Celebrating Grace - Winter 23-24

CELEBRATINGGRACE

~ OUR NEW SCHOOL ~

In this issue of Celebrating Grace, we have so much to celebrate! A new school, a fabulous first semester, and everything in between. The following pages are highlights of the first four months of school, staff accolades, and keeping tabs on a few of our GCA Alumni who have been traveling the world

Baseball Field Front Front Back

(First home game is March 4!)

First Day of School

These five seniors are members of the 13 year club as they’ve attended GCA since Pre-K.

Moms at the Senior/Kindergarten First Day of School Coffee

HS retreat at Camp Widjiwagan

Senior Moms Kindergarten Moms

Homecoming Week September 25th-29th

High School Production

Middle School Serve Day

October 27th-28th

Operation Christmas Child Coin Drop: GCA HS students raised $8,600!

Seniors shop to fill and pack 250+ shoeboxes.

Dodgeball - Our GCA family raised $13,000 for the Barton Family.

Veteran’s Day

Fourth Grade

Kindergarten

Veteran Crockett Rains with grandson Luke Rains and friends

High School students and staff went to the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center in Atlanta and helped process more than 43,000 boxes in 4 hours.

Congratulations to senior Hudson Barton on his athletic signing to play baseball at Vanderbilt University after graduation.

IS/MS production:

Fourth Grade Market Day

All-School Christmas Chapel

Third graders shop and donate to Toys for Tots.

