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STUDENTS’ QUESTIONS. ANSWERED.
Atlanta Girls‘ SchoOL
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STUDENTS’ QUESTIONS. ANSWERED. Here you will find the questions that are most frequently asked of AGS girls on tours, shadow days, and at open house, and answers in our students’ own words. We encourage you to read these and then come join us for a visit day to see AGS for yourself!
WHY CHOOSE AGS? What is it like at AGS? Fun! You can be comfortable in your own skin because there is no pressure to be something other than yourself. Without the pressure to impress boys, you don’t have to go overboard worrying about what you look like. You meet your best friends here- people that are going to be in your lives forever. The girls here are like your sisters. Also, the teachers really care and want you to do your best. You feel empowered when you’re here and you want to be the best that you can be. Why aren’t there boys? Single-sex education is empowering. Without trying to impress boys, no one is fake. My parents might tell you about
all the theories and research, but I believe it’s because girls can be distracted and less focused on their own needs with boys in the picture. Here the girls are not focused on “perfecting” themselves in order to please the boys or to be labeled the most popular. Girls here are relaxed and comfortable just being themselves. In an all girl environment there is, surprisingly, less tension and drama. Do you like not having boys at school? Why or why not? I love not having boys at school because I feel more comfortable. I have become more confident. I don’t have to worry about what my classmates might think of my questions or answers in class. Everyone is comfortable stating their opinion and being who they are here.
What is the best part about AGS? Here are a few quotes: * What I like most about AGS is that I am able to discover who I am. There is no pressure to hang out with a certain crowd and I can be myself. I feel comfortable in my own skin, with friends, and with teachers. I have gained a new confidence since coming to AGS. * AGS has had a big impact on my life. This school has opened my eyes and mind to many new opportunities. It has also helped me step out of my comfort zone. Being at AGS has taught me to have more confidence in myself. * The best thing about AGS is how supportive the teachers are. They want us to have the best education possible and they care about us inside the classroom and out. It makes AGS feel more like a community rather than just a school. * My favorite thing about AGS is that I can be completely relaxed and get the most out of my education. This is possible because the distractions are very limited, i.e. no guys, smaller classes, and friends that I have gotten very close to! * The most memorable experiences I have had at AGS are the grade level trips we take at the beginning of each school year. I enjoy the time I get to spend getting to know my classmates better. * The best part is being in upper school! We have a lounge, out of the state and out of the country trips, the ability to create our own social events—events that we want. Also, the teachers really trust us.
SCHEDULE What are the school hours? Monday through Thursday, school begins at 8:00 AM and ends at 3:00 PM. On Fridays school begins at 9:00 and ends at 3:10. From 3:00 to 4:00 PM is tutorial time, when teachers can help you with schoolwork. We also can meet with tutors from Georgia Tech in our Learning Lab after school. How long are classes? Each class meets for three 50minute blocks and one 75-minute block each week. Students usually have seven courses each semester. What is the average class size? Class sizes average about 1215 students, which is very nice because we get a lot of attention from our teachers. When you first start here, do you have someone helping you get to your classes? You will have orientation before the first day of school to acquaint you with the school. At any time, if you get lost or confused, you can ask anyone for help. Everyone here is always willing to assist new students, especially during the first week of classes. You will have people available to help you if you need it. What would a sample day in middle school look like? Here is an example of my schedule on Wednesdays. You’ll notice that my science class does not meet on Wednesdays. Each course meets four times a week and our schedule rotates.
8:00-8:10..............................Advisory 8:15-9:05....................................Math 9:10-10:25.................. World Studies 10:30-11:20............................ English 11:25-11:50.............................. Lunch 11:55-12:45.................................... PE 12:50-2:05..................................... Art 2:10-3:00.................................French 3:00....................................Go home, to volleyball practice or stay for tutorial What would a sample day in upper school look like? Here is an example of my schedule on Wednesdays. You’ll notice that my drama class does not meet on Wednesdays. Each course meets four times a week and our schedule rotates. 8:00-8:10............................. Advisory 8:15-9:05.......................... US History 9:10-10:25....... Honors Pre-Calculus 10:30-11:20................. AP Chemistry 11:25-12:15.......................Study Hall 12:20-12:45..............................Lunch 12:50-2:05........................AP English 2:10-3:00.......................... Spanish IV 3:00....................................Go home, to basketball practice or stay for tutorial Does everybody have to study a language? Yes, we all study a language starting in 6th grade. You can learn French, Spanish, or Latin. Many students choose to take Advanced Placement language classes in upper school.
