In Focus @ GWA

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram or visit us online.

Email: info@gwa.com
Website: www.gwa.com
Phone: (678) 635-3800
Facebook: facebook.com/GeorgeWaltonAcademy/
Twitter: @georgewalton

• Annual Loyalty Fund Drive: Nov. 1 - 12
• Canned Food Drive: Nov. 8 - 19
• Winnie the Pooh: Postponed
• Thanksgiving Holidays: Nov. 22 - 26
• Preview Day: Dec. 2 @ 10 a.m.
• Christmas Tree Presentation: Dec. 3
• Gingerbread Christmas: Dec. 5 (see below)

Please enjoy our virtual Veterans Day Celebration (link below) as we thank the brave men and women who have honorably served and sacrificed for our nation.

www.vimeo.com/georgewaltonacademy/2021veteransday

In case you missed the pre-order for a Veterans Day shirt, the Dawg Shop has youth and adult short sleeve and long sleeve shirts available for purchase. Proceeds benefit Folds of Honor, a non-profit organization that helps provide families of fallen and disabled service members educational scholarships. Short sleeve shirts are $20 and long sleeve are $25.

Taylor Grossman has been chosen as the Rotary Student of the Month for November. She has selected English teacher Melissa Page as Teacher of the Month. Taylor is an AP Scholar with Distinction, a Wofford Scholar, a Presbyterian Fellow, earned the UGA Certificate of Merit as well as the GWA Best of the Best award for the past three years. She is the GWA varsity majorette captain and an accomplished competitive twirler. Taylor is an active member of NHS, Beta Club, Gavel Club (sergeant-at-arms), Latin Club (senior officer), and National Math Honors Society. She serves as a GWA student ambassador and as a member of the Walton County Youth Advocacy Board. She enjoys teaching twirl and dance at Premier Twirl, Dance, Cheer in Watkinsville and coaching the GWA Mini Dawgs twirl team.

Taylor plans to major in biochemistry or biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech or the University of Georgia. Congratulations to Taylor and Mrs. Page!

The GWA Chapters of the National Honor Society and Beta Club were pleased to gather to induct new members for both the 2020-21 and the 2021-22 school years. After postponing the ceremony last year due to COVID, we were so grateful to have the opportunity to recognize these students for their commitment to serve their community and maintain an exemplary academic performance.

Thank you to all who were able to attend and congratulations to our outstanding new members: Click HERE for complete list of inductees and see below for our NHS and Beta Club 2021-22 leadership.

National Honor Society (maintaining cumulative GPA of 93.00+)

President: Ella Rowan

Vice President: Anna Swope

Beta Club (maintaining cumulative GPA of 90.00+):

President: Breena McGraw

Vice President: Noah Hicks

Mu Alpha Theta, the national high school and two-year college math honor society inducted 16 members on Wednesday during LINX. Mu Alpha Theta has more than 100,000 members from over 2,420 chapters in the US and 23 foreign countries. Each member meets the rigorous requirements for membership. The principal purpose of Mu Alpha Theta is to stimulate a deeper interest in mathematics. Members will participate in competitions, organize math related activities and be of service in a math related manner. The officers for this year are Noah Hicks, Anna Swope, Grace Watts and Mac Geoffroy.

Our new members are:

Ana Swope

Noah Hicks

Carsyn Baker

Grace Watts

Mac Geoffroy

Ella Rowan

Elizabeth Quinlan

Madison Marable

Abigail Mack

Alex Hutchison

Garrett Kirby

Caroline Wood

Charlie Stout

Nicole Volk

Jordan Smothers

Taylor Grossman

Lower school STEM lessons with Mrs. Bishop offer students hands-on learning, collaboration with other classes and opportunities to improve problem-solving skills.

Connecting second grade’s social studies unit on Mexico with an explosively fun STEM project, students created erupting volcanoes in class! By adding a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to the flask inside their handcrafted mountains, second graders made lava-like foam rise from the top and flow down the sides of the volcanoes.

