Spartan Spear-It » seniors

Rachel’s Ravings – This Is It

gacsadviser — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:15:43 +0000

They were intimidating. They were so tall I had to stand on my tiptoes to see over them, dodge and turn sideways so I wouldn’t be squashed. They were prettier, laughed more, talked more. I wanted to be one of them so badly. These were my thoughts about GACS seniors in sixth grade, when my sister was one. Every afternoon after school I would have to walk the entirety of the senior hall to meet her at her locker to ride home, and it was a traumatic experience every time; I was frightened yet intrigued, intimidated but jealous. I couldn’t wait until my locker would be in that hallway, until I would be tall enough to see over the crowd. And now that I have a senior locker (the dreaded bottom locker, of course) and I’m tall enough to not be trampled (for the most part), I know that I had a false perception of what being a senior was really like. So I’m here to fill you in, after two weeks, of what it’s like to be a senior.

First of all, I don’t feel any different. The first day of school, my last at GAC, was the same as always, just plus a laptop. My friends are awesome per usual but the same, some of them since sixth grade. Our “new” kids to our class this year are students who are returning after only a few years or even a few months absent. There’s nothing big and scary and new, not counting college applications, but even those are basically just another assignment. They just matter a little more.

The only actual difference I’ve noticed so far, besides sitting in the gallery at lunch, is noticing whose missing. Seeing Sandy Jiang get her yearbook at Spartan 2gether day, getting Rachel Huppertz’s old AP lit book watching former Spartan Spear-it blogger Chelsea Mitchell drive through the GAC carpool, not in uniform, to pick up her sister, and Facebook stalking Dorothy Wallis’ dorm room pictures all remind me that they’re gone; even when we were technically the oldest class in 8^th grade, the class of 2010 was just across the quad. It’s difficult to think about that they’re spread out now, all over the country, friends who’ve been together for up to 15 years now separated. Every time one of my friends mentions how we’re going to all be apart next year I rapidly change the subject, not really because it’s hard to handle, but because it honestly doesn’t feel real to me yet, at all.

Which is probably a good thing, because I’m not sure how well I’m going to cope when it finally hits me.

But now isn’t the time to think about that. Fellow GACS seniors and high school students, now is the time to do what Ms. Terry told us to do on the retreat: Live It Up. Yes, we have homework. And sports practices. And college applications. And newspaper deadlines. But, in my opinion, while school should definitely be our top priority, it should never be our only priority. We should stop waiting to feel different, for our lives to start, and set a good example for those sixth graders who are looking up to the high school, like I was. We have to make the most of the time we have with our friends and the people we care about, serving God and loving each other while we’re still here at GACS.

Because it won’t last forever.

Senior High Students, Distinguised Seniors Recognized

gacsadviser — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:21:28 +0000

SENIOR TREY MARTIN, SALUTATORIAN

On April 29th, a special assembly was held to honor senior students, 9th – 12th) in all academic areas as well as citizenship. Congratulations to all students honored for their achievements during this 209-2010 school year.

In addition, accomplished seniors were in the spotlight for their impressive accomplishments. Join the Spartan Spear-It in applauding these seniors:

NATIONAL MERIT FINALIST – Nick Chizek, Trey Martin

GEORGIA CERTIFICATE OF MERIT – Sunny Patel, Melissa Puntkattalee, Marcel Cabato, Steven Hanna, Rachel Middleton, Jacob Montgomery, Garrett Hutchins, Kristen Hansen

RAY KROC AWARD – Alexandria McCall

ATLANTA JOURNAL CUP – Trey Martin

FREDERICK DOUGLASS & SUSAN B. ANTHONY AWARD – Victoria Barker

GOVERNOR’S HONORS – Sunny Patel, Jack Weyen, Steven Hanna

ROBERT BYRD SCHOLARSHIP NOMINEE – David Davis

Senior Nick Chizek accepts appointment to West Point Military Academy. [photo attribution: Glenn Martin

MILITARY AWARDS/APPOINTMENTS –Justin White (U. S. Naval Academy; Nick Chizek (U. S. Military Academy at West Point); Shawn Kane (Merchant Marine Academy)

Senior Justin White accepts an appointment to the U. S. Naval Academy.

Senior Shawn Kane accepts an appointment to the Merchant Marine Academy.

