Athens Academy Press Releases

On March 9, Athens Academy participated in the Region 8A Literary Meet, which was held at Social Circle High School. This year’s literary team was comprised of Aaron Strand (Boys’ Dramatic Interpretation), David Hou (Boys’ Essay), Jarrard Cole (Boys’ Extemporaneous Speaking), and Rachel Sterrenberg (Girls’ Solo). The results of the competition were as follows: Aaron Strand placed second, David Hou placed third, Jarrard Cole placed first, and Rachel Sterrenberg placed first. Overall, the Athens Academy Literary Team placed second in the region and Rachel represented Athens Academy with distinction by placing first in the Girls’ Solo competition at the State Literary Meet, which was held on March 17 in Warner Robins. Thank you to all participants for your involvement and congratulations on doing so well.

Posted by Kelley Cuneo at 09:19 AM | Permalink

JJ Netter, an eighth grade student at Athens Academy, won the school level competition of the National Geographic Bee and a chance at a $25,000 college scholarship. The school level bee was the first round in the 19th annual Geography Bee. The Bee was sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

The first round took place in schools in all fifty states. The school winners, including JJ, took a written test to qualify for the state level competition which is the second round of the competition. JJ has qualified and will move on to the state level round and compete on March 30 in Milledgeville at Georgia College and State University

State champions will earn a trip to Washington, DC to compete in the National Geography Bee Championship hosted by Alex Trebek of “Jeopardy” fame. The first place national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship.

Posted by Kelley Cuneo at 09:17 AM | Permalink

For the second year in a row, the Athens Academy Mock Trial team won the Northeast Georgia Regional Championship. The team then went on to the state tournament in Lawrenceville, March 10-11, where they made it to the semi-final round and placed third overall in the state.
The participants on this year’s Mock Trial team, sponsored by Latin teacher Kelly Ryan and drama teacher Lorraine Thompson, were Helena Anderson, Amy Bruckner, Jarrard Cole, Nathan Crawshaw, Esther Deaton, Margaret DuBose, Matthew Leonard, Houston Mahoney, Rebecca Marshburn, Ramey Mize, Carley Moore, Elizabeth Newcomer, Jasmin Patel, Christine Shaw, Surili Sheth, Katie Ward, and Emily Westberry. Several local attorneys helped to coach the team, including Ernie Harris, Eric Eberhardt, and Rich Connelly.
At the state tournament, Helena Anderson and Carley Moore won awards for “Best Witness,” and Ramey Mize, Matthew Leonard, Surili Sheth, and Emily Westberry each won “Best Attorney.” In addition, five of Athens Academy’s team members were honored for their participation in Mock Trial for all four years of high school: Matthew Leonard, Carley Moore, Katie Ward, Emily Westberry and Nate Crawshaw.
Mock Trial allows students to sharpen their speaking skills, their ability to persuade, and their knowledge of law. It also provides a unique simulation of a case actually playing out in a courtroom.

Posted by Kelley Cuneo at 08:34 AM | Permalink

Athens Academy Senior David Hou has been recognized as the Region 4 STAR student. David has chosen Richard Patterson as his STAR teacher. Mr. Patterson has taught David Honors and AP Biology. David and Mr. Patterson will represent the region at the state competition on April 25.
David will be attending Princeton University in the fall and has been recognized as a National Merit Scholar finalist. Last fall, David made it to the semifinal round of the Siemens Foundation Competition in Math, Science & Technology for his cancer research at Emory University.
David is the son of Dr. Yilin Hou and Mrs. Zhihui Dong of Watkinsville.
The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Program recognizes outstanding students and the teachers who have been most instrumental in their academic development.

Posted by Kelley Cuneo at 08:31 AM | Permalink

Mrs. Rita Mathew was recently honored by Athens Academy for her efforts in organizing and leading a group of Upper School students to India last fall. Mrs. Mathew and her husband, Dr. Ranjit Mathew, coordinated the trip as an opportunity for a cultural and service exchange. Their son Ankur, a 2006 graduate of Athens Academy, was part of the group of twelve students and four chaperones.
Headmaster Bob Chambers presented Mrs. Mathew with an Athens Academy plaque and thanked her for her work: “It took someone who had the capability and the knowledge to overcome all the objections and obstacles to plan this trip. Thank you for your leadership and for making this experience possible.”
The student travelers then presented Upper School Director J.P. Watson with a plaque from St. Jude’s School in Pallam, India. During their trip, the group spent three days with the students of St. Jude’s, sharing cultures and helping them with their technology needs. The Athens Academy students are now working to raise money to build a media center and library at St. Jude’s.
The Athens Academy students who traveled to India included twelfth graders Hayley Brown, Sharon Covington, Allison O’Rear, Surili Sheth, and Blair Terry; eleventh graders Jarrard Cole and Ellis Tomporowski; tenth grader Jess Marano; and 2006 graduate Ankur Mathew. Their advisors included Dr. and Mrs. Mathew, and Mrs. Sally Harris and her husband, Mr. Ernie Harris.

Posted by Kelley Cuneo at 09:37 AM | Permalink

On February 21, 20 Athens Academy students competed in the 58th annual American Mathematics Contest. The AMC is a national mathematics competition administered to students in grades 9-12. Its purpose is to spur interest in mathematics and develop talent through the excitement of friendly competition at problem solving in a timed format. The following Athens Academy students participated: Steven Barrow, Rona Chen, Jarrard Cole, Michael Lai, Thomas Li, Rebecca Marshburn, Kate Stewart, Elizabeth Trandel, Evans Wellborn, Lucy Fu, Ken Kansky, Seong Lee, Surili Sheth, Trey Sinyard, Neeraj Sriram, Emily Westberry, Chenzi Xu, Ruby Lai, David Hou, Phil Brudney.
Two versions of the test are administered. The AMC 10 is written for students in ninth and tenth grades, and the AMC 12 is written for students in eleventh and twelfth grades. Participants with high scores are recognized in three ways. The AMC recognizes the top individual scorer at each school, creates a team comprising the top three scorers at each school, and invites all students with a score of 100 out of 150 points to participate in the next round of the competition. Ruby Lai was Athens Academy’s top scorer on the AMC 12 and Michael Lai attained Athens Academy’s top score on the AMC 10. The AMC 12 school team is made up of Ruby Lai, Phil Brudney, and Seong Lee. Elizabeth Trandel, David Hou, Michael Lai, Ruby Lai, Phil Brudney, and Seong Lee were all invited to participate in the next round of the competition which will take place on March 28.
Congratulations to all participants for their outstanding performance in a very challenging competition.

Posted by Kelley Cuneo at 09:38 AM | Permalink