TifTarea Academy · PANTHER PERSPECTIVE 2019 7 TA had 6 Tifton-Tift County Youth of the Year nominees this year. This program is designed for graduating seniors to honor and reward

www.TiftareaAcademy.com PANTHER PERSPECTIVE 2019 1Panther Perspect ive Vo lume 3

TifTareaAcademy

C O M M I T T E D T O E X C E L L E N C E

2 PANTHER PERSPECTIVE 2019 www.TiftareaAcademy.com www.TiftareaAcademy.com PANTHER PERSPECTIVE 2019 3

FROM THE HEADMASTER Dear Friends and Family of Tiftarea Academy,

I am proud to report on another stellar year at Tiftarea Academy. This was the 3rd year of my tenure as Headmaster at TA and I am very excited for and proud of the direction the school is headed. Some highlights from this year include, but are not limited to, passing our accreditation review with flying colors, successfully meeting our fundraising goals, and enrollment growth.

Our accreditation review takes place every five years. The team from Southern Association of Independent Schools and Advance Ed Accreditation spent three days on our campus this past January reviewing everything from our business policies to our classroom teaching. They left with many positive things to say about TA. Their recommendations are in line with our goals that we have set for the next five years.

With your help, we once again met and exceeded our fundraising goals. We have devoted the money raised from the 2018-2019 Annual Fund to purchasing new English textbooks, building a covered walkway between the gym and middle school building, adding funding to our music program, and purchasing interior security cameras for all buildings.

We ended the school year with 619 students, up from 564 at the beginning of my tenure in 2016. Our goal is to continue to grow our enrollment to 640 students by the beginning of the 2019-2020 school term.

Please enjoy this edition of “The Panther Perspective,” as it highlights many of our achievements and activities from this past school year. As always, we will not be content with where we are. We will continue on our quest and commitment to excellence in all that we do.

It is because of supporters like you that we are able to achieve and excel year after year. We are so grateful for your commitment and dedication to Tiftarea Academy.

Sincerely,

Stacey Bell Headmaster

BOARD OF TRUSTEES2018-2019

Mr. Irvin Branch

Mrs. Angie Hunt

Dr. Leah Cook

Dr. Scott Fulp, ‘00

Mr. Joey Matt, ’87

Mrs. Patty Veazey

Mr. Ross Kendrick, ‘90

Mr. Danny Acord

Mr. Jay Hall, ‘97

Mr. Sam Sims, ‘83

Mr. Carroll Coarsey

Stacey Bell Headmaster

Tiftarea Academy 3144 Highway 41 N Post Office Box 10 Chula, GA 31733

Phone: 229-382-0436 Fax: (229) 382-7742

Email: [email protected]

Tiftarea Academy believes strongly in its motto; “Committed to Excellence,” by creating a Christian based learning environment and promoting lifelong learning through academics, physical fitness, and school activities that enrich the curriculum.

www.TiftareaAcademy.com PANTHER PERSPECTIVE 2019 3

HIGHLIGHTSTA celebrated Homecoming October 1-5, 2018! We were thrown for a loop when our football opponents forfeited the game on Wednesday of that week. With no time left to find another opponent, we were forced to cancel the Homecoming game. We tried not to let it ruin our fun though and still celebrated our TA spirit for the rest of the week. Abby Carswell was crowned Homecoming Queen before the final regular season home game in November.

Please mark your calendars and join us for Homecoming on Friday, September 27, 2019!


HIGHLIGHTS continued...

Seniors in Mr. Branton’s Scientific Research class spent one of their last days of high school “cooking out” in the Courtyard. The students built solar cookers and feasted on hotdogs, and smores cooked on their very own projects. This has become a TA tradition that TA Seniors look forward to every year!

Mrs. Rippy hosted Groundhog Job Shadow day again this year. She required each of her 8th graders to find a professional, shadow them for the day, and record their findings. This is another TA tradition that our 8th graders look forward to each year.


1st-5th graders performed the musical “Soul on Fire—Sharing the Good News with the World” at the UGA Conference Center on February 28. This was a lively, Christ-centered program that the students seemed to thoroughly enjoy!


All 3 Fourth Grade classes performed a different mock trial for Judge Benson in his court room! Judge Benson met with the fourth graders several weeks before the mock trial and explained the process of a trial to them. The students also heard from different individuals about the roles they serve in a courtroom; this helped the students identify their own role within the mock trial. Many thanks to Judge Benson and his office for their continued support of this program!