Do you get to choose your classes? Every spring we meet with our advisors to select our courses for the following year. While there are many required classes, we do get a say in choosing our electives and langagues. During Winterim, we choose all our classes from a Winterim catalog. What is Winterim? Winterim happens the first two weeks in January. During Winterim, we choose four classes from the online Winterim Catalog (check it out on the AGS website). Some of the classes include: Robotics, Neuroscience, Red Cross Babysitter’s Training, SAT Prep, Italian, Videography, Songwriting, Swimming, Ballet and Archery. How often does AGS have physical education? P.E. is one of seven classes that we take every semester, sixth through ninth grade. P.E. classes meet every day, and we wear P.E. uniforms during P.E. class. Middle school students take P.E. all three years, and upper school students are required to take one year of P.E.. Does AGS have an after school program? Yes. Also, AGS offers team sports after school, and most practices begin at 3:30 PM so we have time to get extra help from a teacher if we need it. Middle school students who are not in sports or after school classes and stay at school past 4:00 PM go to the AGS after care program, which is a great place to get your homework done.
What is the iLearn Center? When students enroll in an independent study, online hybrid, or joint enrollment class, they meet in the iLearn Center for class. Also, after school the Learning Lab meets in the iLearn Center. The Learning Lab is where we can sign up for free tutoring on many subjects from Georgia Tech students. TEACHERS How are the teachers? The teachers are nice and extremely helpful. They never get upset if you don’t get the right answer the first time around. They are all very smart and patient. Here you get a chance to know the teachers well, which allows to them to know exactly what you need help with. Are any of the teachers strict? Some are strict, but only when they need to be. The teachers at AGS are nice but firm, and like to make learning fun. It shows that they really care about our learning. Do you have advisors? Yes, every AGS student is assigned to an advisor when they enter AGS. You meet with your advisory group Monday through Thursday mornings, and Fridays at lunch. Each fall and spring, we meet with our advisor and our parents to have a conference about our schoolwork. The fall conference is a goalsetting and the spring conference Is for class registration.
SPORTS What sports do you play here? We have volleyball, softball and cross-country in the fall, swimming, basketball, dance and archery in the winter, and track and field, soccer, tennis and golf in the spring. We have a no-cut policy for sub-varsity teams, so everyone gets a chance to play. Can 6th graders play sports? Yes, 6th graders can sign up for and play on any middle school sports team. Do you compete with other schools in sports? Yes, AGS is a member of the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) in region 1AAA for Varsity sports, competing with schools like The Weber School, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian and Dominion Christian. We compete in the Metro Atlanta Athletic Conference (MAAC) for middle school sports, with schools like Galloway, Epstein, St. Martin’s and Holy Spirit. Do you have spirit week? Yes, we have a spirit week during Homecoming. Events during spirit week include theme dress days, like pajama day, blast from the past day, color war, blue and gold day and a bonfire. Also, on big game days, the whole school forms a spirit tunnel down the hallways that the sports teams run through on their way to their game.
FINE ArtS Is anyone allowed to be in a school play, or just people who take music or drama? Generally, students in our drama classes perform productions throughout the year. Our annual musical auditions are open to everyone. And, if you’re interested in the technical side of things, you can also help with set or costume design. Do you have a chorus here? Yes, we have a middle and upper school chorus. What kind of stuff do you do in art class? We work with all kinds of materials, like pencil, pastel, charcoal, paint, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, printmaking and much more. Is dance a class or do you have to do it after school? Both. Dance is part of our P.E. program, as well as an after school activity and sport. UNIFORMS Do you have multiple choices in the uniforms? Also, can you wear jeans? First of all, I have to say that I love having a uniform and not having to find an outfit in the morning. We have multiple choices in the uniform. In middle school you can wear a khaki skirt, skort, shorts or pants. In upper school you can wear a plaid skirt or khaki pants. Both middle school and upper school students wear white or navy shirts. The shirts are polo’s and oxfords.
We can also wear navy sweaters, sweater vests, sweatshirts or a blazer. We are allowed to wear jeans once a month when we have dress down days, which fall on the last Friday of every month. What kind of shoes can students wear? We have lots of choices: Saddle Oxfords, all-white sneakers, black ballet flats or loafers, Topsider-style shoes, Wallabee-style shoes, and Merrell shoes. Can you wear jewelry? We’re allowed to wear jewelry, as long as it does not cause a disruption in class. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES What kind of events do you have? We have lots of events: dances, socials with and without boys, trivia nights, lock-ins where we spend the night at school doing fun things, lots of field trips, service events and pep rallies. We get to plan our own activities along with the help of our elected social event coordinators. Are there dances? Yes. We invite students from other schools to our dances. We also are invited to dances at other schools, for example we have been invited to a dance at an all boys’ school in northern Georgia, as well as a dance in Atlanta with 8th graders from other independent schools.
Do you have a prom? Yes! There is a junior/senior prom each year. The juniors pick the theme, help choose the location, and handle all of the arrangements with the guidance of our upper school social event coordinators.
Are you allowed to start your own clubs if you have special interests? If you are interested in starting a club and there are other students with similar interests, you can make a proposal to start the club.
What is Earth and Sky? The entire AGS community is divided into two teams, Earth and Sky. From the moment a student joins our community, she belongs to one of these teams (think “sorting hat”). The teams participate in a yearlong friendly competition designed to foster school spirit and pride in our community. Both teams elect a senior “goddess” each year, who acts as the spirit leader for her team. We have a spirit stick too, and part of the competition is trying to capture the spirit stick from the other team.
