In Focus @ GWA
A news bulletin for the families of George Walton Academy
January 12, 2023
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Email: info@gwa.com
Website: www.gwa.com
Phone: (678) 635-3800
Key Deadlines & Dates
- Winter Term (upper school only): Jan. 3 -13
- Admissions Testing: Jan. 13, No school for Pre-K3 - K5 ONLY
- School Holiday/MLK Jr. Day: Jan. 16
- Red Cross Blood Drive: Jan. 27 (see below)
Please help us welcome our future Head of School, John Marshall, to the GWA family! Everyone is invited to join us for a Meet and Greet reception on Thursday, Jan. 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Commons. This is a drop-in event, and an RSVP is not required.
Making It Real
GWA interns follow unique paths to explore interests and potential future areas of study and careers. It is an exciting time and our students have fully embraced real-world learning.
Trey Kirkpatrick is working at FaithWay Cattle in Bishop, Georgia. He has been involved in the daily tasks of keeping the cattle healthy or “working the calves” and works in the barn to assist with other necessary daily chores. Trey is gaining a full perspective on the cattle industry with visits to livestock auctions and the processing plant.
Aspiring artist Lillie Barrientos is thrilled to be interning at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation. This week she is assisting with the curation of a textile arts exhibit that opens this Friday. She is learning skills that will be relevant as she looks to pursue an art degree. Lillie commented, “We are working to find a really good strategy for the set-up of the exhibit in order to tell a story and grasp the viewers’ attention.”
Gadsten Locklear brought his own skill set and knowledge of automotive repair to his internship with Automotive,Diesel and Performance in Monroe. Thanks to his dad, Gadsten has the know-how to fix diesel engines. This week he replaced a transmission and water pump while working at ADP.
Reese Baker is working at Classic City Orthodontics in Athens. Reese is a quick learner and has been working side-by-side with students from Athens Tech, demonstrating how to properly sterilize orthodontic instruments and set up stations for patient treatment.
We look forward to sharing more stories about our students’ experiences in the real world!
Getting Their Feet Wet
Students in Dr. Nguyen’s "Intro to Fly Fishing" class have been busy learning about the basics of the sport – including equipment, fish, techniques, and saltwater vs. rivers and lakes. They traveled to Smith Creek in Helen, Georgia to practice their newly acquired skills. Students were able to apply what they learned in class to successfully catch and release trout. What a great way to end their winter term fly fishing experience!
Eye Heart Anatomy
In Ms. Benfield’s “Eye Heart Anatomy” Winter Term class, students have learned how to use safe techniques to conduct dissections of a selection of preserved mammalian organs. On Wednesday, the students dissected sheep kidneys injected with red and blue latex, a preparation that allows them to follow the pathway of arteries and veins throughout the kidney tissue. During the dissection class, students take turns dissecting - experiencing both the gross and engrossing aspects of the process. Students learn if they can tolerate the vivid sights and strong smells of dissection, discover their strengths and kindle new interests!
Lessons on the Law
Our "Introduction to Law Enforcement" students have been learning about the different jobs inside a sheriff's department, along with the differences between a sheriff's department, a city police department, Georgia State Patrol, and federal agencies. During the course, Deputy Callaway and Deputy Easley from the Walton County Sheriff's Office, our own SRO Ofc. Holliday as well as Trooper Mapes from the Georgia State Patrol walked through the steps of conducting traffic stops as an officer in the field. Students gained an understanding of the decision-making that occurs when an officer makes a stop. Also, the class learned about the legal implications and due process of traffic stops.
This week, the WCSO crime scene division taught students about how to process a crime scene. They lifted fingerprints from a car and learned the process of fingerprinting and how fingerprints are specific to each individual. The students also spent class time learning about law enforcement theories and practices that directly relate to their everyday lives.
We want to thank the Walton County Sheriff's Office, Monroe Police Department, and Georgia State Patrol for their time and for sharing their valuable expertise with our students.
Behind the Mask
By Josh Jameson
The Winter Term class "Prosthetics for Costume Design" is a fast paced, hands-on, crash course in sculpting, mold making, casting, and application for stage or film character design.
Primarily focused on an original character design of their choosing, students were given a choice to life-cast themselves to create wearable appliances or sculpt and paint a fully realized character maquette. These designs and sculptures are part of a mock design meeting, placing the student in the shoes of an on-set character designer for a theatrical or cinematic production floor, trying to sway their creative director’s decision for the next big Hollywood or Broadway hit. There is no time to waste on this challenging objective: transform a rough concept sketch to a fully realized character in just nine days!
Help Us Spread the Word!
Prospective parents for rising Pre-K3 through 11th-grade students are invited to join us for Open House on Sunday, Feb. 5 beginning at 2 p.m. Registration is required; the registration form may be found at gwa.com. We will begin with a general presentation followed by campus tours. We can’t wait to share all that George Walton Academy has to offer!
More State Qualifiers!
A huge congratulations to the entire GWA Swim team for an outstanding performance including 18 state-qualifying swims and many personal best swims at the Blizzard Blitz Swim Meet at the Frances Meadows Aquatic Center in Gainesville last Saturday! The Bulldogs finished 4th overall out of 12 teams. Highlights include:
- Bella Weimer (varsity) earned her state cut in the 100 Breaststroke.
- River Morrow and Baylor Lingner (varsity) both swam the 500 Freestyle to earn their state times (it was the first time swimming in this event for both of them!).
- Emily Chmielewski (middle school) earned her state cut in the 50 Butterfly.
- Drake Ferguson (middle school) earned his state time in the 50 Breaststroke.
Thirteen out of our 16 varsity swimmers and six out of our 16 middle school swimmers have already earned state-qualifying times in at least one event. The team will compete this Friday at Morgan County where our GWA swimmers will be trying to earn more qualifying times for the GIAA State Championships which will be held Saturday, January 28 at Georgia Tech. Go Bulldogs!
Region Play Begins!
Our Bulldogs celebrated WINS over LCA this week and improved their records – Lady Dawgs are 12-1 (1-0 in the region) and the boys varsity team moves to 10-4 (1-0 in the region). The boys will play Riverside Military on Friday at home and the girls and boys face Tattnall Square at home on Saturday. Click the calendar link below for game times. Way to go, Bulldogs!
Today's In Focus is proudly sponsored Monroe First United Methodist Church and NG3 (www.ng3.org). Interested in advertising through our Corporate Partnership program? Contact Mike Elmankabady melmankabady@gwa.com or call 678-635-3812.