MILL SPRINGS ACADEMY Matters

MILL SPRINGS ACADEMY
Matters
Winter Learning 2013
Winter 2013
In This Issue
Upper students stand in front of Spain’s Royal Palace in Madrid. The group visited about 20 of the 2,800
rooms in the Palace which is used now for diplomatic meetings and celebrations. It is one of the best maintained
palaces in the world.
Upper School Goes to Spain
A
group of 14 students along with chaperones, Assistant Principal Cynthia Traylor and Spanish
Teacher Jaime Gutierrez, visited one of the most exotic locales to date for Mill Springs Academy:
SPAIN! Tour guides were employed to direct the MSA group while they explored many cities
including Madrid, Salamanca and Barcelona. While in Salamanca students were able to walk into the
past by visiting the city’s majestic New Cathedral—constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries
as well as the Old Cathedral which was constructed between the 12th and 14th centuries. The tour
of Salamanca also included a visit to the old buildings of the Universidad de Salamanca which was
founded in 1134. Other highlights included visits to the very famous Museo Nacional Del Prado
in Madrid, as well as the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. Many of the students agreed that some of the
most fascinating sites and architecture were found in the city of Barcelona, including Antoni Gaudi’s
“Casa Battlo” and “La Sagrada Familia.” Everyone also enjoyed soaking up the local cuisine which was
comprised of fresh seafood, cured meats, and traditional desserts which were all enjoyed guilt-free after
the many, many miles walked!
Mill Springs’ Winter Learning Program always makes for great fun, but most of all great
learning. The Winter Learning Program (WLP) is a hands-on, experiential learning program
where PreUpper, Communication Arts and Upper School students take a variety of interestgenerated courses. The program lasts for two weeks in January and allows students to attend
workshops, internships, and week-long seminars in order to participate in “mobile classrooms”
on various topics. Here are just a few highlights featuring the diversity of the program.
Winter Learning
2013 . . . . . . . . . . . .1–6
Canned Food Drive . . . 6
ARISS Coming to
MSA? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
PreUpper Squishy
Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Diversity Conference . . 7
College Acceptances . . . 8
PreUpper Student Wins
Essay Contest . . . . . . . . 8
National Geography Bee 9
Junior Theater Festival . 9
Native American
Festival . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Winter Band Concert . 10
Future City Contest . . 11
Honor Roll (Fall 2012) 11
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Upper Students Earn
SCAD Awards . . . . . . 13
All-Select
Middle Chorus . . . . . 13
MSA STAR
Student & Teacher . . . 13
Annual Fund
2012–2013 . . . . . 14–15
Success in
School…
Success in
Life
Winter Learning 2013
SCUBA
F
ive PreUpper students:
Jake Martin, Taylor
Bunker, Matthew
Dalluge, Trevor Murr and Mia
Hummel-Levy accompanied
by chaperones Michael Adams
and Kris Hawksworth headed
to Crystal River, Florida in
early January to earn their Jr.
Open Water SCUBA Diving
certification. While there each
student kept a dive log to track
their dive history which will be
used in the future if they choose
to work toward more advanced
certifications. Everyone was
successful in completing the
course.
The group did four dives—
one in Crystal River, two in
Rainbow River, and one at
Devils Den. “All of these dives
were amazing and the guides were excellent!”, said PreUpper teacher, Michael Adams. “Next year, I am hoping to organize another
SCUBA trip for the certified students…maybe in the ocean at some
ship wrecks or coral reefs. We may also be going to Marine Lab in
the Florida Keys and may have a chance to dive there.”
Drew Maichle, Sam Paul, Daniel O’Keefe and Sydney Pipes rock out to
Survivor.
2 Mill Springs Academy Matters
PreUpper Student, Trevor Murr searches for gold doubloon at the bottom
of Rainbow River.
Rock Band
T
he first week of Winter Learning featured a stellar cast of musicians in MSA’s Rock Band seminar! The program showcased
three bands with members from the PreUpper, Communication Arts, and Upper Schools. The groups named themselves, put
together a set list, and then spent the week rehearsing and recording
in preparation for the big show which was held on Friday, January
11, 2013. The Rising Sun (Drew Maichle, Daniel O’Keefe, Sam
Paul, Sydney Pipes, and Skyler Swislow) opened the show with
Taylor Swift’s Tell Me Why. They then performed an exciting rendition of Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, and then closed out their set
with Any Way You Want It by Journey. The next band up was Greg
Bodeep (Paul Bain, Jon Mark Brasher, Alex Gonzales, Kylie Reynolds, Matt Sedacca, and Chase Watson) which performed the laid
back Just a Dream by Nelly, Jason Mraz’s quirky I’m Yours, country
song Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show, and closed out
their set with the always moving Drops of Jupiter by Train. Then the
band Midnight (Tim Hebert, Sam North, Dylan Porper, Arielle
Rogoff, Trevor Tencza, and James York) closed the show by performing 2 intense Linkin Park songs, New Divide and What I’ve
Done, along with two powerful Bon Jovi songs, Wanted Dead or
Alive and It’s My Life.
The bands produced a compilation CD, whose cover was
designed by Upper student Chase Watson. The CD’s as well as
DVD’s of the performances are on sale for $10 and $20 respectively
(please contact Elizabeth Plastiak in the Fine Arts Dept. for details
[email protected]).
Winter 2013
Winter Learning 2013
Biking
Financial Planning
his year’s winter biking group trekked the entire Silver Comet
Trail, which is 61 miles from Alabama to Smyrna. They
also rode the contiguous Big Creek Greenway in one day
including some mountain biking. The last day the group rode at
Arabia Mountain.
uring the first week of Winter Learning, several Upper
School students participated in a workshop on financial
planning. Students studied current events such as the recent
“Fiscal Cliff ” debate, as well as relevant topics such as the stock
market, ways to save money, taxes—including the different forms
and what they fund, how to make good use of coupons, how to
budget, and the different types of scholarships available for college
education and how to look into various financial aid programs. To
round out their learning the group then took a trip to the Federal
Reserve Bank of Atlanta where they learned about monetary policy,
bank supervision and regulation, inflation and deflation, and the
operation of a nationwide payment system. Students were also visited by a representative from Suntrust Bank who instructed students
on the FDIC, cyber hacking, and the differences between checking,
savings and 401K accounts.