We held Almost Alumni Day on Friday, May 3. Seniors were encouraged to wear a t-shirt depicting their college selection to school. As a group, they took a final lap through each building on campus as their underclassmen cheered them on. This class is off to accomplish great things and we can’t wait to see them soar! Class of 2019, made up of 53 panthers, received $1,030,620 in merit based scholarships (excluding HOPE).


Seventh graders toured the ABAC campus this past spring. During their tour, our students were introduced to “college life.” They toured college dorms, classrooms, met instructors, visited the dining hall, and recreation areas, and took in the beautiful ABAC campus! This was a great, hands on way for our students to be introduced to the college selection and application process.


TA had 6 Tifton-Tift County Youth of the Year nominees this year. This program is designed for graduating seniors to honor and reward them for their hard work both in academics and their communities.

Congratulations to our 2018-2019 Teachers of the Year! Mrs. Suzanne Pless and Mr. Johnny Branton were elected by their colleagues.

Mrs. Suzanne Pless was named Lower School Teacher of the Year. She teaches fifth grade Science and English. This was Mrs. Pless’ 35th year teaching and her 18th at TA.

Mr. Johnny Branton was awarded Upper School Teacher of the Year. Mr. Branton served in the Colquitt County School system for 37 years. This was his 3rd year teaching at TA.

Both teachers hold their students to high standards and guide them to reach their fullest potentials.


We inducted a record

number of 34 seniors into the 2019 Womack Society this year. The Womack Society is set aside for the seniors that have spent their entire academic careers at Tiftarea Academy. Mrs. Diane Womack was there to present the scholarship to Render Robbins.


PANTHERS GIVE BACK

Suitcase for Kids K4-2nd graders in the Jones Building sent off goods collected for Ruth’s Cottage & The Patticake House’s Suitcase for Kids Drive last week. The Jones Building’s annual philanthropy project helps teach our students about the power of giving.

Art Cards Mrs. Tyson’s art students made cards for the victims of Hurricane Michael. Many included personal notes and uplifting scripture. Mrs. Audrey McClain delivered the cards to victims in the Mexico Beach area.

Operation Christmas Child In December, all of Tiftarea Academy collected shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. TA collected a total of 499 boxes! Students helped load the boxes in a trailer that was taken to the local collection facility.

Student Council Canned Food Drive Student Council collected canned goods for their annual “Give a Little, Get a Lot” campaign. The idea was if we all pitched in and gave just a little, it would become a lot! Hundreds of canned goods were collected and donated to the Christian Kitchen in Fitzgerald.

Samaritan’s Purse Project Tiftarea Academy Key and Excel Club students traveled to Atlanta in December to lend a hand at Operation Christmas Child’s regional hub. They volunteered their time to help sort and pack shoe boxes for Samaritan’s Purse’s annual Operation Christmas Child drive. The boxes filled with goodies were sent around the world to needy children. Tiftarea Academy’s Key Club sends a group to help with this project annually.

Toys for Tots TA 4thgraders were so excited to give back to our local community. The 4th graders complied toys donated by all TA students and turned them over to our local Toys for Tots organization. They collected over 250 toys! They then helped sort and pack gift bags. The students and their teachers prayed over the families that will be receiving these toys.

Builder’s Club—Middle Schoolers Making a Difference Ms. Tiffany Tanner headed up the creation of the Middle School Builder’s Club. Builder’s Club was created with a partnership with Tifton Kiwanis and is a service club for Middle Schoolers. They took part in various service projects this year. The photo below shows some of the club members and Ms. Tanner with a car full of supplies they collected for Called to Care.


Our Jr. Pro Football team had an undefeated season and won the region title!

Our Varsity football had a historic season! This was the first 10-0 season in school history and the first region championship since 2005! We are so proud of team and all their hard work!

Sara Beth Royal placed first in the Region 3-AAA 100m Hurdles, she is pictured here with Madi Hartsfield. Madi placed 2nd!

Tiftarea Academy’s Literary Team was 1st runner up at the region meet! We sent a record number of 8 students to the state competition!

For the first time in a decade, we had a student’s basketball career reach 1000 points! Abby Carswell scored her 1000th point in January vs. Brookwood.

REGION & STATE WINNERS

COLLEGE SIGNINGS

Anna Sumner signed with Auburn University to continue her gymnastics career!

