Make-A-Wish

The Make-A-Wish Tournament, which Germantown Academy’s Girl’s and Boys’ basketball teams compete in, is this coming weekend. Both teams play back to back both Friday and Saturday night, and the atmosphere in the gym is unlike any other basketball tournament of the year. All proceeds of the tournament benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life threatening illnesses. Teachers, students, faculty, alumni, and the rest of the GA community all come to show their support of the teams and the Make-A-Wish foundation. From the roaring student section, to the action packed games, this event combines fun with giving, which is especially great during the holiday season. You can find most of the GA community in the gyms this weekend, selling concessions, tickets, the Make-A-Wish Ad books, and in the stands, all to support the rest of the community and to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

- Angela U.

...Santa Clause Is Coming To Town (soon!)

As winter break nears, we are all prepared for the onslaught of work. Students and teachers alike know that sleep will be limitted, tears will be many, and stress will build. During this dark and horrifying time, we must all remember to be positive and that a bad performance on ONE test will not define the rest of our lives. If you are up at one cramming for a test, it's time to go to bed. So what that you may not get a perfect score? Settle for a B and call it a night before your brain explodes. It is difficult, and as humans, we have the right to complain. Just don't let yourself be carried away. Unfortunately, we are all moody teenagers or stressed adults with a knack for blowing things out of proportion, but try to remember what lies ahead: TWO WEEKS OF FREEDOM. As I close this rant and bid you all good luck, let me leave you with an inspiring mantra:

    

    You better not pout

    You better not cry

    You better not shout

    I'm telling you why...

    Santa Clause is coming to town!

- Lauren W.

A Time to Remember Holiday Traditions

The month of December is not only the start of the holiday season but also a reminder to the GA community that the greatest gift of all is the gift of giving.  With the holidays approaching, the seniors will savor and enjoy the last of the numerous holiday CSO traditions at GA.  The candy cane sale that benefits CHOP begins this week.  I myself purchased 20 candy canes!  The CSO holiday fair where thousands of toys are piled up in the big gym and then distributed to less fortunate children is also approaching soon.  Finally, the Make a Wish Tournament, featuring our very own boys and girls basketball teams, tips off on Friday the 14^th.  Happy Holidays to all!    

- Michael H.  

Thankful for Community

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving as I did! As much as I would have liked to keep sleeping in until 11, it was nice to return to the GA community this week. Being new last year, I have found GA to be extremely inviting. The biggest thing that has stood out to me about GA is this sense of community. The teachers do genuinely care about their students, but not only about how well they are doing in their class. They are also interested in their life outside of academics, whether that be sports or another activity. I have come to appreciate this more and more as I have been at GA. The students also have a great deal of respect towards the teachers and know how to balancing having some fun and doing serious work. I think this helps to bring GA together and make it what it is. The GA community is definitely something I am thankful for this holiday season!

-Morgan

Fall Concert 2012

On the night of Tuesday November 20, students’ parents and relatives, teachers, and alumni filled the Arts Center to listen to Upper School students showcase the culmination of several months’ hard work.  The audience was impressed by the quality of the performances, which ranged from the Symphonic Band’s “Marriage of Figaro” to the String Orchestra’s “Bolero”, even to the choir’s (aka Singing Patriots) “Dynamite” (yes, the “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz).  In total, 90 students in 5 separate performance groups walked onto the stage that night and put their all into pieces that they have been so hard at work on.  But for the seniors that took part, it was a bittersweet beginning to the end of their GA musical careers.

- Brett C.

 

Goodbye November, Thanks for the Memories

November is a busy time for students in the Upper School.  It’s also a very nostalgic time, especially for seniors.  Our pep rally was the best of all time and numerous seniors contributed to its success.  For many, myself included, GA/PC Day was the last time seniors competed in fall sports with their teammates.  Nine to Five was incredible last week, and again, the seniors were powerful as they performed their last Upper School musical on stage.  Tonight is the US Fall Concert and seniors take solace in knowing that there remains one more concert in the spring. CSO (Community Service Organization), especially its senior leaders, never lets us forget those who are less fortunate - the clothing drive and Thanksgiving Day canned food drive are my favorite.  Quick shout-out to Bridie L. ('13) for bringing in an unprecedented amount of cans…210! 

During this week of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for so much.  My family is the obvious!  I am also incredibly grateful for my education at GA.  The tremendous experiences and incredible opportunities provided by GA’s outstanding faculty are the reasons why no one forgets their time at this school.  Happy Thanksgiving to all!

-Michael H. 