T
D
Ryan Sarver, Porter Foltz, Francis Abernethy and Tyler Buice standing
under the starting point at the Silver Comet Trail.
Mystery Numb3rs
Theatre
I
n this drama/forensics workshop students were given the
opportunity to hone their performance skills while solving the
age-old mystery of what really happened to characters from
plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth. During
morning sessions led by the Atlanta Shakespeare Theater, students
learned how to fence, participate in sword fights, and perform
scenes from various Shakespearean Plays. Then in the afternoon,
students became forensic scientists by solving various “who-done-it”
scenarios.
Episodes from NUMB3RS, the forensic investigation series that uses
math to solve crimes, was used to give students a taste of applied forensics
in the real world.
Wordcraft
D
uring the second week of Winter Learning, a small group of budding writers along with PreUpper teacher Michael Griffeth,
developed a creative writing website aimed at showcasing written, creative expression that was constructed in a non-traditional
manner. Wordcraft was also designed to be a lesson in safely constructing and publishing an online, creative writing blog that can
function as an annual repository for student’s written works. Each day found the group working on non-traditional writing activities for the
first portion of the day and updating the website in the afternoon. “It was a refreshing way to approach written expression and electronic
publishing and it also was a great deal of fun,” said Griffeth. Feel free to visit the new site and enjoy the posts by visiting http://wordcraftmsa.
com/.
Winter 2013
Mill Springs Academy Matters 3
Winter Learning 2013
Set Building
A
Sam Wolff has the answer ready on his white board in the Ham Exam
Cram’s Jeopardy game.
rtists in grades 7–12 spent Winter Learning in the art studio
and Stallings Theater preparing for the upcoming Spring
Musical, Beauty and the Beast. Students worked with
Technical Theater Director Patrick Rose and Communication Arts
Science teacher Jay Hudson to construct and paint the sets and
scenery. Art Teacher Brian Buxton, Theater Director Jamie
Fambrough and Art Teacher/Fine Arts Director Janet Ford worked
with artists to create props and publicity pieces for the upcoming
spring musical. MSA’s Fine Arts Department works hard to involve
everyone in the spring musical—not just the actors on the stage.
The Musical (in conjunction with the Art Exhibit) will be April
19th, 20th and 21st at MSA. Artists/Actors Olivia Dolan (Belle),
Linsday Lopp (Lefou), Emily Pearman (Mrs. Potts), Morgan Graves
(Silly Girl), Cartwright Ayers (Ensemble) and Kasey Bonanno
(Ensemble) created work for their performance!
Ham Radio
H
ow old must a person be before he is eligible to get an
amateur radio operator license? Trick question!...there is no
age requirement. All that is required to get a license from
the FCC is to pass an exam. For the first week of Winter Learning,
three seventh graders and three eighth graders in the PreUpper
School worked with teacher, Martha Muir, to prepare to take and
pass that exam.
Each day, students went over the fundamentals of electronics, electricity, the electromagnetic spectrum, and laws related to
properly operating an amateur radio station. Every day there were
quizzes featuring questions similar to ones that might appear on the
exam. By the end of Thursday, nearly 400 questions were in rotation. On Friday, Dr. John Kludt, president of NFARL, the North
Fulton Amateur Radio League, and his colleagues, Mr. Chuck Catledge, Mr. Mike Cohen, Mr. Jeff Otterson, and Mr. Dave Brackett
visited MSA for a day-long Ham Exam Cram with the students.
They reviewed each section of concepts and then lead the students
through a series of Jeopardy type games that used questions based
on the content they covered. Students with the highest scores won
prizes such as a multi-meter or three way flashlights.
Later that week on Saturday, five MSA students went to the
Alpharetta Adult Activities Center to take the exam. Three out of five
passed the exam! MSA’s new Hams’ include Sam Wolff, now owner
of the call sign KK4NVJ, Joseph Murphy—call sign KK4NVI, and
Alasdair Boney—call sign KK4NVH. Those who did not pass said
they plan to study and take the test again. Having this license will
allow Sam, Joseph, and Alasdair to operate the amateur radio station
that will soon be established in PreUppert teacher Martha Muir’s
classroom. The equipment for the radio station was awarded to Mill
Springs Academy by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the
headquarters of HAM radio in the US. A special thanks to Dr. John
Kludt who was very helpful in MSA getting this grant.
4 Mill Springs Academy Matters
Morgan Graves and Carolyn Edge show off their Cogsworth creation.
Spencer Murphy (bottom right) interned in the art studio for
Winter Learning. Spencer helped fellow students Brent Roepe and
Thomas Moore create this sculpture of the Beast.
Winter 2013
Winter Learning 2013
botany, river and stream ecology, and environmental awareness.
The group alternated between on-campus work in MSA’s
community garden and preparing the garden for Spring planting
and travelling to various parks along the Chattahoochee river to fly
fish and learn first-hand, about Georgia’s local watersheds and the
importance of its river and stream ecosystems. It was a week filled
with productivity and adventure.
Students take stop for a quick break to pet horses in the barn at Applewood Farm, a full-time dressage training facility.
Career Exploration
D
uring this year’s Career Explorations Winter Learning Program, students were given the opportunity to learn about
themselves and possible careers that would match with their
personality types. On the first day of the program students took a
personality assessment and researched careers of interest. Throughout the rest of the week students then visited and learned about
the various businesses and organizations that matched their fields
of interest such as Crabapple Animal Hospital, MOC Photography, Southern Polytechnic State University, Children’s Hospital of
Atlanta at Egleston, and Applewood Farm. Students also received
visits from a former elementary school teacher, court attorney and
various MSA teachers who stopped by to share their professional
experiences.
Upper and CommArts students movin’ and groovin’ during this year’s
Winter Learning Program. Front Row: Jessica Lublin, Nicole Thomas,
Gwyneth Hummel-Levy, and Erin McCallum. Middle row: Maritza
Gracia. Back row: Austin Coleman, Casey Noblett-Instructor, Dera
Anueyiagu, Andrea Carlos, Shayna Lopp, Rhen Avritt, Shivani Patel,
Alec Davis, and Taniah Jones.
