In Focus

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

• Youth Cheer & Soccer Registration Now Open: see below

• Summer Camp Registration is Open: go to gwa.com

• Lucky Dawg Gala & Benefit Auction: March 8

• MS Class Trip Week: March 10 - 14

• Scholastic Book Fair: March 13 - 21

• Grandparents Day: March 14 (11 a.m. dismissal)

• Jr./Sr. Prom: March 14

• No School for MS/HS students: March 14

• St. Patrick's Day: March 17 - wear your GREEN shirt!

• GWA Open House: March 30

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE GWA WEBSITE CALENDAR

Prospective families are invited to an admissions meet and greet at the home of a current GWA family in the River Cove subdivision in the Social Circle/Covington area. If you know of a family looking for a new school home, please share this information with them. We look forward to meeting prospective families and sharing all aspects of the GWA student experience. Thank you for your support in welcoming new families into our community!

GWA is thrilled to announce the hiring of Assistant Director of College Counseling Erin Springstead. Erin joins the GWA faculty from Pope Saint John Paul II Preparatory School in Nashville, TN. She served as the Director of Counseling where she oversaw college counseling, academic advising, and social-emotional development for students in grades 6-12. Before working in the high school setting, Erin served as an admissions counselor at Vanderbilt University, where she evaluated applications and hosted prospective students and families. Erin holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. A native of Watkinsville, Erin is excited to return to the area and be closer to family.

The College Counseling Office will be hosting the College Admissions Panel on Monday, April 28, at 6:30 p.m. in the Nicholson Center. All sophomores and juniors are required to attend the event and all grades are welcome to attend.

Between six and eight college and university admission representatives from large, small, private, public, in-state & out-of-state schools will be participating. George Walton Academy students and families will not only learn about these respected institutions but also about the college admissions process in general. There will be time for Q & A as well.

Please email Mr. Terrell at jterrell@gwa.com with any questions.

Throughout February, advisory groups explored selected Black History Month topics and prepared presentations for their peers. They were encouraged to be creative and make meaningful connections to their subjects. Each presentation was evaluated based on creativity, engagement, thorough research, and informativeness. The advisory group with the best project will be rewarded with a special breakfast in recognition of their hard work. Our students put in great effort and produced some outstanding projects!

And the winners are:

Middle School: Mr. Smith's advisory - Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder and Nat King Cole

High School (tie): Mrs. Steele's advisory - Simone Biles and Dr. Dibble's advisory - Florence Price

During Building Bulldogs, lower school students learned the importance of respect. They gained a deeper understanding of how impactful respect can be in growing relationships with friends, family, and self. They explored the special power of difference and discovered how unique personalities can come together to create lasting friendships.

"Respect is one of the greatest expressions of love." - Miguel Angel Ruiz

Third grade's STEM/AG theme for the year is "How Did That Get in My Lunchbox?" focusing on food products that are grown or can be grown right here in Georgia. Our Georgia grown focus this month is on strawberries. Students learned that strawberries are actually members of the rose family and contain more vitamin C than citrus fruits. Strawberry growing season in Georgia is traditionally early spring planting when nighttime temperatures are consistently over 35 degrees. Northern Georgia has a lot of heavy clay in the soil so it's best for home gardens to either plant strawberries in pots or in mounds with amended soil. Students learned strawberries are fleshy fruits and rot very easily especially when they are wet. The class wrapped up their study of strawberries with two labs - strawberry and pineberry taste tests and making strawberry Play-Doh.

Demonstrating unwavering determination and perseverance, our varsity girls’ basketball team overcame a season filled with injuries and illness and made their third straight appearance in the Final Four state playoff game to face Athens Christian. However, due to a technical error in the final seconds—one that was ultimately allowed to stand—the Lady Dawgs were not afforded the opportunity to return to the Championship game this year.

Key players Khyler Hannay and Demere Gray were both out for the season by the end of December, and senior standouts Ashley Hill and Leila Mathis also experienced physical challenges. Ashley played with a broken finger, and Leila missed two important games due to emergency surgery. Despite these setbacks, the team finished third in the state (GIAA Class AAAA) with an overall record of 18-6.