Elementary Christmas Program

Miss Blauw’s class

Mrs. Pirtle’s class

High School Fine Arts Concert

Ginny Grace Bechman

Emma Brown

Eli Butcher

Luke Butler

Fifi Cottingham

Carter Ann Couey

Deacon Crosby

Grey Crowell

Hiatt Davidson

Oliver Eke

Cal Elder

Kaylee Ferreira

Cassie Flagg

Drake Gilvin

Sam Glasser

Weston Gray

Claire Green

Gracie Harmon

Landon Harrington

Colson Harris

Gresham Hayes

April Hodgson

Luke Holwerda

Lilliana Jackson

Emmett Jordan

Jacob McCauley

Crew McKown

Brody Mullaney

Simms Overton

Owen Pardue

Sarah Patrick

Micah Potter

JoJo Rohling

Annistyn Sprague

Solomon Standifer

Rowan Stevens

William Terry

Elle Verner

Luke Wierschke

Hayes Wilson

6th Grade 6th Grade

Sophia Auer

Beckett Brown

Ailee Carver

Joey Castrorao

Noel Clark

Haven Collins

Judah Coppenger

Joselyn DeLeon

Nolan DeShazo

Luke Downen

Stella Goddard

Rhodes Hampton

Colt Headley

Ella Hopwood

Kirby Hurst

Lilly May Jakes

Amelia Jones

Tilly Kassinger

Hadley Kirk

Ella Knight

Nealan Maxson

Charlie McConnell

Nola Kate Miller

Harper Moseley

Jack Nickell

Reese Payne

Charlie Qualls

Arrington Reed

Savannah Regenold

Caleb Shipman

Luke Shurden

Barrett Sloas

Amelia Spann

Alia Sprague

Austin Stamper

Rawley Stephens

Jacqueline Stevens

Fennley Veach

Annie Wooten

Hadley Young

Luke Johnson

Selah McKown

Greyson McQueen

Vayda Miller

Addie Nance

J.D. Pirtle

Anna-Marie Porter

Madison Powell

Grace Prather

Hope Pruitt

Elliott Sarnacke

Kellen Sloas

Lila Spencer

Holland Stephens

Mia Tanley

Hudson Tenney

Violet Ward

Sam Brewer

Francey Clements

Josh Dunn

David Hauk

Toby Sarnacke

John Tillman

Maclayne Barton

Hutch Blank

Brooklyn Hutcheson

Zoe Jones

Camryn Pitts

Olivia Pitts

Virginia Prather

Sophia Rakhuba

Elizabeth Shipman

Grace Caroline Steih

Jade Thrasher

Eva Brooks

Sofia Carman

Addy Castrorao

Annabelle Hinson

Hans Jimenez

Madelyn Miller

Lilly Patrick

Mike Smith

Hunter Wyatt

Ella Grace Brown

Audrey George

Lani Grasmanis

Jenna Huxford

Nolan Maloney

Jonathan Mize

Isaiah Myers

Eisley Pankratz

Ava Pate

Hannah Patrick

Nick Pellegrino

Nate Purino

Slade Spencer

H O O N N O O R R R R O O L L L L

10th Grade 10th Grade

Hope Brooks

Ford DeShazo

Hudson Gregg

London Norris

Parker Sloas

Madi Tolliver

Josiah Coppenger

Kensley Elam

Ella Grace Fua

Wyatt Hall

Addison Holt

Griffey Jakes

Knox Lambert

Maggie Landers

Izzy LaRocca

McKenna Grace McConnell

Tori Mullaney

Shea Phillips

Heidi Ring

Cohen Stammen

Cutler Stephens

Audrey Underwood

Kade Ziemendorf

William Brown

Mackenzie Curle

Kyle Davidson

Isabelle DeShong

Ella Kate Gill

Savannah Griswold

Ellie Hardwick

Natalia Fierz

Madelyn Gregg

Ella Holt

McKenzie Kaye

Manna Lindman

Ashton Mize

Evan Nelson

Anilee Schwieterman

Georgie Tillman

Rebekah Windland

Stellie Higby

Jayse Huxford

Ellie Karner

Natalie Kaye

Ayla Kratzig

Emma Grace Underwood

Parker Vanden Oever

A WWarm

elcome!

Scott Hauss, CFO/ Head of Finance

Staff Highlights:

Congratulations!

Vivian Benzon, General Music and Choir Teacher

While Mrs. Benzon currently holds a degree in K-12 Music Education, she adds a new accolade to her resume. She recently graduated from Grand Canyon University with a Master’s in Education in Educational Administration. Congrats, Vivian!

Dr. Becky Clark, Director of Student Support and Instructional Coach

Dr. Clark was nominated and received an award at the Literacy Association of TN Annual Conference in December

“I am humbled and honored to have been awarded the Literacy Association of Tennessee’s Walter H Helms Literacy Leadership Award for exemplifying literacy leadership in unique and influential ways and for service and dedication to LAT,” said Dr Clark We are very proud of you, Becky!

Alison Hurst, First Grade Teacher & Assistant Elementary Principal

Mrs. Hurst has been promoted to Assistant Elementary Principal. She will assist Mrs. Branson in the success of all students' academic excellence and spiritual growth.

Mr. Hauss serves as our new CFO/Head of Finance. He has previously served as President and CEO of Bank3, headquartered in Memphis, TN. Mr. Hauss has been in the banking/finance industry for his entire career. Mr. Hauss serves on the GCA board and served on the board of Evangelical Christian School, holding positions as Finance Committee Chairman and Chairman of the Board. He is very passionate about Christian Education. Scott and his wife Kathy have two married daughters and three granddaughters.

GCA Alumni Alley:

Some of our Alumni are traveling the world and we want to update you

Fall 2023: Anna Claire Riggs, ‘22, is attending Samford University She studied in London, England

Mary Bradley Myers, ‘22, is attending Lipscomb University She studied in Vienna, Austria

Joe Hauk, ‘21, is attending Baylor University. He studied in London, England. Campbell Lemon, ‘21, is attending Western Kentucky University. She studied in Florence, Italy.

Bella Sanicola Smith, ‘19, and Mitchell Smith, ‘21, now married, are studying in Florence, Italy. (Pictured with Campbell Lemon and Bryant Eubank as they met for dinner in Italy.)

Taylor Williams, ‘19, has been studying costume design in London, England. (Pictured with Anna Claire Riggs as they met for coffee in London.)

Spring 2024: Mary Chandler Hicks, ‘21, also attending Lipscomb University will be in Vienna, Austria

Bike 4 ALZ

Last summer, Class of 2021 grads Callan Jones and Ryan Spychalski participated in a coast-to-coast bike ride to raise money for Alzheimer’s disease with their fraternity at Western Kentucky University They started in San Francisco, CA and ended in Virginia Beach, VA

This summer, Class of 2022 Alum, Dawson Bechman and Connor Armstrong will do the same 75 day trek across the country as part of Team 12 this coming summer This is the 13th year for the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity group to take this trip with fundraising stops along the way The group of 12 riders will leave on May 21st from San Francisco, with stops in Colorado Springs, Kansas City, and even Nashville. They will end their excursion in Virginia Beach on July 28th Connor and Dawson are currently training and say they are passionate about helping raise money to find a cure for ALZ

If you’d like to donate to Dawson and Connor’s worthwhile fund, visit Bike4ALZ.org.

We are so excited to follow them on this adventure! You can follow them here as well; Instagram: @bike4alz

faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Galatians 5:22-23