Dancing with the
MSA Stars
T
Students pose for a quick group shot before heading off to the Brigadoon
Lodge on the Soque River, a trophy trout stream in the beautiful North
Georgia Mountains.
Field and Stream
F
or the first week of Winter Learning, PreUpper teachers
Michael Adams and Michael Griffith put together an
environmentally-themed seminar with a focus on agriculture,
Winter 2013
ravelling to former MSA drama teacher, Lynn Stalling’s Studio of the Arts, students experienced a week with Professional
Dance Instructor, Casey Noblett, learning Hip-Hop, Ballet,
Jazz, Modern, and the Salsa. Each session began with students
participating in warm-up exercises for 30 minutes before learning
new dance steps each day. Students practiced and then performed
the dance steps at the end of the session in smaller groups. In the
PM session, students viewed movies that highlighted professional
dancers performing the types of dances they had learned in the AM
session as a reinforcement of their dancing skills. “At the end of
the week, students commented on how much fun they had,” said
teacher Taniah Jones. “We all wished we had another week of
dancing!”
Mill Springs Academy Matters 5
Winter Learning 2013
Communication Arts
Visits the Wonders
of the West
I
t’s not easy to get twenty-four teenagers to go completely silent,
but the vision of California condors soaring on the air currents
above the multi-hued granite walls of Grand Canyon South
accomplished just that. “I’ve never seen a place so huge. . . I feel
tiny!” said 7th grader David Flamini.
During Winter Learning Communication Arts students traveled
to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, had a snowball fight in
6” of snow and tried their hand at horseback riding. Some of the
highlights of this year’s trip included a visit to Oatman, a historic
mining town on Route 66; a tour of the Heard Museum which is
dedicated to Native American culture; viewing petroglyphs left by
the Hohokam people on a hike in the mountains outside Phoenix;
and a visit to a living pioneer village from the late 1800’s where
students and faculty had the chance to go back in time and meet
blacksmiths, miners, weavers, gunfighters and sheriffs, farmers,
cattlemen, teachers, and bankers.
CommArts students gather for a group shot outside Hopi House, a
market for Native American crafts located at the South Rim of the Grand
Canyon. From left to right: Erin Horst, Jacob Budwitz, Abby Hayman,
Jacob Smith, Meghan Kern, Andrew Smith, Morgan Taylor, Devin
Orkin, Joey O’Connor, Austin Nam, Zack Harmon, Andrew Border,
Garrett McCarthy; Neil Jensen, John Chisholm, Sean Brinkley, Michael
Martin, Miles Lucas, Peyton Lockwood, Thomas Chiu, Matthew Petty,
Jay Coleman, Corinne Davenport, and Emily Chastain.
Is ARISS Coming to
Mill Springs?
E
The Mill Springs Community collected the equivalent of 9,242 meals
through their efforts in this year’s Canned Food Drive!
Canned Food Drive
A
great big thanks to everyone who participated in the annual
Canned Food Drive. MSA’s efforts collected 11,090 pounds
of canned food for the Atlanta Community Food Bank
which distributes the food to needy families. Headmaster, Robert
Moore is right… “Small schools can do big things.”
6 Mill Springs Academy Matters
ach year NASA opens a window for schools to
apply for the opportunity to make contact with the
astronauts who are living and working aboard the
International Space Station (ISS) through amateur radio
stations. Once notified that the PreUpper School won
a grant from the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL)
to get the basic equipment for setting up an amateur
radio station at Mill Springs, PreUpper science teacher
Martha Muir submitted an 8-page application proposing
MSA as radio contact site with the ISS. Proposals from
various schools and organizations will be considered in
the spring of 2013. If the MSA proposal is accepted, plans
are to hold the communication/contact with the ISS in
MSA’s gym, using large screens to project live video of
the students operating the equipment and talking with
the astronauts. Martha should be notified in the spring of
2013 if MSA’s application has been accepted.
Winter 2013
PreUpper Students do
Squishy Physics
W
hat does cooking gourmet food have to do with science?
Plenty! Fifteen PreUpper students found this out
when they attended the Squishy Physics seminar at
Georgia Tech at the beginning of February. Professors Amy Rowat
and Sidney Perkowitz discussed the science behind the cooking
techniques being demonstrated by Top Chef All Stars Champion,
Richard Blais. Chef Blais and his crew used liquid nitrogen to freeze
oysters, “oyster pearls”, and shrimp to change their consistency
before adding them to his dishes. Meat was cooked in a warm water
bath for twelve hours to achieve the perfect texture. Dr. Rowat said
that a benefit of research into this area is a potential new way to
isolate cancer cells. Topics presented at this seminar reinforced the
topics currently being discussed in Physical Science such as acids,
bases, pH, and changes of state.
MSA student, Scott Collins, entered this photo titled “Tome Coca Cola,”
into the Squishy Physics Photo Contest. The contest, run by Fernbank
Science Center in conjunction with the Squishy Physics seminar, asked
students in grades 7–12 to send in a photo of something that represented
‘squishy.’
Winter 2013
Upper Students
and Faculty Attend
Diversity Conference
T
his past December, fourteen Upper School students along
with teachers Karen Bradley, Taniah Jones, Jaime Gutierrez
and Asst. Principal Cynthia traveled to Houston, TX to
participate in the NAIS (National Association of Independent
Schools) People of Color Conference (PoCC) and the Student
Diversity Leadership Conference. The mission of the NAIS People
of Color Conference is to provide a safe space for networking and
a professional development opportunity for people, who, by virtue
of their race or ethnicity, comprise a form of diversity termed
“people of color” in independent schools. The student track titled:
Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) is a multiracial,
multicultural gathering of upper school student leaders (grades
nine–12) from across the U.S. SDLC focuses on self-reflecting,
forming allies, and building community. This year’s trip was made
possible in large part due to travel scholarships awarded to the
students through the Mill Springs PVA.
“I have always been very grateful with the opportunity to attend
the PoCC conferences,” said Jaime. “It is a time for personal and
professional growth. This year; however, it was different. Having the
chance to take other teachers and students with us, made the whole
experience much more meaningful.” The student’s from Jaime’s
diversity class who attended the conference stated they came back with
a new perspective on life and learned ways to address difficult issues
associated with race, religion, gender, and learning differences. The
students also stated the conference helped them with their self-esteem
and taught them better ways to communicate. “There was an array of
interesting activities regarding race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and gender,” said Upper student, Alex Hurtsellers.
