In Focus @ GWA

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter

or visit us online.

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

• Summer Camps Registration: open now, go to gwa.com to register
• Volleyball Interest Meeting: April 11 (see below)
• Admissions Open House: April 14
• Iowa Assessments: April 15-18 for (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Grade)
• Winter Term Travel Interest Meeting: April 18 (see below)
• Iowa Assessments: April 22-25 (5th, 6th & 7th Grade)

• Parent Meeting: April 25 for rising 9th graders, 6 p.m. in cafeteria

• Field Day: April 26

• Parent Meeting: April 30 for rising 6th graders, 6 p.m. in cafeteria

GWA is currently preparing for dual re-accreditation in 2025 by both SAIS (Southern Association of Independent Schools) and GISA (Georgia Independent School Association). This happens every five years or so. As part of this process, we look forward to gathering input from our families over the course of the next year. These longstanding associations require curricular programs, daily practices, and strategic goals of member schools to be aligned with a school’s mission. In short, everything we do at GWA should seek to fulfill our unique mission. Our mission statement is one sentence:

George Walton Academy provides challenging instruction, engaging experiences and global perspectives designed to inspire lives of intellectual curiosity, integrity, and purpose.

Here are a few examples of how our mission statement drives us:

Challenging instruction: We offer more than 40 AP and honors courses in our Upper School. 100% of the Class of 2024 have already been accepted into a college or university. 90% of our AP Students in 2023 passed their exam (earning a score of 3 or higher) and thus earned college credit. We are unapologetically rigorous in our academic focus.

Engaging experiences: GWA teachers should know their students. No student should fall through the cracks because our classes are small and teachers serve as faculty advisors, meaning they take an active interest in students beyond the classroom.

Global Perspectives: Many students travel during the academic year, throughout the state, Southeast and abroad. Our goal is to prepare them for the world. This month we will host a group of students from Mexico City. Also, we are excited to share information (below) about our three Winter Term 2025 international travel opportunities.

Inspire: We expect teachers and coaches not simply to know their subjects and sport. Our educators are called to motivate, to energize, and to inspire children of all ages.

Lives of integrity and purpose: GWA seeks to develop the whole child: who students are as a person is as important as how much they know. Each fall, every teenager signs the honor code in front of their peers in a special assembly, pledging to be honorable and honest. This is the GWA Way.

At George Walton Academy, our mission really matters. We aspire to fulfill our mission and to hold ourselves accountable to living it daily to develop young people to embrace lives of humility, purpose, and service.

John D. Marshall

Head of School

Our Winter Term 2025 travel adventures will provide engaging learning opportunities for GWA upper school students in France, South Korea/Japan, and Peru. Travelers will delve into culture, cuisine, arts, architecture, history, nature, science, technology and more during their nine-day excursion. There will be an interest meeting for all three trips on April 18, 6-7 p.m. in the Commons. Spots for each trip are relatively limited and discounts may be applied for early registration. Here are details for each Winter Term travel option:

France Trip Summary:

• LOCATION: France
• DATES: 9 days, approximately January 6-14, 2025
• CHAPERONES: Mrs. Melissa Page and Mrs. Cécile Gervais
• COST: $5651
• HIGHLIGHTS: Paris: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, Versailles: palace and gardens, Lyon: cuisine and culture, Alps: snowshoeing and ice skating, Geneva: lake Views and Old Town, view on the Mont Blanc (15,777 ft.)
• LINK: http://educationaltravel.com/Vargas%E2%80%906224

South Korea/Japan Trip Summary:

• LOCATION: South Korea/Japan
• DATES: 9 days, January 7-16
• CHAPERONES: Mrs. Suzy Quinlan squinlan@gwa.com & Mr. Josh Jameson
  STUDENTS: open to anyone who has completed Geometry or is especially interested in STEM and gets permission from Mrs. Suzy.
• COST: $5999 ($350 discount for early sign-up)
• HIGHLIGHTS:
  S. Korea: HKR, DMZ, N. Seoul Tower and Observatory, Songhyeon Light Festival, Samsung Innovation Museum, COEX Mall
  Japan: Sky Tree, Meiji Shrine, TeamLab Planets, Maglev Exhibit, Electric Town, JAXA Space Agency, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
• LINK: http://educationaltravel.com/Quinlan-2115

Peru Trip Summary:

