplishments!
Last chance to buy a yearbook! You can order one here or send a check made out to GWA ($75 per book - deadline extended to Jan. 18) to Liz Jones in the front office. Don’t forget to include your child’s name, grade and homeroom.
And if you have any questions regarding school photography, please contact our school photographer, Elena De La Rosa at elena@elenadelarosaphotography.com or give her a call at 770-861-5890.
Welcome to GWA, Coach Jackson!
We are pleased to introduce our new lacrosse coach Scott Jackson.
Coach Jackson grew up in Milford, Delaware. He played a variety of sports before discovering lacrosse at age 10. He graduated from Sussex Technical High School in 2004. While at Sussex Tech he was a four-year varsity letterman and earned an invitation to the North-South Senior All-Star Game. After graduation Coach Jackson spent a year at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was named the team's most valuable freshman after scoring 28 points. He moved back home to Delaware after his freshman year and began coaching at his alma mater working with both the JV and Varsity teams in 2006 & 2007...Read More.