Atlanta Academy Annual Report 2019-2020

2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT

YOUR GIFT. OUR GRATITUDE.

Atlanta Academy believes in developing innovative thinkers and adaptive learners who are flexible and prepared for the global future.

Our mission is to give every student the individual attention they need to succeed.

This is at the core of everything we do.

Please note that the contributions listed in this report are those made during the 20182019 school year. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information found in this report is true and accurate. Please inform Allison Haber, Director of Advancement, of any accolades, errors or omissions and accept our sincere apology.

Allison Haber (678) 461-6102 | ahaber@atlantaacademy.com

MESSAGE FROM SHANNON DISHMAN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

As we enter our 20th year as an independent school, I am confident that this annual report will demonstrate that Atlanta Academy is living its mission. We are committed to providing every student with the individualized attention they need to succeed. In short, we educate the whole child by expanding their minds with challenging academics while supporting their social and emotional well-being.

Last year was a year of tremendous growth, following on the heels of our recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. We continue to invest in our classrooms to ensure the environment is not only age-appropriate, but dynamic and conducive to 21stcentury learning styles. Beyond implementing innovative K-8 classrooms, we also took a close look at preschool this year and reimagined these spaces as “centers” that promote learning through play. Our littlest Gladiators are inquisitive explorers, and we want the classroom environment to encourage their curious minds.

Atlanta Academy is continuously evaluating and looking to improve the physical and social/emotional safety of our community. During the past year, we implemented additional security features throughout the campus. These initiatives included equipping staff with one-to-one walkie talkies, adding additional campus signage, installing more cameras, acquiring more stop-the-bleed kits, and perhaps most significant, adding a full-time school counselor to our staff.

We remain committed to investing in the professional development of our faculty because we believe that we are all lifelong learners. Every year, we send members of our faculty to Columbia University’s Teachers College. In addition, our teachers attend training courses that focus on Singapore Math, Social/Emotional Learning, Orton-Gillingham, Dyslexia, Project-Based Learning, and Literacy and Technology, to name a few.

Without question, it takes a village to raise a child, and we are thankful to be part of your village. I genuinely love our Atlanta Academy community, and I recognize how fortunate I am to work with your children and our dedicated staff in this beautiful facility. Our talented faculty brings exciting, engaging and relevant lessons to the classroom every day. Students are encouraged to investigate and question the world around them, providing opportunities for our curious preschoolers to transform into confident middle schoolers. I am grateful to have the chance to witness that metamorphosis take place. I anticipate a wonderful 2019-20 school year and, as always, my door is open if you need assistance with anything.

"Trust forms the foundation Shannon Dishman of our business"

100% BOARD OF TRUSTEES 100% FACULTY & STAFF 76% FAMILIES

Gave to the Gladiator Fund BOARD OF TRUSTEES Josh Harrison, Chairman Lisa Knudsen, Treasurer Mimi Clausen, Secretary Angela Naples, Head of School Kerrieann Axt Melissa Harper Sean Patrick Tyler Snellings Malon Mimms, Trustee Emeritus

FACULTY & STAFF Angela Naples, Head of School Shannon Dishman, Associate Head of School Kristi McCarthy, Director of Admissions Amy Pennington, Director of Finance & Operations Stephanie Kashdan, Director of Marketing & Communications Allison Haber, Director of Advancement Carolyn McCord, Curriculum Specialist Kristin Hochburger, STEAM Coordinator Debra Erwin, Associate Business Manager Debi Trelease, Administrative Assistant Dana Deubel, Director of Student Programs Michael Deubel, Athletic Director Maggie Shirley, Performing Arts Judy Stokes, Visual Arts Kimberly Tharpe, Visual Arts / PK Science Melissa Singh, Library Media Specialist Mary Elizabeth Payne, School Nurse Maribel Hernandez, Nursery Mili Fernandez, Nursery Neeley Jones, PK2 Maudeline Noel, PK2 Monica Lopez, PK3 Cyntia Rivas, PK3 Caitlyn Sims, PK3 Rashedeh Hasefth, PK3 Abby Satori, PK4 Brenda Trejo, PK4 Shari Underhill, PK4 Yolanda Piscoya, PK4 Lauren Allen, Young 5 Maria Munoz-Inoue, Kindergarten Amanda Newton, Kindergarten