“These activities gave me a needed insight on some things I had never
thought about, either out of negligence or ignorance.”
Both the adult and student tracks featured speakers from diverse
backgrounds. “Out of all the speakers, I took the most away from
Helene Cooper who works for The New York Times as a White
House correspondent,” said James Hurtsellers. “Her story is very
compelling and inspirational. Helene is a Liberia native, and made
an attempt, with her mother and sister, to escape Liberia in 1980.
She talked of her journey from living a life of affluence and security
to escaping for her very life. Her story of embracing her scarring
past really resonated with me.”
Mill Springs Academy Matters 7
College Acceptances
Congratulations to the following seniors on their college acceptances:
Justin Armenta | Valdosta State University, Reinhardt University,University of West Georgia
Michelle Bonin | Reinhardt University, Wesleyan College
Andrew Cicco | Reinhardt University, Harding University
Austin Coleman | Benedict College, Young Harris College, Reinhardt University, Piedmont College
Maddie Connell | Kennesaw State University, Valdosta State University, Young Harris College
West Connor | Reinhardt University, Tusculum College
Philip Early | Georgia Southern University, Young Harris College, Reinhardt University
Brandon Gildersleve | University of Alabama, Auburn University, Georgia Southern University
Robert Golden | Golf Academy of America
Rebecca Henderson | Jacksonville State University, Western Carolina University
Paul Jarvis | Beacon College, Reinhardt University, University of the Ozarks
Doug Marcotte | Reinhardt University
Matthew McNaughton | Maryville College, Brevard College
Spencer Murphy | Kennesaw State University, Southern Polytechnic State University
Mitch Norris | West Virginia Wesleyan College
David Pardue | Reinhardt University
Alex Pawlowski | Reinhardt University, Jacksonville State University
Mary Short | Lees-McRae College, Kennesaw State University
Logan Singleton | Mississippi State University
Courtney Sontag | University of Iowa—REACH Program
MaKinzi Wright | Iowa State University
PreUpper
Student Wins
Essay Contest
P
Representatives from Fulton County Water and the Metropolitan Water District visited Mill
Springs to award Rosa with a copy of her essay mounted to a plaque, a water bottle, and a
monetary award.
8 Mill Springs Academy Matters
reUpper student, Rosa Brown, won
the Clean Water Campaign’s essay
contest for Fulton County. Rosa’s essay,
titled “Stormwater Pollution in the Grater
Atlanta Area,” describes some of the problems
the metro area is encountering locally with
stormwater runoff. Students in grades 6-8 from
fifteen metro Atlanta counties were asked to
write a 300–500 word essay about stormwater
pollution and prevention. The essays were then
reviewed by a subcommittee who chose the best
essays from each county.
Winter 2013
MSA’s 2013 National Geographic Bee champion, Connor Samsky.
Front row- Nicole Silbert, Jack Hurtsellers, and James Paxon. Back rowMaddie Hahn, Steffi Schneider, Natalie Yager, and Emily Hyman.
Junior Theater Festival
O
National Geography Bee
C
ongratulations to seventh grader, Connor Samsky, for being
the 2013 National Geographic Bee champion for MSA! The
National Geography Bee is a nationwide contest in which
the first place prize is a $25,000 college scholarship. Connor took a
qualifying test to see if he will be chosen to go to the state level bee
on April 1 and compete against 100 of the highest scoring students
from other Georgia schools. This year’s second place finalist was
seventh grader Colby Darr and third place went to eighth grader
Colin Wilson. Congratulations to all the students who participated
in this year’s bee. Everyone did a great job!
Winter 2013
ver 4,000 students from across the country attended this
year’s Junior Theatre Festival here in Atlanta on January
18-20. MSA 6th grade drama students James Paxton,
Jack Hurtsellers, Emily Hyman, Nicole Silbert, Maddie Hahn,
Natalie Yager, and Steffi Schneider presented an excerpt from Flat
Stanley Jr. for the Festival. While there students took workshops
by Broadway directors and performers, met special guests such
as Alan Menken (composed music for Little Shop of Horrors,
Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Little Mermaid, and others),
saw a lot of great theatre, and had a fabulous time! “The Festival’s
Broadway judges said our group had captured the audience in
their hands by grabbing them with their energy,” said drama
teacher Kate McElliott. Middle School student, Jack Hurtsellers,
won an award for “Outstanding Male Performer” at the festival
(one of about 10 awarded from the 4,000). Other awards received
by MSA students included: Jack Hurtsellers and Emily Hyman “All-Star Performers,” James Paxton and Natalie Yager – “Jr. Slam
Performers”, and Natalie Yager was invited to audition for the
Disney DVD.
Mill Springs Academy Matters 9
Jacob Smith, a 7th grade student in Communication Arts, prepares to
give his presentation about his chosen Native American character, Crazy
Horse .
Communication Arts
Celebrates Native
American Culture
W
ith the sound of flutes playing and drums beating, the
students of MSA were treated to a full Native American
Pow-Wow at the annual Communication Arts Festival
where 7th and 8th grade Communication Arts students dressed
as famous Native Americans and gave speeches on their lives. To
provide an authentic Native American environment, students from
MSA’s Fine Arts Department created brilliantly colored murals of
mountains and deserts, totems, giant dream catchers, wigwams,
igloos, and Kachina dolls. MSA also hosted over twenty Indian
musicians, dancers, and artists dressed in full regalia brought their
colorful culture alive with lively performances. Students and staff
joined the Native Americans in the Upper School great room to
learn the rhythmic steps of their tribal dances and sample foods
representative of many tribes, such as succotash and pumpkin soup.
Noted Native American flute player and Nammy Award Winner
J. J. Kent, a Lakota Sioux from South Dakota also attended the
festival where he performed for the group and pitched his tipi in
front of the school.
Kay Morrison with renowned Lakota flutist J. J. Kent, Sean Brinkley,
Andrew Mengel, and Joey O’Connor in front of J.J. Kent’s tipi. J.J. Kent
performed at the festival, and also shared his knowledge of the Lakota
culture with attendees at the festival.
