In Focus @ GWA

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

• Canned Goods Food Drive at GWA: Nov. 8 - 17
• One Act Performances: Nov. 9-11, 6 p.m. (see below)
• Veterans Day Program: Friday, Nov. 10 (students wear dress code)
• Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 20 - 24
• Christmas Tree Presentation: Dec. 1, 9 a.m.
• Gingerbread Christmas: Dec. 3, 4 - 6 p.m.

GWA eleventh-grade British Literature students recently visited the Atlanta Shakespeare Company (Shakespeare’s Tavern) to watch a live production of Shakespeare's final play, "The Tempest." This exciting experience gave students the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the world of Shakespearean theater. They experienced the play just as it was meant to be, with all the lights, sounds, costumes, and actor interactions that Shakespeare intended for his plays. This allowed students to engage with Shakespeare’s work in a way that is simply not possible in the classroom alone.

This unique experience not only deepened their comprehension of Shakespeare's works and writing style but also offered valuable insights into the world of theater and the performing arts.

Mrs. Johnson's U.S. Government class has been researching controversial topics in today's society. Students wrote their own bill expressing their concern for or against their chosen topic. They presented the bill to "Congress" in hopes of receiving a majority vote and getting the bill sent to "President Johnson." If their bill passed Congress, President Johnson either signed the bill into law or vetoed it. This project demonstrates the process of how a bill becomes a law in a meaningful and insightful way.

The 2024 yearbook staff attended the Georgia Scholastic Press Association fall conference at the University of Georgia. They attended sessions where they learned about AP style, journalism, design and coverage, met with vendors and toured the Grady School of Journalism. They even met up with GWA alumni Jesse Wood (class of 2021) and Annabelle Jerman (class of 2020) while in Athens! Jesse, a journalism major, shared her recent articles in the Red & Black.

Mr. Gasaway's middle school Robotics 101 class is building and programming an automated system to detect when an object approaches. First, they had to build a framework to hold the ultrasonic sensor that will detect an object - just like the security systems we use in workplaces or our homes. Once the students program the sensor, they added a sound component to notify when the device is activated. They will also program the device to detect the distance of the object. The class will be adding this to their Rover later this month.

The GWA Marching Bulldog Band competed at the Greater Atlanta Marching Competition at Rockdale County High School in Conyers this past Saturday and had their best run of the season! The Marching Bulldogs received straight superior ratings in Drum Major, Guard, Percussion and Overall Band.

They placed 1st in class Open Drum Major, 1st in Percussion and 1st Overall Band and 2nd in class Open Guard.

They won the Gold Division Grand Champion for class 3,4 and open classes and the Overall Grand Champions for the entire competition in Percussion and Overall Band.

Our Marching Bulldogs competed against 14 other bands, including: West Forsyth, Rome High School, and Wheeler High School to name a few. This was our biggest win of the year, and we are so very proud of our GWA Marching Bulldog Band!

The upper school One Act Competition Class is presenting their competition show, Antigone Now by Melissa Cooper. This play is based on the Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles. Cooper brings this classic to life with modernized language for the modern audience.

If you would like to join us on any of the above dates, please email drama teacher Bekah Wesley at rwesley@gwa.com with the name the tickets should be under, what date you would like to attend, and how many tickets you would like. We hope to see you there!

Our varsity Bulldogs face the Hornets from The Westfield School this Friday night at home. Playoff ticket prices (set by GIAA) are adult/$15, and student/$10 – no Dawgs 360. You may purchase tickets at gofan (link below) or purchase at the gate (cash/card at main gate, cash at other gates).

Let’s pack Don Williams Stadium and cheer on the Dawgs!

https://gofan.co/event/1221872?schoolId=GA5020

Our GWA competition cheer teams gave outstanding performances before the home crowd at Saturday’s Bulldog Battle. Jr. Pro battled their way to second place and middle school and varsity achieved highest division scores as the host teams – which do not compete for placement. Middle school (State Champs) and Jr. Pro wrapped up their seasons while varsity heads to State in Columbus this Saturday. Congratulations to our cheerleaders and coaches, and good luck varsity!

Our GWA Student Council has kicked off the annual canned food drive for the Walton County Empty Stocking Fund. Food boxes will be prepared for 375 families in need for the Christmas holidays. GWA is a valuable part of this worthy endeavor and some of our students will be assisting the food bank to give out boxes and pack packages. To help support this initiative, we ask that you bring in any type of canned food and have your child place them in the barrels provided around campus, mainly in the front office and cafeteria. If giving back isn't enough, we will have a free dress code day if we collect 1000 cans. The food drive will run until November 17.

If your family is interested in volunteering with the Walton County Empty Stocking Fund, click HERE for details. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Hello families!

For the last two weeks in advisory, we have been discussing media balance and well-being as part of our Digital Citizenship topic. Each grade level had a lesson tailored to their age to address the use of electronics and digital media in their lives. This is such a big part of this current generation and we want to make sure that our students have the tools they need to navigate this area in a balanced and healthy way. With school work, social media use, news, and other digital media platforms, our students spend a lot of time using devices. We also wanted to share with you some tips and tricks (click HERE) to have these discussions at home. We hope you find this helpful and informative!

Amber Thomason

Middle/Upper School Counselor

Our first graders and their seniors celebrated friendship at the annual First Grade/Senior Breakfast. They placed U.S. flags on the front lawn for Veterans Day, enjoyed a meal together, shared lots of laughs and smiled for the cameras! Thank you to our first-grade parents for making this event extra special!

Let's put the "found" in our lost and found collection. Items are located in the cafeteria and include GWA apparel, water bottles, lunch boxes, notebooks and even a pair of shoes! Please consider labeling items, especially clothing, with your child's name. Anything that is unclaimed by next Friday, will be donated.

Today's In Focus is proudly sponsored by Apex Painting & Decorating, Inc. (www.apex-paint.com).