JANUARY 9, 2025

NOTES FROM SPARTAN LANE

JOHN THORSEN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

Happy 2025 to each of you! So far, the New Year has been quite brisk, but that hasn’t dampened our spirits on Spartan Lane. The students and teachers are off to a positive start and were excited to learn that school will be closed tomorrow because of the winter storm heading our way. As you may have already seen, all classes and activities will be canceled, and the campus will be closed on both Friday, January 10, and Saturday, January 11.

While we may be out on Friday, our students and teachers are busy and engaged. This morning our Upper School students were fortunate to hear from six alumni about their career and college pathways; thank you to Houston Gaines, Laura Hixon, Zander Mason, Umesh Patel, Stephanie Pendleton, and Everett Young for sharing their time and expertise with us. Our Lower School students are preparing for their class play season, which the fourth graders kicked off in December. The cast and crew of the Middle School play, Into the Woods, Jr., are hard at work on their performance, which will run February 7-9. Sports teams are in the midst of their winter seasons and spring sports will begin practicing before we know it. Our PSO leadership has been busy working on the Spartan Soirée, which will take place on Saturday, January 25, at 1055 Barber. Our Board of Trustees is holding committee meetings and preparing for their late-January meetings. As always, we are all busy making good things happen for our students and colleagues. 

Throughout the fall, we have had the good fortune of learning more about Generative AI with a steering committee of parents and colleagues who volunteered to engage on the topic. For me, much of this is uncharted territory, so I have had a steep learning curve. That being said, it is hugely important as we educate and prepare our young people for a future that will be dominated by tech and AI. This article on Generation Beta was eye opening and a little frightening. I have been pleased with how things are unfolding with Flint AI, the software many of our teachers are using in this new space. Our next steps include bolstering the foundation our students have in the Gen AI and tech arena over the next several years. This also supports our objective of teaching our students how to think, not what to think. From my vantage point, this is more important than ever. If you didn’t see this article on deep fakes, I would encourage you to take a look.  Read more.

SCHOOL CLOSED FRIDAY, JANUARY 10

For the past few days, Athens Academy's leadership team has been actively monitoring the development of the winter storm headed to our area. Because our community's safety is our first priority, we have made the decision to close school on Friday, January 10. All classes and activities will be canceled, and the campus will be closed on both Friday and Saturday.

We appreciate your support as we made this decision mid-day in order to preserve the teaching and learning in the classrooms with less distraction. We hope you enjoy the long weekend and perhaps a chance to play in the snow. Please stay safe and warm, and we will see you on Monday morning!

ALL GRADES OPEN HOUSES (K3-Grade 12)

JANUARY 22 & FEBRUARY 19 - 8:30 A.M.

MYERS GALLERY / SCIENCE & ART BUILDING

Parents of prospective students for the 2025-2026 school year are invited to join us for casual and informative open houses on January 22 and February 19. We'll talk about the admission process, the Georgia Promise Scholarship, and the Athens Academy program before touring the campus and seeing our teachers and students in action. Click here to reserve your space. Questions? Email Mary Catherine Jernigan or call 706.433.2599.

SPARTAN 5K VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

If you are interested in volunteering for the 40th annual Spartan 5K and Sprint, please click here and sign up today! The races are scheduled for Saturday, February 8, and there are lots of volunteer spots available. Questions? Email Sarah Gilbert. Thank you!

AWARDS READING CHALLENGE (K3-GRADE 4)

It's time for the annual Awards Reading Challenge! This is a voluntary challenge encouraging students to read award-winning or nominated books. The challenge runs through Wednesday, April 30. Students in K3-grade 2 need to read 10 award-winning or nominated books to complete the challenge. Students in grade 3-4 need to read 7 award-winning or nominated books, three of which must be chapter books. Students who complete the Awards Reading Challenge will be recognized in May at their division's assembly and will earn a small prize with their certificate of completion. Click here for more information and for links to the digital form for submitting completed titles. Questions? Email Katie Terry.

OPEN TO ALL: FIRST FRIDAYS PRAYER GATHERING

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 | 8:15 AM | FARMER FIELD HOUSE

We will be hosting the first prayer gathering of 2025 this Friday, January 10, at the Farmer Field House beginning at 8:15 a.m. Come as you are! All parents and staff are welcome. We will be meeting the first Friday of every month: February 7, March 14, April 4, and May 2. If you have any questions, please email Candace Couch.

PARENT TALK WITH AUTHOR CARA BEAN ON MENTAL HEALTH & YOUNG ADULTS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10 | 3:45-4:30 PM | BERTELSMANN PRESENTATION HALL

Parents: please join Cara Bean, cartoonist and author of Here I Am, I Am Me, for a moment of relaxation and exploration. Discover why she believes comics and mental health topics blend powerfully together, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the journey of creating her book. Hear about the young people, big thinkers, and creative minds who inspired her, and learn more about her unique approach to making comics that inform and uplift. Click here to purchase a copy of Here I Am, I Am Me. Questions? Email Natalie Luke.

AFTER SCHOOL PRIVATE MUSIC LESSONS 

Athens Academy is offering on-campus private instruction in band and orchestral stringed instruments starting in January 2025. Students will meet once a week for twelve weeks for a 30-minute private lesson. The twelve-week fee is $564.00 for the private sessions. Lessons will run from the week of January 13 through the week of April 14. Click here for the bios of the music instructors and contact information. Please contact the individual instructor to arrange your 30-minute time slot. 

AED DEVICES ON CAMPUS

Just a reminder for the new year: Athens Academy provides training for our faculty and staff in CPR and basic first aid on a rotating schedule each year. We also have twelve automated external defibrillator (AED) devices on our campus. They are located in the Reigle Indoor Baseball Facility, the Track House, the Farmer Field House, the Sinkwich Spartan Center, the Science and Arts Building, the Chambers Center, the Bertelsmann Building, the Tillman Center, the Middle School office, the hallway of the Middle School gym, the Middle School Activity Building, and the Harrison Center. If you are concerned about your own health or that of a colleague, please notify someone and never hesitate to ask for help. If you need to call 911 while on campus, remember that the Athens Academy campus is located in Oconee County and ask for that specific dispatcher. Thank you!  

MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAY: INTO THE WOODS, JR.

FEBRUARY 7 & 8 @ 7:00 PM / FEBRUARY 9 @ 2:00 PM

BERTELSMANN PRESENTATION HALL

The Athens Academy Middle School Drama Department is pleased to present the musical Into the Woods, Jr., featuring characters from "Little Red Riding Hood," "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Rapunzel," "Cinderella," and several others. Mark your calendars now! February 7 & 8 at 7:00 p.m. and February 9 at 2:00 p.m. in the Bertelsmann Presentation Hall. Tickets are $2/students and $5/adults and can be purchased through GoFan or at the door.