Winter Band Concert
O
n Friday December 14, the MSA Band performed a true
variety of music in The Stallings Theater for MSA friends
and families. The Band opened with Jack White’s Seven
Nation Army, and continued with Dream On by Aerosmith, the
Batman Theme by Danny Elfman, Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold,
and Good King Joy by The Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
10 Mill Springs Academy Matters
CommArts student, Paul Jarvis, prepares for the Winter Band Concert.
Winter 2013
Mill Springs Builds the
City of the Future
P
reUpper students Sam Smith, Colin Wilson, and Trey Reid represented
MSA at the Future City Engineering Competition held at Southern
Polytechnic & State University January 26th. The only national
engineering competition for middle school students, Future City has gained
national attention and acclaim for its role in encouraging interest in science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM), through hands on applications.
Combining research, SimCity4 Deluxe software, and hands on model making
Future City helps students discover how they can make a difference in the
world by designing a city of the future for 50,000 inhabitants.
The competition in January was the finale of nearly a semester’s worth
of work by students in Martha Muir’s ACE class. This year’s topic, “Rethink
Runoff,” challenged students to design clean solutions for managing storm
water pollution. This year’s MSA team was disappointed not to make the playoffs but was extremely excited to win the Best Use of Nano-Technology award
from Microsoft. “A lot of work and focus goes into the competition and the
students learn a lot,” said PreUpper Science Teacher, Martha Muir. “We are all
very proud of the work our team accomplished this year.”
Trey Reid, Colin Wilson, and Sam Smith present their future
city, “Tuolumne,” to a panel of judges at the Future City
Engineering Competition.
2012 fall honor roll
Gold Mustangs
(All A’s)
Middle School
Sean Carmody
Tyler Goodwyn
Maddie Hahn
Emily Hyman
Luke Sherrill
Max Woods
PreUpper
Alasdair Boney
Andrew Border
Rosa Brown
Will Caldwell
Alexis Herrington
Drew Maichle
Sydney Pipes
Alexa Shipes
Sam Smith
Tommy Sweeney
CommArts
Trevor Bush
John Chisholm
Thomas Chiu
Jacob Cutchin
Corinne Davenport
Neil Jensen
Winter 2013
Shayna Lopp
Mike Martin
Mac Morris
Devin Orkin
Upper
Paul Bain
Michelle Bonin
Jeremy Border
Anna Carter
Carter Cassel
West Connor
Philip Early
Alexander Hurtsellers
Russell Jones
Matt Manna
Matt McNaughton
Isabella Omohundro
Kylie Reynolds
Levi Smith
Joseph Tencza
Nicole Thomas
Silver Mustangs
(All A’s And B’s With
At Least One A In A
Core Subject)
Middle School
Jacob Botnick
Brennan Burstein
Alex Comis
Peter Cook
Emily Cowart
Catie Claire Coyle
Clara Cullerton
Garrett Cutchin
Hayley Gaitan
Daniel Garguilo
Alana Green
Michael Healey
Jack Hurtsellers
Christian Kelm
Alli Kogoy
Jake May
Darby McHugh
Maridy Moore
Eli Musgrave
Trevor Parkey
Ian Partain
James Paxton
Hannah Rae
Cole Reed
Devin Roland-Neal
Jordan Rothberg
Steffi Schneider
Yates Smith
Christian Speir
Christopher Walker
Natalie Yager
PreUpper
CommArts
Noah Altman
Lily Barwick
Taylor Bunker
Elliot Cohen
Will Collingsworth
Matthew Cowart
Cal Dalke
Matthew Dalluge
Colby Darr
Olivia Dolan
Cameron Feeley
Michael Flanigan
Nate Foster
Hunter Gordon
Morgan Graves
Ty Harrell
Emma Harris
Matt Haverland
Mia Hummel-Levy
Jake Martin
Ross McCullough
Joseph Murphy
Brett Parks
Kyle Phillips
Tom Ray
Trey Reid
Connor Samsky
Sam Sharp
Parker Zaglin
Ben Arculeo
Caroline Berman
Kasey Bonanno
Sean Brinkley
Jacob Budwitz
Emily Chastain
David Flamini
Lindsey Flax
Alex Hain
Devin Hazzard
Garrett McCarthy
Andrew Mengel
Mitch Norris
Joey O’Connor
Matthew Petty
Johnny Ray
Ryan Sarver
Andrew Smith
Jacob Smith
Morgan Taylor
Upper
Nathan Beard
Hanna Bowler
Jon Brasher
Aleksandr Calais
Austin Coleman
Alexander Diaz
William Domenico
Avraham Greene
Rebecca Henderson
Ariel Hill
Chandler Holt
Brett Jackson
Paul Jarvis
Lenny Kay
Peyton Lockwood
William Madison
Doug Marcotte
Jack Minozzi
Josh Moore
Spencer Murphy
Parker Mosley
Samuel North
Mitchell Phillips
Dylan Porper
Ethan Reish
Adam Robinson
Jonathan Ross
Griffin Rudd
Mary Short
Eric Siegel
Alex Silverman
Wesley Site
Zachary Skinner
Andrew Solis
William Treace
Andrew Walker
Mill Springs Academy Matters 11
SPORTS
Boy’s Basketball
T
West Conner pinning his opponent from Brandon Hall within seconds of
the match beginning at the GISA 1AAA Region tournament.
Wrestling
T
his year’s wresting team was the largest with over 23 students
participating. The team focused on building basic skills
which paid off during the GISA 1AAA regionals with many
wrestlers receiving awards in different weight classes. West Connor:
1st place; Adam Robinson and Avi Greene: 2nd place; Johnny Ray
and Tim Schultheis: 3rd place. “The team is excited for next year as
they look to build upon what they’ve accomplished during the 2013
season,” said Coach Timothy Ray. “Any new students who want to
be a member are welcome to join us this summer for a wrestling
camp July 8–12, 2013 and a strength and conditioning camp July
29–August 2, 2013.”
