Get smart...with SMART boards?

Every academic classroom in GA is equipped with a SMART Board. It reaches students via a medium they are very comfortable with. It is fast moving, colorful, tactile and engaging. It even manages to involve the most reticent learners. There is something alluring about the boards. Students are excited and pleased to be called on when it involves using the SMART Board. They enjoy teaching their peers with it. Teachers have noticed that SMART’s biggest advantage for them is that it is truly collaborative. It has enhanced dialogue about education and the curriculum across divisions and departments.

Check out this video to learn more about SMART boards at GA....

(this video can also be found on our GA YouTube Channel - GA1759)

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.