Whitefield Academy News & Events

Whitefield Celebrates Black History Month

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:28:00 GMT

Whitefield Academy will celebrate Black History Month throughout February. Originating in 1926, the celebration of Black History Month is attributed to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-educated Ph.D who was disturbed to find that history books largely ignored the contributions of African Americans. Dr. Woodson established what is now known as the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History in 1915. He launched the Negro History week initiative in 1926 to bring national attention to the African American contribution to American History.

Listed below are the activities and events planned for this month of celebration:

Thursday, February 2 - 9 a.m., Middle School and Upper School Chapel

Guest speaker: Courtney Brooks.

Courtney is currently the varsity basketball coach at Benjamin Banneker High School, where he recently helped lead the school to their first winning season in four years. He also served as basketball coach at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, guiding them to two Class A state championships and five Region 5A championships.

Music - During the chapel, students will enjoy the music of the Harlem Renaissance, provided by the Whitefield jazz band.

Thursday, February 9 - 9 a.m.,Middle School and Upper School chapel

Guest Speaker: Kim Fields

Kim Fields is a dynamic African American actress, producer, and singer. During Kim’s thirty years in show business, she has starred in two long-running series, “Facts of Life” and “Living Single.” She has accumulated numerous starring credits in commercials, guest-starring roles, theater productions, and TV movies, including BET’s “Hidden Blessings.” Kim has also starred in independent feature films, including “An Uninvited Guest” with Mekhi Pheifer and the romantic comedy, “Me & Mrs. Jones.”

Kim continues to receive critical acclaim as an actress in comedy and drama, on stage or on television. Her life and career has been the subject of an A&E Biography as well as a Lifetime Intimate Portrait.

Art - During this chapel, there will be a visual artists’ showcase featuring the work of Charly Palmer, a mixed media painter from Fayette, Alabama; Alfred Conteh, a sculptor from Statesboro, GA; Dawn Williams Boyd, a painter and sculptor from Neptune, N.J., and Tamara Natalie Madden, a painter from Jamaica.

Friday, February 10 8:30 a.m. – Lower School chapel

This Lower School chapel will spotlight our very own students. PreK-4 through fifth grade students will engage and educate the audience about the contributions and accomplishments of African Americans in the arts. The theme “Celebrating the Arts” will provide insight into the historical achievements of many African Americans. There will be songs, dances, and poetry readings. Expect a number of "celebrity sightings" as well, as students pose as various African American artists of the past and present.

Thursday, February 16 - 9 a.m., Middle School and Upper School chapel

Guest Speaker – Leonard Rowe

Mr. Rowe has been a concert promoter for over 34 years, promoting artists such as Michael Jackson and the Jacksons’ “Destiny” and “Off the Wall” tours. During his career, Mr. Rowe has promoted other great talents including Marvin Gaye, Prince, Stevie Wonder, The O’Jays, The Temptations, Patti LaBelle, R.Kelly, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and more. Mr. Rowe is known for his innate ability to craft and execute some of the most successful and biggest national tours in the business.

Music – Provided by Miss Gina Darby

Thursday, February 16

School lunches will be a delicious array of African American cuisine.

Thursday, February 16 - 6:30 p.m., “Dinner and A Movie"

“Dinner and A Movie” will feature a special screening of “Double Victory,” a companion piece to the feature film "Red Tails", which tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen in their own words. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African Americans to fly in combat in WWII, maintain combat aircraft, and perform in all positions necessary to function as an independent military squadron, or ground support unit.

Special guests: Mr. Edgar Lewis, Tuskegee Airman and Ms. Zellie Rainey Orr, president of the Atlanta Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen.

DeMoss Wins Poetry Out Loud Competition

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:04:00 GMT

Congratulations to junior Emily DeMoss, winner of Whitefield's Poetry Out Loud competition. Emma Wright (10th) earned second place in the competition; Matt Owens (12th) earned third.

Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is a contest that encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. Hundreds of students across the United States participate in the competition each year.

The Poetry Out Loud competition begins with students reciting poetry in English classrooms. A representative is chosen from each participating classroom to compete in the Whitefield contest.
Each contestant then recites two poems from memory. Yesterday, a panel of eight judges scored their performances based on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, level of difficulty, evidence of understanding, accuracy, and overall performance.

