Article: Big Ideas for GAC Magazine

Originally published in GACS Today 2019 Issue.

CHOICE IS POWERFUL. It can be paralyzing or life-giving because the choices we make shape the direction that our lives take. On a small, everyday scale, we face choices everywhere — research shows that adults make approximately 35,000 ‘remotely conscious’ choices each day (226.7 on food alone). Significantly more meaningful are the choices we make for our children, particularly related to their education. We have unprecedented numbers of educational choices: private, public, charter, home, online, hybrid — and more (for private schools alone, there are 631 in Georgia.) With these myriad options, you have the opportunity to choose a school for your children that is just right for them — one that will shape their strongest possible future. Based on years of survey data, we found that the primary reason parents choose GAC is because their values align closely with those of the school.

For our families, GAC represents a place of growth, where together, as partners, we are raising a generation of bright, inspired, and generous leaders. It is a community where high academic rigor is matched by active faith and a deep commitment to care for one another. We hope that for you, the decision to choose GAC will have to do with our Big Ideas. These tenets are helping to guide GAC into the future while drawing from the legacy we have built over the last 52 years.

Forward Thinking Innovation

Innovation at GAC hinges on provocative, horizon pushing research. In large and small ways, from classroom design to school start times, our decisions actively reflect care and consideration for ways to advance learning faster. How GAC works to enhance the teaching and learning process is apparent in many ways, such as:

• DATA-INFORMED DECISION MAKING. Our Lower and Middle Schools have moved to a new standardized testing tool in the fall that will provide rich data teachers will use to personalize instruction to meet individual student needs. Moving this test to the fall is intentional, as it enables us to use the results of each child’s assessments to inform and improve the current educational opportunities throughout the remainder of the year.

• REDESIGNED LEARNING SPACES. Our recently renovated Middle and High School facilities create environments that promote collaboration and reflect the workplaces of tomorrow. The design concept and furnishings selected through beta testing with teachers and students provide complete flexibility for their learning environment.

• PARTNERSHIPS WITH HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS. GAC partners with Dr. Mariale Hardiman and the Neuroeducation Initiative of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education to enhance our pedagogy with the latest in neuroscience research. We will also serve as a lab school, assisting with their research studies.

• DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP. We equip our teachers to understand the best ways technology can enhance learning; how it plays into the development of the brain; and how to use the newest and most appropriate technology to maximize learning. We also are adapting the curriculum to new technology.

• FLEXIBLE LEARNING MODALITIES. Along with Zero Hour and Blended classes, our innovative online platform Ethos School provides students with even more flexibility and choice in the modalities they use to learn. With this platform integrated into our college preparatory academic environment, our students have more space to pursue their passions,

whether academic, athletic, or artistic. In addition, higher education is rapidly moving toward online learning, and our students are being prepared for their futures.

Personalized Academic Preparedness

Rigorous, intentional academic opportunities and experiences are designed and implemented with distinct purpose for each student. At GAC, this is not a cookiecutter

approach. This allows our students to benefit from:

• A BROAD VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. One of the key advantages for families that choose GAC is that whatever their child’s interest, there is a strong program in place to grow and nurture that interest to a competitive level. Elite tennis players can

take advantage of our Tennis Academy. Skilled dancers flourish in our School of

Ballet. Musicians are cultivated in our School of Music. Scholars thrive in our

29 AP and 32 honors courses. Students who need additional support benefit from

our Academic Support program. At GAC, there is something for every student.

• CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION, AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS INFUSED IN

EACH COURSE. There’s more to learning than knowing the answers on a test. Can

you present your argument to the class? Can you defend your hypothesis through

a well-researched paper? Can you reach a consensus with your peers and collaborate

to develop a project? These are all skills gained throughout the course of a

student’s academic journey at GAC.

• AN EDUCATION THAT IS ALIGNED PK-12. By beginning with the end in mind, GAC

has thoughtfully designed a curriculum that is aligned across all grade levels. Through intentional planning and collaboration across all school levels, GAC is better able to meet student academic needs and further ensure student success. Teachers work collaboratively

in Professional Learning Communities to create an aligned educational plan.