Judy Kleinhans, Kindergarten Andrea Swoop, 1st Grade Diana Ung, 1st Grade JoAnn Kellogg, 1st/2nd Grade Bridge Mary Jane Trapani, 2nd Grade Juli Guion, 2nd Grade Rebecca Gersten, 3rd Grade Bridge Crystal Salas, 3rd Grade Farrahn Thomas, 3rd Grade Lora Berry, 4th Grade Bridge Brandy Osborne, 5th Grade Bridge Heather Lee, 4th/5th Grade Math Frankie Linder, 4th/5th Grade Social Studies Felicia Lynch, 4th/5th Grade Literature Alex Jones, 4th/5th Grade Language Arts Stefanie Shore, Lower School Science Maria Garcia-Urbina, Lower School Spanish Helene Freese, Middle School Math Chris Garrett, Middle School Social Studies Anthony DiRoma, Middle School Bridge Math Maribel Rojas, Middle School Spanish Kevin McKinley, Middle School Science Erin Royster, 6th Grade Bridge Ansley Reynolds, 7th Grade Bridge Jennifer Craft, 8th Grade Bridge

PARTICIPATION OF FAMILIES

BY GRADE Nursery - 100% PK2 - 54% PK3 - 65% PK4 - 81% Y5 - 44% K - 84% 1ST - 75%

2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH 6TH 7TH 8TH

-

86% 77% 65% 92% 72% 81% 93%

GLADIATOR FUND GIVING 2018-2019 GLADIATORS’ CIRCLE | $10,000+ Campbell, Jill and Bullock, George Harrison, Janet and Josh Novak, Lisa and Ricky

TRUSTEES’ SOCIETY | $7,500 - $9,999 Axt, Kerrieann and Michael

CHAIRMAN’S CLUB | $5,000 - $7,499 Bradley, Greg Harper, Melissa and Tom Kimberl, Elizabeth and Michael Walker, Barbie and Arthur

BENEFACTORS’ CIRCLE | $3,000 - $4,999 Elhassani, Elizabeth and Hicham Ferguson, Karen and Butler, Darryl Parker, Kate and Mike Witt, Susan and Jefferson, Bret Wood, Jenette and Kenneth

FOUNDERS’ CLUB | $2,000 - $2,999 Anderson, Kate Bowman, Lisa and Philip Clausen, Mimi and Steen Copeland, Jodi and Brian Dishman, Shannon and Ken Guzman, Ashley and Nelson Johnson, Jenni and Matt Lieberman, Shele and Gary Mortimer, Thespi and Edward Naples, Angela and Andrew Ortiz, Diana and Alfredo Patrick, Erin and Sean Reid, Ann and Travis Sanders, Susie and Mike Shafer, Thomas Snellings, Meredith and Tyler Talley, Lyanette and Philip Titelman, Carmen and Robert Trizzino, Amy and Brett Voynich, Jennie and Michael Walker, Kanyatta and Kevin

GIFTS | $1,000 - $1,999 Ackerman, Kathleen and Brian Anand, Peter and Liza Angeles, Leonardo and Andrea Bernal, Javier and Bernal Castaneda, Stephanie Brown, Eric and Michelle Chingirian, Katie and Roger Delp, Aldor and Karen Duarte, Joyce and Rui Miguel (Michael)

Durkee, Christopher and Garcia-Durkee, Maribel Hattub, Parish and Michael Hong, Valerie and Steven Nairn, Billie Ann Nairn, Alison and Campbell Pajot, Brandi and Colin Pennington, Amy and Seth Pinkston, Sharon and Hugh Robbins, Sherika and Taurus Royster, Erin and Gregory Sanchez-Alvarez, Idalis and Santana-Lopez, Josue Schwab, Shannon and Shane Shiroishi, Beth and Jason Simpson, Amorell (Marie) Weinstock, Karen Williams, Jennifer and Todd Zandstra, Estelle and Mike