Ambus Powell will take his sharpshooting talents to Emmanuel College in the fall!

You can catch Brandon Mullis in action on the football field at Middle Georgia College this fall!

Spence Massey will continue his football career at Georgia Tech!

Ambus Powell and Coty James were members of the 2018 National Champion 4-H Shotgun Team with Worth County 4-H. They were honored at special ceremony in Sylvester led by State Senator Greg Kirk and Representative Ed Rynders.

The Varsity Baseball team clinched yet another region championship! We are proud of their season and Final 4 run!


All, We cannot thank you enough for your support of the Annual Fund over the last three years. Since the Fall of 2016, we have managed to raise over $250,000 for Tiftarea Academy! The effects of this can be seen throughout our campus. Our network received a major upgrade and overhaul, we have purchased new textbooks and up-graded curriculum, we made playground additions and improvements, and heightened security across campus, just to name a few. The best part is, we were able to make all of these strides without incurring any new debt. Your support of the Annual Fund helps us grow and prosper!

The Annual Fund supports the very things that most likely impacted your decision to send your child to TA: small classes, exemplary teachers, resources and an environment that public schools cannot offer, more per-sonal attention, an unapologetically Christian environment, and so much more. While tuition gives your child access to all of these benefits, gifts to the Annual Fund are necessary to help sustain and expand them. Tuition only covers roughly 80% of what it costs to educate a child. Every student at Tiftarea Academy benefits from the Annual Fund.

Also, I would like to thank you for your support and enthusiasm for BoosterThon this past spring. We raised over $30,000 for TA through our very first BoosterThon! The students seemed to enjoy it and parents showed up by the dozens to support their children. It was a fun day at TA! I look forward to continued success with Booster-Thon in the years to come.

If you have never participated in the Annual Fund before, I urge you to do so. This is a way to make a direct, im-mediate difference in our school. For the 2019-2020 school year, we will be dedicating funds raised to upgrading Heritage Hall, and further investments in technology and our music program. You can make a direct donation to the school marked for Annual Fund and/or you can participate in our Golf Tournament and attend our Spring Fling Dinner on April 25, 2020.

Together, we can make a difference and ensure TA remains a premier independent educational institution.

GO PANTHERS!

Heather FletcherHeather Fletcher

Director of Development and Marketing

2018-2019 FUNDRAISING UPDATE

C O M M I T T E D T O E X C E L L E N C E


SUPPORT US.

is turning gro-ceries into education! Over the years, Publix Part-ners has contributed more than $30 million to over 4,500 schools giving back to support education. Our school has received over $12,000 since we began participating in the program! This works at any Publix, nation-wide, not just the Tifton location! It’s easy to sign up! And now you don’t need a card - just your phone number at check out!

1. Simply sign up for a Publix.com account (if you don’t already have one)

2. Scroll down to “My Publix Partner” and click “Select a School”

3. Select Tiftarea Academy4. Then enter your phone number at checkout,

every time you checkout! Publix will give a percentage of your grocery order back to our school!

Publix Partners card, will help earn money for your school. Contact Heather Fletcher in the development office if you would like a Partners card mailed to you (229) 382-0436. If you’re local, drop by the front office and pick up a card!

Instead of using regular Amazon.com, Use Smile.Amazon.com and select Tiftarea Academy, Inc. as your beneficiary. The sites are the same, but when you use Smile, Amazon sends us a portion of every purchase you make! All the same prod-uct selection, but your purchase directly helps TA! Email Heather Fletcher with any questions, [email protected].

Traditional Box Top clips are being phased out of pro-duction, but may continue to be found on many products throughout the store. You can still clip and send them to the school marked to Amy

Henderson’s attention. Eventually, the Box Tops program will become digital-only. Visit www.box-tops4education.com to learn how to download the app needed to scan your receipts so TA can receive credit for your BoxTops purchases. You may contact Amy Henderson with any questions, [email protected].

Here are three ways you can support TA by shopping at your favorite stores!


APRIL 25, 2020Annual Fund Golf Tournament

and Spring Fling Dinner

Tiftarea Academy3144 Highway 41 North Post Office Box 10 Chula, GA 31733Phone: (229)382-0436Fax: (229) 382-7742Email: [email protected]

TifTarea Academy · PANTHER PERSPECTIVE 2019 7 TA had 6 Tifton-Tift County Youth of the Year nominees this year. This program is designed for graduating seniors to honor and reward

Documents