Faith-Infused

GAC is an academic community where faith is lived out in the classroom, across campus, and between peers. It is the lens through which we view, create, and implement each educational opportunity. In the design of each classroom, each lesson, each relationship, faith is the foundation of all aspects of the teaching and learning process. Present in the written curriculum, visually represented in each classroom, and incorporated into the design of each lesson, our faith is vibrant and guiding all aspects of our pedagogy. We value the pursuit of academic excellence in the framework of faith for those on our campus and in our digital environments and global partnerships through Ethos School.

• Students, staff, and faculty are a light in the local metro-Atlanta community and globally through genuine service and philanthropy.

• A call to leadership is evident at each school level and, especially, within the High School Prefect System.

• Committed board members, teachers, staff, and administrators live out their faith on campus and in churches throughout the metro area.

• Faith is shared with students and families in Bible studies, prayer groups, prayer walks, spiritual retreats, and parent programs.

Fuel Each Student’s Purpose

GAC is a learning environment designed for each student to explore and find his or her passion, identify their strengths and gifts, and prepare for the future. As a school, we empower each student individually, valuing his or her distinct background, abilities, passions, and ability to contribute to peers, the school, the community, and the world. Our students experience GAC having:

• Received not only a well-rounded experience within the graduation requirements but also having been encouraged to explore electives in everything from robotics to musical theater.

• GAINED GLOBAL COMPETENCY. Learning is extended beyond the classroom with learning excursions, mission trips, and study abroad trips. Students learn the value and responsibility of being a global citizen.

• DEVELOPED COMMUNICATION, PRESENTATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS WHICH ARE BUILT INTO EACH CONTENT AREA. From as early as Lower School, students are equipped with the technical and interpersonal skills necessary to become future leaders and contributors.

• DEVELOPED A GROWTH MINDSET AND A DESIRE FOR LIFE-LONG LEARNING. Firmly embedded in everyday instruction is the idea that each of us, at any point, has the ability to change and grow. Through extensive professional development, teachers are prepared to lead students in an active development of the mindset required to become

a successful adult. Starting from the earliest ages, academic programs are intentionally designed to cultivate a desire for personal improvement

and development.

• LEARNED TO BE RESOURCEFUL. Through the encouragement of trusted teachers, students discover that they are capable and ingenious, especially when confronted with challenging situations. Learning to make good decisions and advocate for themselves is emphasized as much as learning academic concepts.

Relationships at the Center

Relationships between students, teachers, and parents make GAC a real and vibrant place where academic and emotional intellect are built in community with one another. Relationships are also a priority in the teaching and learning process. This leads to

enhanced student engagement and ownership. As a result, students experience GAC having:

• BENEFITED FROM CARING, RESPONSIVE TEACHING. Teachers are trained in academic, social emotional, spiritual, and cultural responsiveness through extensive

professional development each year. Students are connected to many caring, educational experts, from teachers to counselors to administrators, who are invested in

their growth and development.

• LEARNED EMPATHY. From serving in the local community to lending a hand overseas, GAC students discover and model what it means to respond to the needs of others.

Students serve alongside their teachers, building bonds that will last a lifetime.

• THE ABILITY TO TAKE INTELLECTUAL RISKS. As adults, we are the guardians of the learning space. By making room for students to explore in a safe, nurturing learning

environment, we create opportunities for them to thrive and develop into caring and thoughtful adults.

• GAINED RESILIENCE. Students gain the ability to bounce back after something difficult has happened. Our goal is to raise children of character who are resilient in the face of challenges and can be pushed to be the best version of themselves.

For the Whole Family

The GAC community is comprised of families partnering to Be Greater together.

• By providing rigor, challenge, and support, GAC meets the needs of a wide spectrum of students through the educational choices it offers and the unique pathways it provides for students to pursue their interests, whether academic, athletic, or artistic.

• Opportunities to volunteer, serve, and worship together, whether through the weekly Moms and Dads Bible Studies, the GAC Parent Association, monthly Prayer Walks, and special assemblies, help form the bonds which make up the fabric of our strong community.

• The yearly Parent Speaker Series provides families with the resources they need to raise resilient children who will go on to make a contribution to the world.

• Parents are able to participate in adult tennis, swimming, choral and dance classes at GAC furthering their own interests.