Swimming
by Coach Victoria Jones
T
he Mustangs Swim Team traveled to Georgia Tech on
February 2nd to compete in the GISA State Championship
swim meet, hosted by Mount de Sales and Southland
Academy. This year’s team had six representatives, each of whom
worked very hard and diligently to get where they ended up that
day. As a whole, the team placed 10th overall in the state for their
division. The boys’ varsity relay team, which consisted of Porter
Foltz, Andrew Cicco, Matt McNaughton and Peyton Lockwood,
finished 5th in their heat. In the individual events, Peyton
Lockwood was a serious threat in his races, placing 3rd overall in
the 200 IM, 2nd overall in the 100 Breaststroke, and 4th overall in
the 500 Free (20 laps—a LONG swim).
The GISA State Championship meet finished the 2nd MSA
swim season and the largest so far. The team ended the season
in 10th place in their division, and hopes to make an even more
impressive showing next year.
12 Mill Springs Academy Matters
he 2012–2013 Boys Varsity Basketball Season was filled with
positive strides in the Championship building process for
the Mustangs. The year’s team posted a 5–9 overall record
and ascended to a fourth place finish in both the AAC regular
season and AAC Tournament. “I was really proud of what we were
able to accomplish this season,”
said Coach Phil Hanson. “Our big
three—Austin Coleman, Philip
Early, and Chandler Holt, paced us
all year. I can’t say enough about the
efforts of those three as every night,
they set the standard for our team.
Also, Matt McNaughton and Josh
Moore were the glue of the team.
Every championship team needs
role players and these two guys
epitomized our team first approach.”
This year’s team accomplished
many notable things including
In front of another MSA sellout
posting their fourth final four
appearance in the AAC Tournament crowd, Mustangs’ Chandler
as well as beating Brandon Hall for Holt takes the ball to rack
the first time at Brandon Hall since against AO as Philip Early
intently goes to the glass.
the 2006–2007 season.
Girl’s Basketball
by Coach Carlos Colon
T
his year’s Lady
Mustangs ended
their season with
a 2:8 record. And even
though the wins vs. losses
don’t directly show it, the
girls had an incredible
season. They all showed
superb effort and grit and
worked hard at every game
regardless of the score. We
focused this year on skill
building and I was proud
to see that everyone was
committed to making
nightly practices as well
as some weekends and
Dera Anueyiagu (#12) on offense against
even holidays. Although
Brandon Hall.
this year’s team did not
have a strong showing in
the tournament, the Lady Mustangs played hard and were much
more competitive than when they began the season. I’m definitely
looking forward to next season and building upon our progress.
Winter 2013
Upper students Alexander Hurtsellers and Jessica Lublin.
Upper Students Earn
SCAD Awards
S
avannah College of Art and Design has awarded Upper
School students Alexander Hurtsellers and Jessica Lublin
each Silver Key awards in the 90th Scholastic Art & Writing
Awards for their poetry submissions. Gold and Silver Key work
will be featured in an exhibition at SCAD Atlanta on March 8-22.
Alex’s poem was titled, “Sam & Julia” while Jessica’s was “Ghost of
a Memory, Stay for the Day”. The notification we received stated,
“these students exude such talent and passion for the arts.” They
will be honored at a ceremony on March 23 at SCAD Atlanta.
Congratulations to them both!
Director Dr. Carol Krueger leads the All-Select Honors Chorus (including MSA students Emily Hyman and Natalie Yager in the alto section)
in their final rehearsal.
All-Select Middle Chorus
M
SA middle schoolers Natalie Yager and Emily Hyman
attended the GISA All-Select Honors Chorus at Mount
De Sales Academy in Macon, GA on February 9th and
10th. Natalie and Emily, along with other honors chorus students
from across the state, worked with Dr. Carol Krueger from Emporia
State University to learn five, three-part choral selections for a
concert on Sunday. A CD was made of their performance and
clips may be featured on MSA’s web site in the near future...so stay
tuned!
MSA’s STAR
Student/Teacher
C
ongratulations to Senior, Emily Chastain, who
has been named Mill Springs Academy’s STAR
Student for the 2012–2013 school year. Emily
selected CommArts Teacher, Jay Hudson, as her STAR
Teacher. The state STAR program is coordinated by
the Professional Association of Georgia Educators in
association with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR)
program honors Georgia’s outstanding high school seniors
and the teachers who have been most instrumental in their
academic development. To obtain the STAR nomination,
high school seniors must have the highest score on
the test date on the three-part SAT taken through the
November test date of their senior year and be in the top
10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on GPA.
Congratulations to both Emily and Jay!
Winter 2013
CommArts teacher Jay Hudson and MSA’s STAR Student,
Emily Chastain.
Mill Springs Academy Matters 13
Annual Fund 2012–2013
Annual Fund 2012–2013
Staff/Faculty
Board of Trustrees
Daniel and Christine Abernethy
Carol and Tarpley Adams
Michael and Kim Adams
Samuel Adams
Philip and Cynthia Agcaoili
Gez and Donna Agolli
Carmen Allen
Ivan Allen IV
Nina Altman
Kevin and Kimbrel Arculeo
Joe and Fran Arena
Howard and Colleen Austin
Carolina Ayerbe and Damian Farrier
Tim and Leigh Ann Ayres
Heather Bailey
David and Janet Bain
Dennis and Jackie Barbare
Paul and Mary Barkley
Jerry and Janet Barnett
Elaine Barron
Janice Barton
Laura Barton
Nathan and Ann Beard
Timothy and Lynise Beard
Gretchen Beck
Christopher Behr and Bette Jones
Garey and Kim Bell
Stanley and Marcia Bell
Garry and Kathy Berardi
Mark and Cathy Berman
Matt and Virginia Billips
Gregory Bodeep
John and Kelly Bonanno
Russell and Jill Bonds
Joey and Dolores Bonin
Joseph and Claudette Bonin
Will and Jackie Border
Randy and Rita Botnick
Bruce and Deena Bowers
Mike and Bette Rose Bowers
John and Barbara Bowler
Current
Current
Parents
Parents
The Annual Fund is the most important gift our parents,
board, and faculty/ staff are asked to make to the school
each year. This year’s goals are:
n Raise $250,000
n Receive 100% participation from our entire school family
(parents, board, faculty/staff )
Please join the following list of families and individuals who
have already shown their support to the school by making a
gift or pledge. REMEMBER…participation means a
gift of any size!