GA vs. Sandy: Post Hurricane PatChatting

Sandy coming in (haha too soon?)

Beach damage L

As everyone knows, about 2 weeks ago, Hurricane Sandy swept right through the East Coast, leaving the shore, the entire boardwalk, PECO, and school attendance in the dust! We had off from Monday to Wednesday, and not going to lie…even without power at home, I didn’t want to have school on Thursday either.

With Mr. Connor and Mr. Schellhas both safe from the storm in China, Mr. Samson and Mr. Hill were left in charge of logistics. Power came back late Wednesday night, and they decided that everyone come back to school on Thursday. And despite my original reluctance to return to school, it turned out to be pretty helpful. None of the teachers were allowed to have us hand in assignments or take quizzes or tests (Hallelujah!), but everyone, with power or without, teachers and students alike, was updated. Within a few days, everyone was back on track with schoolwork and practices.

Long story short, I was pleasantly surprised at how well GA handled the consequences of Sandy.

Until next time, Nancy J

GA/PC Day has come and gone...

To thoroughly pump up the students and faculty about GA/PC day where our rival Penn Charter competes with us in multiple sporting events, the students employed a spirit week here at GA. Monday was superhero day. Seeing everyone walking around in spandex and a cape made me realize that we could definitely save the world in a fashionable manner. Jungle day on Tuesday brought cats and lions to school. Tuesday was also Halloween day since Sandy cancelled the Halloween parade. I saw crazy costumes! We supported the Upper School on Wednesday when we wore our most patriotic outfits. Someone was wearing a pair of leggings that looked like a flag which totally blew my mind. Thursday was rockstar day. Personally, I went all out. Leather jacket, colorful t-shirt, ripped jeans, big black boots, bandana, cut glove, the works. The day of the pep rally (Friday) each grade wore a specific color. Freshmen wore white, sophmores wore red, juniors wore blue, and seniors wore black. Everyone was decked out in their color and it was really cool to see the coordination at the pep rally! Spirit week allowed the students of GA to forget about their uniforms and think about the upcoming GA/PC day! I know I was excited for Saturday!

- Lauren

To read more about Friday's Pep Rally and the rest of the arts and athletic events relating to the GA/PC day weekend, check out "Prep for the Pep" by Lily H. ('14)

Lower School getting ready for the Pep Rally!

Cheerleader's getting the Lower School students involved
in the Patriot beat.

Patriot Cheerleader's getting the crowd pumped!

SENIORS!

Brett and Angela weigh in on GA/PC Day Spirit Week!

BRETT



Mention GA/PC day to anyone at the Academy and excitement will light up their face.  Let me explain why that is so...Instead of the usual preppy GA gear, students will strut their stuff through the hallways from November 5th to November 9th for the GA/PC spirit week, the buildup to GA/PC day.  Instead of khakis and sweaters, boys dress as Superman and rock stars.  Instead of skirts and polos, girls are clad in patriotic and jungle-esque attire.

The Upper School halls are covered from top to bottom in various themes that, in the past, have ranged from Batman to Willy Wonka to Jersey Shore to Space. The whole school (yes, everyone!) walks through the hallways, admiring the ingenuity and handiwork of Upper School students, who pour hours and hours into making the hallways simply spectacular.

All these festivities culminate in a school wide pep rally and pump up day that lasts well into the evening.  The rivalry between GA and our rival, the William Penn Charter School (PC for short), is not overblown.  As the longest lived high school rivalry in America, it draws people from across the nation and two large schools together for one huge showcase of school spirit and athletic prowess

On a side note, GA has won GA/PC day three out of the past four years... :)

ANGELA

It’s spirit week at Germantown Academy and every student is really showing how much spirit he/she has! In preparation for the annual GA/PC day this Saturday, each day upper school students dress up in the theme of the day. This year’s themes include Super Hero/Super Villain, Jungle/Halloween Day, Patriotic Day, and Rock Star Day. On Friday, grades 9-11 have their own color to wear and seniors all wear a shirt designed by the seniors. Middle School students also have special themed days too! The week concludes with a school wide Pep Rally on Friday. Everybody sits by grade and there is music, dance routines performed, announcements by Fall sports team captain’s and way more! It’s tons of fun for faculty and students of all ages!