Participants in Poetry Out Loud were: John Alar (12th), Jasmine Brown (12th), Emily DeMoss (11th), Ty Hampel (12th), Kelsey Johnson (11th), Ben McNally (12th), Matt Owens (12th), Luke Putney (11th), Rebecca Stueve (11th), and Emma Wright (10th).

Headmaster's List and Principals' Lists Honorees Announced

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:37:00 GMT

Congratulations to the following Upper and Middle School students who made the Headmaster’s List with an overall average of 94 or above and the Principal’s List with an overall average of 90 or above first semester.

Upper School Headmaster’s List

John Alar	Megan Fikse	Caroline Langella	Jana Patton
Anna Kate Atkins	Alice Fugate	David Knox Langford	Hannah Perkins
Grace Babcock	Francis Hamilton	Quinn Larimer	Gabrielle Pinson
Savannah Ballew	Caitlin Hesse	Sophie Lee	Luke Putney
Cole Barber	Rachel Hicks	Anna Long	Carson Quiros
Camila Beltran	Brent Hildebrand	James Lovas	Kayla Reeder
Noah Boswell	Hannah Hill	Sarah Marriott	Fantasia Remonvil
Kathryn Bracher	Caroline Holliday	Mary Claire McClellan	Megan Schwarzkopf
Stephen Bracher	Arielle Huggins	Holt Merkle	Breonna Scott
Justin Brendel	Everett Joiner	Whitney Merkle	Matthew Segars
Rebecca Carswell	Katie Kassis	Kevin Middlebrooks	Elaine Sharitz
Jennie Chambliss	Peter Keith	Grace Miller	Matt Snyder
Colleen Cosey	Sophie Kemether	Katie Mitcham	Sarah Stowe
Bradley Davidson	Tommy Keough	Emma Nash	Rebecca Stueve
Emily DeMoss	Megan Kessler	Sally Nicholas	Lexi Turner
Avery Evans	Stuart Kilgore	Devin Noh	Moore Wannamaker
Ryann Farmer	Jane Kim	Anders Olsson	Emma Wright
Hannah Rae Faulk	Morgan Landers	Matt Owens
Kristen Fikse	Matthew Landry	Tanner Parks

Middle School Headmaster’s List

Madison Barnett	Holden Hosch	Charlie Money	Kathleen Stueve
Natalie Bell	Samara Huggins	Olivia Nandkeolyar	Emily Sumlin
Grace Blair	Jared Jones	Espen Oswald	Austin Sumter
Carson Brown	Daniel Justice	Logan Pearce	Douglas Terrell
Lauren Burke	Daniel Keith	Anna Kate Peterson	Rubin Thomas
Megan Rose Byers	Emily Kendrick	Ethan Powell	Bradley Washington
Katie Cella	Molly Langella	Will Schultz	Amira Williams
Jack Charles	Kerry Martin	John Schwartz	Jackson Williams
Jake Gilbert	Jimmy McCarthy	Joseph Schwartz	Jordyn Williams
Stephen Hellier	Isabel Miller	Tiffany Smith	Sydney Wingate
Jackson Hofmann	Luke Miltner	Chip Soud

Upper School Principal's List

William Bell	Iman Eaton	John Kendrick	Matt Olson
Taylor Benford	Jake Fikse	Robby Keough	Micah Owens
Gabrielle Boswell	Carter Fiveash	Grace Langella	Colleen Panosian
Ben Brannen	Grace Garde	Amanda Lawson	Dane Peterson
Jasmine Brown	Naomy Grand’Pierre	Steven Lemasters	Everett Pollard
Sydney Burke	Janie Hampel	David Lemasters	Ansley Pritchett
Chase Butler	James Harper	Kerry Anna Lemasters	Nicholas Russell
Kelsey Butler	Tyler Harrison	Kate MacPhail	Justin Samples
Kyle Childree	Michael Hebert	Leland Manning	Peter Sengson
Ari Christoffersen	Cara Grace Hildebrand	Kate Manos	Ashley Sherman
Cassie Clementi	Jeanelen Hipple	Kathryn McCarthy	Annie Sickling
Jordan Coar	William Holliday	Ben McNally	Mary Beth Snyder
Bailey Combs	Kelsey Johnson	Matt Milburn	Aubrey Spivey
Smith Curry	James Johnson	Rayna Mock	Jonathan Thomas
Shelby Davidson	Jordan Jones	Anna Moore	Austin Thompson
Dannygail Dean	Marcus Jones	Ian Nash	Taylor Tutt
Christal Dewberry	Max Kemether	Mary Beth Newkirk	Keiran Witharana