Coach Lori Hines commented, “My girls worked so hard this year, and I am very proud of how tough this group is, mentally and physically! We could not have asked for any more out of them. they gave all they had every practice and game.”

We celebrate the accomplishments of these talented and hard-working athletes and recognize the following achievements:

· All-State Players (3rd straight year): Ashley Hill and Leila Mathis

· Two-time Region Player of the Year: Ashley Hill

· 1st team All-Region: Leila Mathis

· 2nd team All-Region: Lora Kate Malcom

· Player points milestones (over 4-year career): Ashley Hill with over 1,500 points and Leila Mathis with over 1,000 points.

Good luck to Ashley and Leila as they head to the GIAA All-Star game on Saturday at Tattnall Square Academy at 5 p.m.

Congratulations to Coach Lori Hines, Coach Grace Martin, and the 24-25 Lady Dawgs on an impressive season!

Our 3-0 varsity boys lacrosse team looks to continue their winning streak at home as they take on the Hebron Lions tonight at 6 p.m. This follows Tuesday’s hard fought 10-9 victory over Mt. Paran in double OT!

The 2025 Cheer Season is right around the corner, and registration for cheerleading is now open! The GWA Youth Cheer Program is open to students in grades K5 - 5. They cheer at football games for Sideline and go to competitions for Jr Pro on Saturday mornings.

There will be a mandatory meeting for girls who plan to compete on our Jr Pro Competition Team on Sunday, March 30 at 5 p.m. in the Learning Center.

There will be a mandatory fitting for both Sideline and Jr Pro on Tuesday, April 15, in the cafeteria at the following times:

K5 – 2nd: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

3rd – 5th: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

There is a $25 registration fee, which will be billed through TeamSnap. Additional mandatory uniform items will be paid to Varsity Spirit Apparel Company at the fitting on April 15.

Pricing:

*NEW K5-2nd sideline will cost approximately $200 not including shoes

*NEW 3rd-5th sideline will cost approximately $250 not including shoes

*NEW 3rd-5th Jr. Pro will cost approximately $300.

Please reach out to Chelsia Beam at cbeam@gwa.com with any questions about Youth Sideline Cheer.

Please get in touch with Holly Atkinson at hatkinson@ymail.com with any questions about Jr Pro Competition Cheer.

Please register your child here:

Youth Sideline Cheer (K5 – 5th)

JR Pro Competition Cheer Registration

Youth Soccer registration is now open! Tanya Rainford and Cecile Gervais run the youth soccer program. They ran an amazing program last school year and plan to continue building a pipeline of talented soccer players to feed our Middle School and High School teams.

Practices will be held on Thursdays from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. at the practice field behind the baseball field. Mrs. Rainford and Mrs. Gervais will escort players to the field and return them to the front office at 4:15 p.m. for pick up. Any child not picked up by 4:15 p.m. will be taken to Aftercare.

-Sessions will start Thursday, March 13 and continue through May 15.

-Cost is $120 for new players, $100 for returning players

-Your child must have their cleats, shin guards, and a water bottle.

Register Here: https://forms.gle/ECJvYsmnuDGARiG98

The Lucky Dawg Gala Silent Auction is now OPEN, giving you the chance to bid on incredible items and experiences—all while supporting GWA. Whether you're looking for exclusive getaways, one-of-a-kind memorabilia, or special treats for the whole family, there’s something for everyone! CLICK HERE to browse and bid.

By Lexi Bond

A few of our upper level art students are working on independent projects. Junior, Chloe Wall, is working on a sculpture project. “I’m crafting a piece that is designed to look like a cake, but functions as a jar. I drew inspiration from my passion for both baking and art in order to create something I loved,” she explained. Chloe has been working on this project for a few weeks and her skills are very impressive.

Kiera Campbell has spent the last few months in her independent study sculpting her project. After sculpting her creature from wire and clay, she has begun crafting all of the details. “I sculpted my creature and designed my base using foam and a hot wire to etch the smaller features and texture. I’m painting the details of the creature now and hoping to wrap things up in the next few weeks before I begin my next project.”

Ava St. Germain is a senior working on a twelve foot bone sculpture. “I’ve spent the last few months carving a bone out of foam and other materials so we can have it mounted in the Nicholson Center for the student section, nicknamed "The Bone Yard."