New
Parents
Steve and Trish Boyer
Karen and Justin Bradley
Richard Brandt and Carmen Neyra
Mark and Pam Brasher
Judith Brick
Margaret and Robert Brito
Jeff and Traci Brown
Jeffrey and Jessica Brown
Lisa Brown
Scott and Michele Brown
Eric Brown
Bruce and Marie Brownlow
Doris Bryant
James and Coleen Bryant
Buckhead Uniforms
Bill and Lori Budwitz
Erin Buice
Don and Kim Bunker
Derek and Mindy Bush
Ron and Sharon Bush
Brian and Lisa Buxton
Monte and Pam Cagle
Grier and Ashley Campbell
Wayne Carey and Yvonne Satterwhite
Daniel and Deb Carmody
Andrew and Jinny Carter
Julie Cassel
Nicholas and Margaret Ceto
Don and Bev Chapman
Jan Chastain
Heidi Chisholm
Wayne and Beth Chiu
Claire and John Christerson
Bob and Ruth Ann Clanin
Mark and Heather Clark
Fran Cline
Ed and Jill Coco
Mark and Sheila Cohen
Austin Coleman
Darryl and Teri Coleman
Jim Coleman
14 Mill Springs Academy Matters
Joyce Coleman
Lynda Coleman
Grant and Susan Collingsworth
Frances Collins
Richard and Leslie Collins
Carlos Colon
Joe and Judy Comis
Clarence and Anne Conkin
Chris and Trisha Conlin
Jessica and Mark Connell
Greg and Frances Connor
Steven and Heidi Cook
Stevi Cordie and Sheldon Glorit
Charlie and Laura Covert
Michael Cowan
Dean and Alice Cowart
John and Cheri Coyle
Alan and Cathy Crowley
Bob and Mary Cullerton
John and Julia Cullerton
John and Sylvia Cutchin
Robert and Penny Daigle
Tom and Martha Dalluge
Arthur and Kathy Darr
Larry and Laura Davenport
Robert and Patricia Davis
Barbara Day
Susan Day
Kimberly DeHart
Peter and Lorrie DeSantis
Jorge Diaz and Karen Hallock
Bruce and Sylvia Dick
Ralph and Gina DiClemente
Monica Dioda
Judy Distler
Thomas and Debbie Dobbs
Brian and Lara Dolan
Jim Dolan
Larry and Karen Domenico
Jeff and Amy Durham
Don and Barbara Durocher
John and Leslie Dyer
Carolyn Early
Jae and Lee Ann Early
Jodi Easter-Smith and Bruce Smith
Julian and Liane Edge
Dexter and Kimpy Edge
Victor and Josephine Ekworomadu
Brittany Emge
Mark and Shannon Encinger
Chris and Kathy Espinosa
Tom and Virginia Ewart
Jamie and Valerie Fambrough
Frank and Jean Farrell
Frank and Cece Farrell
Kris and Scott Farrell
Dan and Susan Faulk
Sheila and John FitzGerald
Bob and Gail Flamini
Tom and Gail Flanigan
Hugh and Robyn Flax
Connie Floyd
Jeff and Claire Foltz
Janet and Scott Ford
Donna Foster
Jim Foster
Jean Fraser
Lance and Susan Friedland
David and Stephanie Gaitan
Sue and Gerry Garrick
Colleen Garrick-Bissaca
Stanley Gerson
Robert and Patty Golden
Bobby and Lainy Goldstein
Chip and Lora Gonzales
Leonard and Deborah Goodelman
Pete and Leigh Goodwyn
Billy and Gail Gordon
Susan Goss
Daniel and Maritza Gracia
John and Joy Gray
Fred and Lauren Green
David and Kerry Greene
Jack and Lala Greene
Sheila Gregory
Michael and Meredith Griffeth
Jerry and Sally Gross
Rael and Vicki Grosswald
Jaime Gutierrez
Katie and Mike Hadaway
Paul Hagedorn
Brad and Tracy Hahn
Randy and Sandra Hain
Lamar and Arista Hall
Fred and Lynn Hanna
Phil Hanson
Gary and Annette Harmon
Steven and Sandy Harrell
Donald and James Harris
Ann Hartin
Cheri and Jim Harwood
Scott and Linda Hayman
Winter 2013
Paul and Dawn Hazzard
Thomas and Lee Healey
Jennifer Heiner and Tim Gustafson
Chad and Michelle Hendren
Joseph Hendrix
Wayne and Brenda Herrington
Josh Hersko
Annette Higgins
Anne and Jeff Holland
Michael and Vicky Holt
Darren and Stacy Horst
Jim Hudson
Jay and Vicki Hudson
Branigan and James Hughes
Jim and Elizabeth Hughes
Sirka Hummel
Amy and Matt Hurst
James and Christine Hurtsellers
Barry and Sylvia Hyman
Bryant and Kim Isaacs
Walter and Theresa Janeczko
Dick and Janna Janes
Steve and Wendy Jensen
Stan and Cristy Johnson
Hank Jones
Laurie and Will Jones
Taniah Jones
Victoria Jones and Dave Fairley
Katy Kane and Keith Rateliff
David Katz
Stanley and Rosalyn Kaye
Joan Keene
Betty and Danny Kellenberger
Marilynn Kelm
Greg and Amy Kern
Eric and Chris Kiser
Kristen Klett
Shannon and Patrick Koch
Andy and Lori Kogoy
Jennifer and Lou Kramer
Gail and G. Paul Kreher
Steve and Deb Kushnick
Jack and Margaret Langford
Andy and Helaine Lasky
Sally A. LeFevre
Jay and Lisa Liban
Laura Link
Arthur and Barbara Lisker
Ed and Laura Little
Robert and Kristi Lockwood
Wilton and Martha Looney
Juan Lopez-Carrion
Peter and Michele Lublin
Robin Lucas
Anthony and Kelly Lynch
Jason and Stephanie Mack
Tom and Edye Mahaffey
Andrew and Kim Maichle
Neil and Leslie Manna
Bill and Anita Marco
Lisa Marcotte
Norman and Simone Marinoff
Richard and Colleen Marshall
Michael and Ashley Martin
Rob and Julie Martin
Winter 2013
Rafael Martinez
Mike and Nancy Mattox
Scott and Wendy May
Michael and Barbara McCarthy
Matt McConnell