“We Can Do It”: Girl’s Water Polo dresses as Rosie the Riveter for Halloween Day

Rubber Ducky Regatta

 The House System in the Upper School not only allows students from all grades to connect, but it also provides many fun competitions throughout the year. Most recently we had a rubber ducky regatta that took place in the creek. Each house created a boat for their rubber duck out of some cork, popsicle sticks, and hot glue. Many houses even made mini sails for their boats. At lunch, students from all houses came out to the bridge to cheer their duck to victory while waving their house flags. Although the boats were slow-moving down the mostly current-less creek, the race was entertaining as many of the ships got stuck on branches or capsized. Once most boats were at a halt, two students jumped in and ran down the creek with their boats across the finish line. The winning house of this race was somewhat unclear, however it was another creative event to add to this year’s house competitions.

-Morgan

GA's Oktoberfest!

GA offers a variety of languages in the Upper School. Some students take French; others master Spanish. Even Chinese is offered. I'm a Classics student, having taken Latin since 6th grade. While GA offers German, it is during this beautiful time of year that the entire Upper School embraces German culture and customs at GA's own Oktoberfest. This Upper School tradition is only four years old but, if you ask its students, no one can imagine GA without this celebration.

GA's Oktoberfest begins with a German folksong competition. Do not let any students of the seven Houses kid you - we all practice and take this competition very seriously. Members of Galloway proved again this year that they were the most deserving of the folksong competition title. Mr. Masters, GA's new head of the music department, was a true master in performance as members of his Galloway House perfectly complemented him in German spirit and song.

Everyone is a winner at the end of the competition as all students feast on German sausages grilled outside the Pavilion while they gulp down root beer and polish off what seems to be endless bowls of German gummies and pretzel sticks during break.

Thank you Upper School Head and German teacher Mr. Schellhas for bringing this tradition to GA!


- Michael H.

Hurricane Sandy Hiatus

We apologize for the delay in blog posts!! Due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, we have not had internet access and could not post our weekly PatChat entries!

Please enjoy our first PatChat entry since Sandy...brought to you by Michael H.!

Enjoy :)

GA Lower School presents "Newsroom: Episode 1"

Check out the first episode of "Newsroom"! With the help of Andrew Dolan, 3rd grade Assistant Teacher, we cannot wait to see what unfolds in Episode #2!

GA Newsroom Ep. 1 10/22/12   About this video "Check out what is happening in Germantown Academy's Lower School this month!" https://vimeo.com/51772889

GAWC: We Hear What You Are Saying

As shy freshman walks into the room.

“Welcome to the Writing Center,” I said with a smile. “Are you here for a conference?”

“Yes,” he replied, blushing.

“Alright buddy,” I swiveled in my chair, gesturing towards one of the two tables in the back of the room. “Take a seat and I’ll be with you in a sec.”

This is the real-life exchange between me, a Writing Center advisor, and a recent “client”. Actually, any student who walks into the Writing Center is met with a smile and a warm greeting, guaranteed.

The GA Writing Center is truly one of a kind. Few high schools in the nation have a completely student-staffed Writing Center where students, aka clients, can sign up to meet with specially trained “Writing Center Advisors” who help their respective clients brainstorm, improve their writing, and proofread papers. Writing Center Advisors are available not just for English-related work, but also History and now Science!

At the end of the day, the GA Writing Center (or GAWC) is another way GA strives to help its students excel in a very unique way.

-Brett

It's all about trust and honor

Today, the other honor council members, our head of Upper School, and I met over lunch with new upper school students and informed them about the honor code at GA. They learned that the honor code is the code of conduct in the upper school that each upper school student accepts and agrees to follow. Examples of following the honor code are not cheating, stealing, vandalizing, plagiarizing, or lying. This meeting really helped new students understand how our GA community really strives to be trustworthy and honorable in every action we do, and knowing this makes me so proud and, for lack of a stronger word, honored, to be a student at GA! 

-Angela

Can't quite grasp this "Senior" thing

Sometimes I’m so caught up in the whirl of school work, college applications, managing clubs and sports that I often forget to take time and enjoy the fact that I’m a senior (even though it’s still a like a dream to me). It’s hard to think how much I must have changed from when I was an underclassman to an upperclassman. It’s even weirder for me when old friends, who graduated when I was an underclassman, comment on how much I’ve grown up, because in the end I still feel the same. Yeah, I might have gotten a bit older, maybe wiser, maybe a bit more thoughtful (might being the keyword here) but in the end I believe that I’m still the same person.  I still pull the push door in the arts center, I still mix up my left from my right and I still remember the first couple of lines from The Odyssey (I read this my Freshman year). Maybe when reality hits me and I acknowledge the fact that I am a senior, maybe then I’ll understand what everyone is talking about.

Back to college apps,

Amy