In Focus @ GWA

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Email: info@gwa.com
Website: www.gwa.com
Phone: (678) 635-3800

• Kindness T-shirt Deadline: Jan. 7 (see below)
• Upper School Winter Term: Jan. 4 - 12
• School Holiday: Monday, Jan. 15 (MLK Day)

Our 2024 Winter Term is underway! Upper school students are participating in one of the following during the period between first and second semester:

1. International Exchange (These students have already hosted their exchange students and will be gone during this time).
2. Italy and Greece Trip with Mrs. Watts and Mrs. Quinlan
3. Internships (11th and 12th grade students)
4. On-Campus Capstone Learning Experiences (CLE’s)

• Human & Civil Rights
• Digital Citizenship
• Atlanta: A Global City
• Entrepreneurial Leadership
• Community Service
• Life Skills

Students remaining on campus have been divided into groups and will rotate through the six experiences over the first six days of Winter Term. The final day of Winter Term will consist of hearing from a special guest keynote speaker, as well as a rotation through the CLE’s to provide time for reflective activities and discussion.

We look forward to sharing more about all of these engaging experiences over the next several days and we believe Winter Term will be a valuable learning opportunity for all involved.

Our students traveling to Spain and France have been reunited with their exchange partners from St. Paul's School Barcelona and Saint Denis International School. They will spend a month in school and with their exchange families learning the culture, way of life, and language of their respective countries. Mrs. Watts and Mrs. Quinlan will be leading their group on an STEM focused educational excursion from Venice to Athens.

The Band department is starting off the new year with a big congratulations to 14 of our students who passed the 1st round of the All-State Band audition and have advanced to the 2nd and final round facing the most elite level of young musicians in the state of Georgia. Best of luck on your auditions for All-State!

7th Grade:

London Clark

Upper School:

Jon Terpstra

Kade Franklin

Isaac Osei

Wendy Menard

Addie Hayes

Cale Fuller

Matthew Shackelford

Hayden Byers

Jackson Wimberly

Blakeney Sewell

Nicole Volk

Ella Smith

Michael Mealor

Mr. Smith would also like to congratulate our nine upper school students who made the cut and were chosen by the University of Georgia for this year's January Honor Band Music Festival, known as Janfest!

This event brings together over 900 of the top high school musicians from all over the Southeast to participate in an amazing musical experience like no other at the University of Georgia and a chance for our students to play in the prestigious and beautiful Hodgson Hall at UGA.

The following students have been chosen to represent GWA for this year's event:

Michael Mealor

Ella Smith

Nicole Volk

Blakeney Sewell

Isaac Osei

Wendy Menard

Kade Franklin

Maddie Garrett

Jon Terpstra

Way to go, Band Dawgs!

Each January, George Walton Academy participates in the Great Kindness Challenge. This is a week in which students participate in various acts of kindness to remember the positive impact that kindness can have. Last year, we started our first t-shirt sale in which proceeds go to a local charity that our school community votes on. We are continuing our t-shirt sale and plan to wear them on campus during Spirit Wear Friday Jan. 26 as we end The Great Kindness Challenge. The online shop will close at midnight on Jan. 7 and orders will be available for pick up in the Dawg Shop the week of Jan. 22. This year, our lower school students from the Kids Who Care Club helped to create the t-shirt design. Please support this wonderful cause and remember to vote for your charity when you place your order! Click HERE to purchase.

Tammy Steffic is joining the GWA staff as a new bus driver. She will be driving the Covington bus route and assist with other transportation needs. She lives in Lilburn where she has resided most of her life. She has over 15 years experience driving buses. She has two daughters and three grandchildren. Spending time with her family and attending concerts are the things she enjoys doing best. "I am excited to be a part of the George Walton family," she said. "It feels like home already!"

Today's In Focus is proudly sponsored by Meadows Funeral & Crematory (www.meadowsfuneralhomeinc.com/home).