Jeff and Carrie McCormick
Walter and Sammye McCreary
Hershel and Carolyn McCroan
Ross and Cindy McCullough
Kate and Don McElliott
Erin McGee
Patrick and Tammy McHugh
Doug and Melanie McNaughton
Hisham and Christa Menkara
Kenneth and Sandra Meyers
Bob and Addie Monette
Carl and Robin Moore
Donna and Patrick Moore
Doug and Donna Moore
Drewry Moore
Robert Moore
Robert and Laurie Morella
Karen Morris
Scott and Caroline Morris
Kay and Cliff Morrison
Marianne Morris-Velez and Andy Paulus
Andreas and Lynn Mowinckel
Martha A. Muir
Keith and Kathy Muma
Christopher Murphy
Mark and Karen Murphy
Tammy Murphy
Angel and Dan Murr
Bill and Neely Musgrave
Jeff and Leah Nedblake
Carissa and Kevin Nelson
Rob and Winona Newman
A.E. and Georgia Nivison
Jackie Noonan
Jim and Judy Norris
Ed and Sally North
Rochelle and Vic Northrup
John and Frances O’Brien
Jerome and Sharyol O’Connor
Danny and Cinda O’Keefe
Meryl Oliphant
Tom and Amy Olney
Robert and April Omohundro
Adam and Amy Orkin
Metin and Nalan Ozisik
A.G. and Patricia Palmore
Alan and Lisa Palmore
Jimmy and Nancy Parker
Darla Parkey
John and Liz Parks
Gene and Ute Partain
Matt Partain and Yoke Ching Wong
Scott and Danyelle Paul
William and Christina Paxton
Michael and Janine Pearman
Scott and Amy Peeples
Bob and Fran Pennington
Scott and Kathy Petty
Brian and Julie Phillips
Ed and Diane Phillips
Linda Pike
David and Lezlie Pipes
Elizabeth Plastiak
David and Luanne Porper
Stephen and Ruth Posner
Shawn and Tracey Rae
Angela and Corey Ragsdale
Vaidehi and Murthy Rallapalli
Mary and Felipe Ramirez
James and Elizabeth Rankin
Timothy Ray
Jim and Beth Reaves
Lou Reaves
Eric and Chrissie Reed
Wayne and Ginger Reid
Wayne and Rubye Reid
Kenneth and Sherrie Reish
Martin and Ralda Reish
Russell and Lisa Reynolds
Philip Rhodes and Melissa Adams
Lavone Rippeon
Mary Frances Roach
Michael and Debra Robertson
Stacy and Cliff Robinson
Gene and Edna Robinson
Shelley Robinson
Sherry and Terry Robinson
Edward and Marsha Roepe
Colin and Beverley Rogoff
Tom and Ellen Roper
Patrick Rose
Ed and Tanya Rosenblatt
Doug and Cindy Ross
Eric and Stacey Rothberg
Ruth and Irwin Rothchild
Carol and Rick Rothschild
David and Ali Rubenstein
James and JoAnn Sampson
Louise and Brett Samsky
David and Lana Samsky
Susan and Errol Sanders
Jeff and Anne Sargent
Shawna Sarver
Brian and Terry Schiff
Tom and Nancy Schmidt
Thomas and Marge Schmidt
Mike and Ingrid Schneider
Dirk and Carol Schrader
Andy and Jeanette Schultheis
Mike and Carla Schultheis
Bruce and Alisa Sedacca
Pat and Patricia Shannon
Andrew and Marie Sharp
Ronnie and Paulette Sherrill
Stuart and Cameron Sherrill
John and Lynn Shipes
Paul and Mary Shlanta
Brian and Patty Short
Helen Shuster
Russell and Traci Shuster
David and Elisa Siegel
Wendy Silverman
Don and Beth Singleton
Tenessa Singleton
Walter and Kim Site
Ann Marie Skinner and Gary Fannin
Bob and Beryle Slayden
Mark Small
Aaron and Robyn Smith
Dan and Rhonda Smith
David and Caroline Smith
Gil Smith and Judy Shurling
Joe and Jill Smith
Lee and JoEllen Smith
Leila and Rusty Smith
Mike and Sharon Smith
Paul and Pam Smith
Russell and Courtney Smith
Mitch and Paulette Solis
Thomas and Sandra Spahr
Gene and Virginia Sparlin
John Speir and Mary Sams
Tim and Julie Stacy
Christine Stanley
Jeff and Karen Stanley
David and Lisa Starr
Gary and Jackie Steffey
OB Stokes
Stan and Diana Stokey
Wayne and Deborah Super
Harold and Donna Supper
John and Alison Sweeney
Tom and Deanie Sweeney
Kathleen Swift
Bill and Cheryl Syrett
Bill and Sherry Taylor
Bill and Sylvia Taylor
Patrick and Renee Thomas
Cindy Thorne
Roberto Tijerina
Jim Torrance
Cynthia Traylor and Daniel Deleveaux
Anthony and Jeneane Treace
William and Molly Turner
Hector Turrado
Chris and Angela Veal
Jerry and Judith Volcy
Robert Volk and Debra Kay-Volk
Betty Wagner
Howard and Kathy Waits
Al and Wilma Walker
August and Shirley Walker
Tom Walker and Suzanne Moon
Johnny Walker
Keith and Angela Walsh
Heather Waring
Larry and Danyse Weinberg
Jon and Ruthann Weiss
Charlotte Wheeler
Joseph and Jacqueline Wickley
Bill and Judy Wilkes
David and Beth Wilson
George and Carole Wilson
Skip and Dixie Wilson
Richard and Melanie Wing
Brad Wolff
Brad and Betsy Wolff
Gary and Krista Yager
Sandra Zelley and Dwight Long
Jonathan Zimring
Mill Springs Academy Matters 15
MILL SPRINGS ACADEMY
Matters
13660 New Providence Road
Alpharetta, GA 30004-3413
(770) 360-1336
www.millsprings.org
MSA administers a non-discriminatory
policy of admissions.
If a student can’t learn the way we teach…we should teach the way a student can learn.
Success in SCHOOL … Success in LIFE