• LOCATION: Peru, South America
• DATES: 9 days, approximately January 7-15, 2025
• CHAPERONES: Ms. Cara Benfield cbenfield@gwa.com & Dr. Collin Dibble
• COST: $4349 (with up to $400 early sign-up discount offered)
• HIGHLIGHTS: service learning projects and leadership development, visit the UNESCO World Heritage site Machu Picchu, explore traditional arts and culture
• LINK: https://bit.ly/4cNevkp

Mrs. Johnson's class delved into the history of World War II and the Holocaust. Each student was given a persona corresponding to a Holocaust victim. After summarizing and predicting the experiences of their assigned victim, students engaged in interviews with two fellow classmates who were given different victims, thereby exploring a range of perspectives. Finally, Mrs. Johnson concluded the exercise by revealing the fate of each victim, providing a poignant conclusion to their study.

GWA eighth-grade students got a taste of reality today as they visited the Walton County Chamber of Commerce Reality Check. This program offers students a unique opportunity to explore hypothetical future scenarios related to various aspects of their lives, including jobs, education, marital status, and family dynamics. Students gained valuable experience in paying bills, budgeting and decision making. This exercise is always an eye-opening experience for our eighth graders. Check out some of the overheard comments:

• Leo De Almeida- "Can I sell my kids?"
• Alex Pulliam -"I won the lottery! Let's go!"
• Mason McGowan - "I've got to go get a job. I'm out of money."
• Carter Mitchell - "Where can I sell my organs?"
• Lilly Stephens - "Mr. G, I hate being an adult."
• Morgan Johnson - "Do you have to keep your kids?"
• Mac Ferguson - "I finished with $2,258."
• Unknown - "Can I live in my car?"
• Nolan Gray - "I'm a million dollars in debt... I bought the Batmobile."
• Landry Atkinson - "I'm negative four dollars."
• Mark Henderson - "There's charity. I need that."
• Ella Minicozzi - "Now I know why my parents said they'd need to get a second job to send me to France."

By Denise Schnieders

On Monday, third graders wrapped up their coverage of the electrifying March Madness Multiplication Mania, where students have been showcasing their multiplication prowess!

In round one, our third-grade students astounded us with their remarkable performance, boasting an impressive average score of 94% while tackling a daunting 144 multiplication questions. Their proficiency and confidence were on full display as they effortlessly navigated through the challenges. However, rounds two and three proved to be tougher battlegrounds as the competition intensified and the field narrowed. Despite the increased difficulty, our students continued to demonstrate resilience and determination, showcasing their dedication to mastering multiplication facts.

After an exhilarating journey through the brackets, they reached the highly anticipated final showdown between Atlee Lussi and Miles Manry. In a head-to-head battle of wits and multiplication mastery, Atlee emerged triumphant, with an astonishing display of accuracy. Remarkably, Atlee missed only two questions throughout the entire bracket, a testament to his focus and precision.

As we celebrate Atlee's well-deserved victory and bid farewell to March Multiplication Madness, let us also applaud all the participants for their hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship!

Last night’s College Panel event included representatives from Georgia College and State University, Oklahoma University, SCAD, the University of Alabama, and Emory University. During the panel discussion the reps offered students advice regarding the application process and their unique perspectives on the admissions process for their institution. Students and parents had the opportunity to ask questions and meet one on one with each representative.

GWA boys golf placed second at Region and earned a state berth with a score of 334. Cade Williams was low medalist for the tournament with an impressive 67! Cade Williams and Henry Bailey were named All-Region. Congratulations and good luck to our golfers!

Our GWA first and second singles faced off on Tuesday for the Region Championship. Lindsey Phillips was Region Champion, Ellie Lang was Region Runner-Up. Phillip Akin, our number one singles player, won the Region Championship, defeating Riley Lane from BCA 6-0 6-1. Riley Root and Emma Dopp are the new doubles Region Champs. Julia Tanase and Brooklyn Concepcion are doubles Region Runner-Up. Mason and Emmett Kirkpatrick earned a third seeding spot from our Region while Ayden Concepcion and David Eberly will go as our fourth top team. All players will head to Macon on Monday for the State Individual Championship tournament. Go Bulldogs!

Our third- and fourth-grade music students, under the direction of Mrs. Kacie Tarbutton, presented "Positive - A Celebration of Happy Thoughts." Congratulations to our students on their outstanding performances during the morning and afternoon shows.

Today's In Focus is proudly sponsored by Element Home Loans (https://elementhl.com/).