FRIENDS | UP TO $999 Allen, Lauren Andibo, Abuna and Grant, Keith Belinfante, Joshua Bennett, Eloise and Donovan Benscoter, Carleigh and Kevin Berger, Allison and Campbell, Neil Berry, Lora and Josh Blosfield, Seema and Chris Bourque, Lorie and Cliff Bringardner, Shelly and Charles Brodnax, Rebecca and Lewis Brown, Kelley and Robert Buchanan, Curtis Burstiner, Cindy and Gil Santiago, Dennis and Bustamante, Maria Bykat, Shelly and Erik Cameron, Leigh and Handly Carter, Glory Carter, Shannon and Mark Cohen, Jennifer and Paul Corcoran, Tasha Couch, Kristie and Curtiss Covell, Sheryl and David Cowden, Emily and Birton Craft, Jennifer Curry, Coleen and Joseph DeChellis, Maria DeGennaro, Jennifer and Dean Deubel, Dana and Michael DiRoma, Anthony

Thank you to our Matching Gift Corporations AT&T Kimberly Clark Lexis Nexis Prologis Salesforce SunTrust Foundation Benevity US Bank Weinstock Immigration Lawyers

GLADIATOR FUND GIVING 2018-2019 FRIENDS | UP TO $999 Droessler, Cheryl Eberts, Christy and Nick Edrenic, Elma and Osmanbasic, Amir Edy, Shay and Wayne Elledge, Stacy and Kirk Ellis, Amy and David Ellis, Ashley and Jonathan Erwin, Debra and Robert Fenello, Kate and Frank Fernandez, Maria Fletcher, Amy and Tim Freese, Helene Furlow, Lillian Gan, Lulu and Rathnam Gopal, Balamurugan Garrett, Chris Gayle, Simone Gayus Shive, Lotem and Yakov Gersten, Rebecca and Jordan Gibbs, Linda and Paul Gitelson, Gina and William Goldberg, Angela and Louis Gran, Aelai and Sulaiman, Nick Grice, Alencia Grossman, Lauren and Hank Guion, Juli and Joe Haber, Allison and Jeff Haber, Rose and Mike Hall, Amber Hall, Sarah and Daniel Hancock, Diana and Rex Harden, Kelly and Terron Harhai, Welthan and Brian Harris, Andreia and Timothy Hawksworth, Jennifer and Ben Henderson, Donna and Doug Henry, Danica and Kenneth Scott Hernandez, Maribel Hochburger, Kristin and Krist Howley, Stacey and Greg Hull, Christie and Wesley Isaacs, Jen and Mitch Jarboe, Lee and Mark Jones, Alex Jones, Neeley Kashdan, Stephanie and Jeff Keeley, Laura and Ruth Piscoya, Yolanda Planchard, Leah and Nicholas Porter, Laura and Woodall, Larry Ragusa, Katrina and Janke, Frank Ralston-Coley, Kirstin and Coley, Clayton

Ramadan, Susan and Elshihabi, Saamir Ramirez, Cynthia and Utreras, Daniel Reams, Ashley and Mike Renals, Angela and John Reynolds, Ansley Rivas, Cynthia Kellogg, JoAnn Kimura, Verna Kirkland, Kimberly and Trego, Todd Kleinhans, Judy Knudsen, Lisa and Chad Koppel, Penny and David Larbi-Yeboa, Emelia and Andrew Lee, Heather Leonard, Courtney and Matt Lester, Catherine and Walt Lewis Simile, Melissa Linder, Frankie LoCicero, Alicia and Padial, Andre Lopez, Monica Esquivia Lunsford, Diana Lynch, Felicia Madden, William Scott and Annemarie Kesler Maloch, Cheryl and Lee Mansell, Taylor and Philip Mao, Chenyue and Lohr, Eric McCabe, Julie and Brian McCallum, Patricia and Charles McCarthy, Kristi and Mason McCord, Carolyn and Harrison McHaney, Margit McKinley, Kevin Miller, Susan and Kevin Moore, Amberlee and Christopher Morris, Kristin and Joe Morton, Lindsay and Brian Munoz-Inoue, Maria and Inoue, Ariel Naik, Laxmi and Narayan Newton, Amanda and Brandon Noel, Maudeline Nogin, Michelle and Yale Olson, Jennifer and Travis Ortega, Pilar and Arsenian, Gary Osborne, Brandy and Jared Padlo, Trish and Jeff Pajot, Sarah and Ripley, Richard Payne, Mary Elizabeth Penso, Debbie Phillpott, Cindy and James Rohan, Elizabeth and Shanahan, Stephen Rojas, Maribel