By combining STEM with a growth mindset in a Thanksgiving themed activity, third-grade students were challenged to create a boat with one piece of foil to see how many pennies it could hold. After analyzing how to make a better boat, they tried again. Students quickly learned what worked and how to improve on their ideas. Boats went from holding a few pennies to over a hundred!

GWA’s sports broadcasting class has afforded junior Damaris Winters with the opportunity to fulfill his dream of producing a docuseries about himself and the GWA boys basketball team called “1Of1.”' The series details the season and will show the ups and downs of a full basketball season through Damaris’ eyes. You will see the struggle of balancing family, basketball, and social life and the successes of winning. With the help of students in the class and the support of the team he has filmed his life, practices, and games. You can find “1Of1” starting tonight on YouTube at 7:30 p.m. Click the link below to access or use the QR code.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwNSPVD0ihs

With Winter Term on the horizon, we are working on gathering materials for our various activities. We are currently asking for clean, empty glass Coke bottles. We need 150-200 bottles. So, if during the upcoming holidays you serve bottled cokes, please consider saving them for us! Just leave them with the front office. Thank you!

The Human Performance Department is new to GWA this year and already making an impact. This department works with students to teach them about the importance of health and athletic performance through personalized workouts tailored to their individual goals with an eye on long-term health and wellness. Your support enables GWA to offer unique, meaningful opportunities like this to our students setting them on a path to success in college and life.

Join us as we partner with Downtown Monroe to spread Christmas cheer during the Magical Night of Lights next Thursday, November 18 in Childers Park. We are still looking for a few more performers and volunteers for the evening. Contact Cari Bailey in the admissions office if you’d like to help.

Help us spread Christmas cheer by decorating and driving your golf cart in the Gingerbread Christmas parade on Dec. 5 or adopting and decorating a tree in the courtyard over Thanksgiving break! Contact Elizabeth McDonel to sign up.

Before a crowd of family and friends, Charlie Stout has signed with the University of Georgia for swimming. The state champion swimmer also received his second championship ring at Wednesday's ceremony. We wish Charlie all the best this season and as he heads to Athens next year! Congratulations to Charlie on his on outstanding athletic and academic achievements!

By Grace Martin, Associate Athletic Director - Youth Sports

Our youth sports program started the school year off with over 100 students competing in flag football, tackle football, cheerleading and twirling. We celebrated victories and learned from a few losses.

Our 8U tackle team finished the year 2nd in the county and our 10U tackle team won the county championship! George Walton Academy is so proud of players and coaches who worked for months towards an end goal. Final records for tackle- 10U : 10-1 and 8U 10-2. 10U has formed an Allstar team to compete for a state title on November 27 and 28 in Oakwood, Georgia.

We are thankful for the volunteer coaches and team moms who promote our youth programs and donate countless hours to these students.

Flag coaches-

Red- Brannon Fissette

White- Wes Sorrells

Black- Taylor Manry

10U Tackle-

Nick Knapp

Ben Yeater

Brandon Baker

Jimmy Lively

Austin Hamman

8U Tackle-

Nick Knapp

Ben Yeater

Walker Sapp

Louis Pierre

Garrett Lussi

Austin Hamman

Tackle football team mom- Heather Knapp

Youth cheer-

Michele Bowen

Ashley Johnston

Lauren Keller

Majorettes-

Candy Byrd

Jere Lin Hutter

Our varsity competition squad heads to Putnam Co. High School this Saturday to compete in Sectionals starting at 9 a.m. Good luck, cheerleaders and coaches!

An attitude of gratitude does not always come naturally. It takes tons of practice and effort to muster gratitude on our worst days, but we can choose to be thankful in all circumstances. Research has shown that expressing gratitude can make us happier, healthier and more optimistic. I encourage you to take this season to reflect on the people, memories, and experiences that make you thankful. Even if it feels cheesy, invite your family to share (say, draw, write, sing, etc.) whatever makes them feel grateful.

Thank you for reading. Many blessings to your family this Thanksgiving!

Lindsey Bailey

Lower School Counselor

Today's In Focus is proudly sponsored by Conner Grading & Landscaping. Interested in advertising through our Corporate Partnership program? Contact Jeanie Beach at jbeach@gwa.com or call 678-635-3812.