Georgia-Cumberland Academy

Georgia-Cumberland Academy
Address
397 Academy Drive Southwest
Calhoun, GA, 30701-7405
USA
Coordinates 34°27′47″N 85°01′11″W / 34.463058°N 85.019646°W / 34.463058; -85.019646Coordinates: 34°27′47″N 85°01′11″W / 34.463058°N 85.019646°W / 34.463058; -85.019646[1]
Information
Type Private
Religious affiliation(s) Seventh-day Adventist Church
Established 1965
Faculty 31[2]
Grades 9 - 12
Enrollment 248[3]
International students 16[3]
Classes 46[4]
Average class size 25[3]
Student to teacher ratio 1:16[3]
Campus size 500 acres (2.0 km2)
Color(s)         [5]
Athletics Four varsity teams and Acrosport Gymnastics[5]
Mascot Jaguar[5]
Yearbook Fountain Reveries
Graduates (2012) 59 [6]
Accreditation Adventist Accrediting Association
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools[7]
Website Georgia-Cumberland Academy

Georgia-Cumberland Academy (GCA) is a Seventh-day Adventist high school operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Georgia and Tennessee located in Calhoun, GA.[8] GCA offers an Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools high school diploma program.[8]It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system.[9][10][11] [12] It was named the 2004 Seventh-day Adventist Academy of Excellence by The Alumni Awards Foundation.[13]

History

GCA opened its doors on August 30, 1965 with 160 students enrolled.[14] As the school was in the building process, a campaign was started called the "Penny Campaign" which was used to raise money for the school. Nearly three and a half million pennies were collected across the southeast to raise funds for the new music building and were taken to the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank to be deposited.[15]

Academics

Technology

Every classroom is equipped with projectors and the school has implemented a one-to-one laptop program where every student has a laptop.[16] There is also a full IT helpdesk support staff composed of students that performs routine maintenance on the laptops. The IT department streams GCA music and athletic events so that parents can watch online and maintains the school website. Also, the graphics department has done work for various companies.[17][18]


Performing Arts

GCA has a very active performing arts program. The department consists of two choral groups, a drama team, concert band, and other small band ensembles. Camerata is the elite touring group from the school that participates in local community events, weekend trips to churches and schools, and a biennial touring trip to various places around the U.S.[19][20] The GCA Choral is the school's more general singing group that is taken as a course for credit and is the largest group on campus. GCA also has a full concert band that performs locally at the GCA church and also occasionally goes on tour.

Several GCA students have also been recognized with various awards such as performing in the Southeastern Piano Festival at the University of South Carolina, and the Berry College Concerto Competition.[21][22][23]

Athletics

GCA basketball (2009)

There are several athletic opportunities offered by the school. Students can participate in four varsity team sports, Acrosport Gymnastics, and intramural teams.[24][25] Sports offered at the varsity level include boy's basketball, girl's basketball, boy's soccer and girl's volleyball.[26] Wally Fox has been the athletic director since 1975.[27]

Mission Trips

Three annual mission trips are sponsored by the school. In October, GCA joins Madison Academy and Columbia Adventist Academy to serve the people in the Appalachian foothills of Liberty, Kentucky. They do various jobs such as building churches, school houses, and picnic shelters, painting, and fixing up homes in desperate need of repair.[28] During the school's Spring Break in early March, a group of students travel to Central America to build churches and to offer evangelistic meetings. More recently the school has sponsored trips to Thailand and China, working on humanitarian projects with ADRA.[29]

Spiritual aspects

All students take religion classes each year that they are enrolled. These classes cover topics in biblical history and Christian and denominational doctrines. Instructors in other disciplines also begin each class period with prayer or a short devotional thought, many which encourage student input. Weekly, the entire student body gathers together in the auditorium for an hour-long chapel service. Outside the classrooms there is year-round spiritually oriented programming that relies on student involvement.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Free US Geocoder". Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  2. ↑ "Adventist Online Yearbook". adventistyearbook.org. November 4, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Private School Review, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  4. ↑ Georgia-Cumberland Academy - Courses Offered, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Georgia-Cumberland Academy - Sports, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  6. ↑ "GCA receive High School diplomas". Calhoun Times. May 24, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  7. ↑ International Registry for Accreditation, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  8. 1 2 "Georgia Private School Accreditation Council". Gapsac.org. January 27, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  9. ↑ http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/1115/For-real-education-reform-take-a-cue-from-the-Adventists"the second largest Christian school system in the world has been steadily outperforming the national average – across all demographics."
  10. ↑ http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/denominations/seventh_day_adventist.htm
  11. ↑ "Department of Education, Seventh-day Adventist Church". Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  12. ↑ Rogers, Wendi; Kellner, Mark A. (April 1, 2003). "World Church: A Closer Look at Higher Education". Adventist News Network. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  13. ↑ The Alumni Awards Foundation – Alumni Awards Foundation -Programs/Grants
  14. ↑ Southern Tidings October 1, 1965 "Georgia Cumberland Academy officially opened" Atlanta, Georgia
  15. ↑ Sarasota Journal March 18, 1964. "Advent Youths Collect 11 Tons Of Pennies" Page 26. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_R4eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7osEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3537,2307135&dq=georgia-cumberland-academy&hl=en
  16. ↑ "Into the principal's office: A Q&A with GCA's Prinicpal Gerard". Calhoun Times. January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  17. ↑ "GCA: Where Technology Goes from Theory to Practicality". Georgia-Cumberland Conference of SDA. April 21, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Georgia-Cumberland Academy Basic Information". Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  19. ↑ Calhoun Times April 30, 2003. "Camerata Singers"
  20. ↑ Calhoun Times "Adventists hear Camerata"
  21. ↑ Calhoun Times September 22, 2007 Katie Drexler "Local teens attend national piano festival"
  22. ↑ "2009 Southeastern Piano Festival Participants". University of South Carolina. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Thirteen-year-old is a Musical Winner". Georgia-Cumberland Conference of SDA. May 26, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  24. ↑ "GCA - Intramural". Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Acroflyers -About Us". Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Georgia-Cumberland Academy Sports". maxpreps.com. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  27. ↑ Calhoun Times February 24, 2010. Whitney Gentry "Wally Fox: connections through coaching"
  28. ↑ "Appalachia Outreach History". Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Double Impact". Georgia-Cumberland Conference of SDA. February 28, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.

External links

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