TECHNOLOGY
CLUBS What kind of clubs does this school have? There are many great clubs at AGS. We have clubs that fit many different interests. A few clubs are: Yearbook, Model United Nations, Book Club, Math Counts, The AGS Players: a Drama Club, Outdoors Club, Service Club, Environmental Club, Garden Club, Jazz Band and Student Ambassadors. Does AGS have a student council? Yes, AGS has a student council called the “Circle of Sisters.” There are representatives from every grade and they meet once a week.
What kind of things do you do on your laptops? In classes we use our laptops to research information, create presentations, run experiments in science class, make music, create movies, to write papers, and much more. It is so nice having wireless Internet on campus and being able to look stuff up on the Internet whenever we need it! The MacBooks come fully loaded with all the software we need for classes. Some of our favorite programs are widgets, Photobooth, iMovie, Keynote, and GarageBand. We have an online system called Haiku that we use to check our assignments and read important announcements as well as to communicate with our teachers with questions about assignments. Do you have typing classes? There is not an official typing class at AGS, but we do have a “learn to type” program installed on our laptops. Also, throughout the year we attend a good amount of computer training, so we can know how to use all our programs. As you use your computer more and more, you become a better typist.
Are you allowed to take home your laptop? After we have earned our computer “driver’s license” we get to take them home - and they come with AGS cases to keep them safe. We turn them back in to the tech office in June so they can be re-imaged with the newest applications. So you really use iPod Touches in school? Yes! It is a lot of fun to work on assignments on an iPod Touch. Our teachers can post a question on the Promethean Board and we use the iPod Touches to text in our answer. We use them to measure stuff, watch movies, record ourselves speaking French and Spanish and do experiments. general questions How do you get into AGS? The admission committee reviews your application: the student questionnaire, the parent questionnaire, SSAT scores, teacher evaluations, grades and your personal interview. Students who are accepted to AGS traditionally have good grades on their report cards and strong recommendations from their teachers. It’s also important for new students to want to get involved outside of the classroom. AGS has a lot to offer and we want students to enjoy getting involved in our exciting community.
What is the limit of girls who can come to AGS? The number of new students depends on the number of spaces that are open in each grade. Since we begin in 6th grade, there are more spaces available in that grade. Can I come shadow a student at AGS? Yes! All you have to do is have your parents call the AGS admission office. They will help you schedule a half-day to shadow an AGS student. I really enjoyed my shadow day here and my host has become one of my best friends. Are there any cliques? AGS is an inclusive community, which means that everyone has to be willing to be open to working with each other and learning from each other in order to go to school here. In the fall we sign a Community Membership Trust Agreement, affirming our commitment to abide by it and treat each other with respect. We also have a set of core values that every student agrees to adhere to: respect, responsibility, community, safety, honesty and integrity. “Cliques” are not acceptable at AGS. Do you have bullies here? Bullying is not acceptable behavior at AGS; it goes against our Community Membership Trust Agreement and core values. Our Community Handbook outlines appropriate behavior and the consequences of inappropriate behavior.
When students do something they are not supposed to do, what is the punishment? Although it doesn’t happen very often, when a student does break a school rule, they meet with their Dean, who will follow the actions outlined in the Community Handbook. Is there a lot of homework? There’s a good amount of homework, but we learn from it. Some students may work at a faster rate than others, so time spent on homework may vary from student to student. Are the lunches good? When you order Campus Cuisine, the food is catered from different restaurants and it’s really good. We also have drink machines and microwaves available in the dining hall. With parent permission, seniors are allowed to leave campus for lunch. Can you put a lock on your locker? At AGS we trust each other and treat each other like sisters. Stealing isn’t a big problem at our school, and if we trust each other, we don’t have the need to put locks on our lockers. Locks are not permitted. Do you have assembly? Yes, we have assembly every Tuesday. Here, we hear all-school announcements like sports victories and other community achievements as well as hear senior speeches and watch previews of drama and music showcases. We lead the assemblies.
Do you go on field trips? Yes, we do go on lots of field trips, both with classes and for service activities. We also have grade level trips in the fall, where each grade goes on a trip together. These are so much fun! Do you go on trips to other countries? Yes, groups have gone to England, France, Spain, Italy, Costa Rica and Ecuador. During my 11th grade trip to England, we “tweeted” about our adventures on a Twitter account our parents could follow back home in Atlanta. I have heard AGS students talk about internships. Can you tell me a little about that? We all participate in an internship experience in upper school. During our sophomore year, we plan and set up an internship experience where we spend at least 70 hours with an organization during our junior year. Some of the placements include: Georgia Aquarium, SunTrust, Red Cross, Atlanta Zoo, Greenlaw and Atlanta Women’s Foundation. Do you offer scholarships? Applicants to AGS may apply for a need-based financial aid program. Also, there is an AGS Scholar Award scholarship that returning upper school students can be nominated to receive.