Rugeles-Castro, Marcela and Obregon-Duran, Felix Salas, Crystal and Alex Saldana, Angela and Aaron Satori, Abby Scalley, Shannon and Chris Schwarz, Angela and Reiner Shafer, Mindy Shariff, Erin and Omar Shelton, Kristin and Brian Shirley, Margaret and Thomas Shore, Stefanie and David Sims, Caitlyn Singh, Melissa and Satyan Slade, William Smith, Cassie Smith, Sandra and Vincent Sorathiya, Tarannum and Karim Stanley, Heather and Albert Stemniski, Kerrie and Peter Stewart, Brittney Stokes, Judy Stone, Jodi and Andrew Stone, Steven Suzuki-Mendez, Maia and Mendez, Marcos Swartz, Shana and Chris Swoop, Andrea and Butch Tatum, Margaret Teegarden, Kimbrell and Andrew Tharpe, Kimberly and James Thomas, Farrahn Trapani, Mary Jane Trejo, Brenda Trelease, Debi Underhill, Shari Ung, Diana and Jimmy Urbina, Maria and Garcia, Luis Viente, Hayley Vitale, Cynthia Webber, Emily and Luke Wellford, Cheryl Williams, Suzanne and Patrick Willis, Bridgette Woods, Tracey and Brandon

SUPPORT THE 2019 GEORGIA PRIVATE SCHOOL TAX CREDIT PROGRAM! ATLANTAACADEMY.COM/TAXCREDITS Atlanta Academy participates in the Georgia Private School Tax Credit program through Apogee, a state-approved student scholarship organization. Georgia taxpayers can make a private donation and receive a dollar-for-dollar Georgia tax credit by redirecting your tax liability to support Atlanta Academy's Financial Aid program. Apogee believes that no child's educational opportunities should ever be limited by their financial situation. This year, more than $33,000 was donated by Atlanta Academy families benefiting our scholarship program.

Thank You! GEORGIA PRIVATE SCHOOL TAX CREDIT CONTRIBUTIONS Axt, Kerrieann and Michael Berger, Allison and Campbell, Neil Bosley, Angela and Mitchell, Joseph Brown, Michelle and Eric Bykat, Shelly and Erik Campbell, Jill and Bullock, George Gibbs, Linda and Paul Morris, Kristin and Joe Olson, Jennifer and Travis Ortiz, Diana and Alfredo Patrick, Erin and Sean Pennington, Amy and Seth Reams, Ashley and Michael Webber, Emily and Luke West, Lisa and Mark Williams, Suzanne and Patrick

GLADIATOR FUN RUN Our annual Gladiator Run was a HUGE success! Atlanta Academy students ran approximately 11,656 laps and gave about 3,000 high fives! We raised almost $200 per student and had over 1,300 donations.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TOP THREE STUDENT FUNDRAISERS! JUSTIN BUCHANAN ($2,935) CAMRYN HOLLIS ($1,605) JOSEPH GRICE ($1,500)

A very special thanks to our generous sponsors.

Atlanta Academy Board of Trustees Atlanta Academy Debate Team The Haber Family The Kashdan Family The Kimberl Family

Our school profited $34,705

ATLANTA ACADEMY AWARD The Atlanta Academy Award is the most prestigious award a student can receive. This award recognizes students who exemplify the highest moral and personal character. Respect for self and appreciation of difference in other students is an integral part. This student is always willing to help and is a leader among his or her peers.