Middle School Principal's List

Brad Becker	Jack FitzGerald	Macy Kendrick	Natalia Pitter
Hunter Bilotti	Madison Fry	Harlan Kyle	Mitchell Ryan
Anna Blair	Sam Fuller	Ryan Llewellyn	Bethany Saunders
Casey Bowman	Grace Gardner	Katherine Martin	Felton Smith
Sid Brendel	Aaron Harges	Brenner McCutcheon	Patrick Spellissy
K.J. Cainion	Sadie Harmon	Coleman Miller	Trae Terrell
Kristen Corliss	Hannah Haverty	Janae Montgomery	Brynn Thomas
Carmyn Cosey	Alex Herden	J.T. Morris	Josh Turner
Lucy Eichelberger	Lillian Hill	Trey Noh	Dallas Watson
Ruthie Evans	Corey Johnson	Christina Nicks	Keene White
Myles Ferrell	Evan Johnson	Joshua Orr	Marin Winter

Miltner Wins Middle School Spelling Bee

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:09:00 GMT

Congratulations to Luke Miltner (8th), winner of the Whitefield Academy spelling bee. Kamryn Johnson (7th) won the runner-up spot.

Eighteen Middle School students participated in the spelling bee; the participants qualified for the bee after taking a written spelling test in class. The top two spellers in each class participated in the competition.

The bee was very competitive, with many spellers remaining in the competition for an extended time. Once all other spellers were eliminated, Luke and Kamryn went head-to-head, with Luke finally prevailing. Both Luke and Kamryn will move on to the next level of GISA competiiton in February.

Participants in the bee were: Anna Blair (6th), J.B. Cantrell (8th), K.J. Cainion (6th), Holden Hosch (8th), Kamryn Johnson (7th), Jared Jones (6th), Molly Langella (6th), Katherine Martin (7th), Kerry Martin (8th), Isabel Miller (7th), Luke Miltner (8th), Charles Money (8th), J.T. Morris (8th), Anna Kate Peterson (7th), Ethan Powell (7th), Patrick Spellisy (6th), Amira Williams (7th), and Keene White (6th).

Lower School Chess Team Takes Second in Tournament

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:14:00 GMT

Congratulations to the Whitefield K-5 chess team which took second place in the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Chess Tournament. Fourteen Lower School students competed in the tournament, one of the most competitive scholastic tournaments held in Georgia. Eight students made up the K-5 team, which took second place with a total of 14 points. Fifth-grader Zachary Justice led the team with four points. Entering the final round undefeated and playing for the championship, he lost a close match and finished in third place overall in individual competition.

With three points each, fifth-grader Caleb Corliss and second-grader Zoe Justice had strong showings as well. Fifth-graders Kameron Hughes, Connor Miller, Laura Scheidegger, and Everett Sinclair, along with fourth-grader Cole Peterson, rounded out the K-5 team.

A younger and less experienced K-3 team also competed well, finishing in seventh place overall. Third-grader Jack Krahel led the team with three points, followed by kindergartner Drew Justice with two and a half points, and third-grader Joel McKinney with two points. Second-graders Riley Keeble, Mary Linley Marshall, and Luke Sinclair also contributed to the team's solid finish. The teams will go on to regional competition in February.

Student Art Displayed At Northside Public Library

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Congratulations to the Whitefield students who have works of art on display at the Northside Branch Public Library, located at 3295 Northside Parkway. The students with works on display are Anna Kate Atkins (12th), Kristen Corliss (8th), Savannah Ballew (11th), Justin Brendel (10th), Megan Fikse (9th), Jack Fitzgerald (8th), Cara Grace Hildebrand (10th), Samara Huggins (7th), Max Kemether (11th), Robby Keough (9th), Matthew Landry (10th), Caroline Langella (11th), Katherine Martin (7th), Jordan McAlpine (11th), Whitney Merkle (9th), Isabel Miller (7th), JT Morris (8th), Trey Noh (8th), Tanner Parks (12th), Brittany Pritchett (12th), Carson Quiros (12th), Mandy Renfroe (11th), John Schwartz (8th), Jacob Southerland (12th), Kathleen Stueve (7th), and Rebecca Stueve (11th). The exhibit will remain up through January. Please take time to visit and view the creative works of these students!