JOHN KELLER AWARD – Maddison Moellering, Erin Swirk

SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARD - Wesley Pate, Stephanie Wilding

BRYAN COLLINS DEMONBREUN SCHOLARSHIP – Erika Dore

SENIOR HIGH CITIZENSHIP AWARDS
9th    Olivia Julian
10th    Chase Roberts
11th   Alex Stephens
12th   Nick Coker

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
Scholarship, 9th           Andrew Irwin
Scholarship, 10th          Andrew H. Kim
Scholarship, 11th           Sunny Patel

CLASS SALUTATORIAN – Trey Martin

CLASS VALEDICTORIAN - Wesley Pate

senior portrait attribution: Glenn Martin Photography

Attention Seniors: Scholarship Opportunities

gacsadviser — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:45:15 +0000

Keep checking on Scholarship Opportunities on the College Counseling Website. GAC students have been the recipients of several of these scholarships. The following have upcoming deadlines and may require letters and transcripts from the GAC Counseling Office. Two new ones added this week. Use this link for finding Scholarship Opportunities.

Six Seniors Sign Letters of Intent

gacsadviser — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:52:02 +0000

On Wednesday morning, February 3rd, six Spartan senior athletes signed letters of intent to play college sports.
Congratulations to the following seniors:

MADELINE BARKER – Georgia/Soccer
WILL FREEMAN – Georgia/Swimming
CLAIRE GOODSON – Charleston/Track
BEAUX HEBERT – Nicholls State/Football
JULIAN HORTON – Arkansas/Football
COREY SIMMONS – South Carolina/Football

Chelsea’s Blog: It All Happened So Fast

gacsadviser — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:09:49 +0000

Almost November already? Where has the time gone? As much as I’m enjoying myself here, it doesn’t seem like I’ve been here long enough for teachers to start talking about term papers and semester averages. I feel as if it were “just yesterday” when I was trying on my GACS uniform for the first time.

Although it somewhat seems that I’ll forever be branded that “new kid” around campus, I’ve been having some success in getting involved and meeting people. The musical, Snoopy, proved to be an awesome way for me to make new friends, and performing with the cast was just spectacular. Oh, and in case you didn’t hear, we won GTC!

Another thing that has happened is that I’ve started to discover my favorite and least favorite classes. Right now, my least favorite is AP Calculus. Boy, it’s a killer! Mr. Beasley is hilariously brilliant and my classmates are really cool, but I am dying in there. I’ll be studying for a test, feeling oh-so-confident, and then on test day, as soon as that sheet of paper with math problems is handed to me, I have a sudden urge to… RUN!

I think my favorite class is currently Honors Latin III. I’m the only senior in the class, and I honestly think that may be why I enjoy it so much. We seniors are so caught up in our own things – college coming at us fast and senioritis spreading like swine flu – that I’ve generally noticed less enthusiasm among my classes with only seniors. My Latin class, with mostly sophomores, maintains a pretty nice balance of goofing off and focusing on the task at hand. Also, we get to use the Mac Labs every Tuesday! What more could you ask for?

Here’s something: Lately I have been trying to eat lunch with as many different people as possible. I encourage you to “mix it up” wherever you are, as well. You’d be surprised at how much you can learn from a person just by sharing a quick meal and casual conversation. There are many blessings in disguise.

That’s all for now. Check back soon.

SENIORS: Are College Applications Stressing You Out?

megmcpheely — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:52:28 +0000

IT’S that time of the year for seniors. Applying to college while trying to focus on schoolwork as well is not an easy task. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your college applications’ process, hopefully without too much stress.

Spread them out. Don’t try to finish all of them at once. If you’re applying to five schools, writing five essays can be difficult. Try to write one essay per week.

Check them over before you send them. Whether you complete your applications online or send them in the mail, double check them. You don’t want to have spelling mistakes or leave out activities that will enhance your application. Also get a parent to look over your application as well.

Follow GACS deadlines. I’m talking about the pink, transcript request forms. Get them in early to ensure your transcript will arrive at the desired school when your application is due.

Have fun and don’t be stressed by the whole process. We’re seniors; we’re opening a new chapter in our lives, so make the most of it. Don’t stress about your applications. This is our final year at GAC, so remember to take time to enjoy it. May will be here before you know it.