KINDERGARTEN Nyla Billups Avy Schwab Ayaan Sorathiya Armin Sulaiman 1ST GRADE Brooke Campbell Maxi Docherty Calista Saldana 2ND GRADE Lisa Alekseeva Lola DeGennaro 3RD GRADE Camden Kimberl Ella Morris Dillan Pajot 4TH GRADE Rahul Anand Alice Parker 5TH GRADE Katie Trizzino Cooper Walker 6TH GRADE Emma Coley 7TH GRADE Jacob Barnard 8TH GRADE Sariah Robbins Hanna Yilma

Arrivederci Angela!

WE SAID GOODBYE TO OUR FOUNDER AND FIRST HEAD OF SCHOOL, ANGELA NAPLES, IN JUNE 2019. MRS. NAPLES SERVED AS OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL FROM 2000 UNTIL 2018, AND NOW SERVES ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR ATLANTA ACADEMY.

Over the last eighteen years, I have enjoyed the best job in the world. When we first opened our doors on November 1, 2000, with nine students, the possibility of failure never occurred to me. I never stopped to think about how hard it would be or whether or not we could do it. I had a mission and a vision in mind, and my team and I made it happen without any hesitation or looking back. The faculty and parents that believed in me was all the assurance I needed. We started from humble beginnings, and there were some tough times, but we managed to keep a positive “can do” attitude and persevered. I look back fondly on those days and still pinch myself when I tell people that we have reached our highest enrollment in history at 346 students.

Atlanta Academy was founded by teachers, and every decision, whether it was curriculum, teaching strategies, student programs or activities, was made with the best interest of the child in mind. Keeping that focus has been our guiding compass, and it has never failed us.

Looking back over these past years, my heart swells with pride and love as I see a beautiful community of loving, caring children who amaze me every day with their compassion, intellect, respect for their teachers and fellow classmates, and the desire to be better citizens making a difference in this world.

This faculty has emerged as a powerful force who have a passion for education and a love of children. Teaching is one of the hardest jobs in the world, but these teachers make it seem effortless. They are creative, enthusiastic, and devoted to their profession, and are all in sync with the mission and vision of our school. It is ingrained in every decision we make and the teachers are here because they believe in our students and what we have to offer at Atlanta Academy.

I will miss my sweet children and my dear faculty and staff. I will miss all of you, parents, whose constant support and generosity have helped us continue to grow our school. But, I will miss Morning Prayer the most. Nothing will replace that special time that I share with you each morning as we start our day asking God to help us be better people who make a difference in this world.

As many of you know, my husband, Andy, and I have always enjoyed traveling the world. Along with my passion for education, we now have the opportunity to pursue both. This new venture promises to bring even more possibilities and growth to our school, and I am excited about what the future holds for all of us.

Forever a Gladiator, Angela Naples

This is at the core of everything we do.

PARENTS' ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP TEAM Melissa Harper, President Janet Harrison, Treasurer Ann Reid, Marketing Kerrieann Axt, Gladiator Connect Glory Carter, Fall Carnival Shele Lieberman, Fall Carnival Ashley Guzman, Santa's Workshop Allison Haber, Gladiator Fun Run Atlanta Academy Cares-Nicole Barnard Jennifer Williams- Festival of the Arts Shele Lieberman- Field Day | Family Picnic Jennifer Hawksworth-Partner Fundraising/Spirit Nights

DAD PATROL Thank you to our Atlanta Academy Dads who have volunteered countless hours for carpool, school events and assistance around our campus.

We are so lucky to have such a supportive group of Dads!

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Kerrieann Axt, Photography Kate T. Parker, Photography Chris Durkee, Campus Assistance Sherika and Taurus Robbins, Athletic Support Aaron Saldana, Mural Kevin Walker, Safety Support Donovan and Eloise Bennett, Professional Development Jeff and Stephanie Kashdan, Trout Program Gary and Shele Lieberman, Outdoor Chess Set