Dragon Wings, Winter 2023

DRAGON WINGS

CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2023

Dragon Wings is a bi-annual publication of St. George's Episcopal School.

THE SENIOR CLASS

JennaBetteDeen ParkerDeignan

JackHancher

PhilipInglis

EvanIson

AshlynJones

ChanceMatlock-Carter

LucyMcDaniel

DukeRoberts

EllenSearcy AnnaTakle

AnabelleTaylor

JonnyMcFadden

TyTaylor

Life in

1ST GRADE

at St. George's Episcopal School

THEFIRSTGRADECLASSROOMS

The First Grade classrooms at St. George's are filled with vibrant learning! From hands-on group projects to individualized lessons, students develop the confidence and foundation they need for success as they grow and learn. In the first grade classrooms, exploration sparks enthusiasm!

OWLPELLETDISSECTION

Students in first grade learn about the world around them. As they study nocturnal animals, students engage in an owl pellet dissection. Using a chart, students are able to identify bones of prey found in the owl pellet. Some students worked with partners and others worked alone. All of the students had a great time being scientists!

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

KATIE MOLTRUM - 3RD GRADE TEACHER

Mrs KatieMoltrumisanewtoSt George'sEpiscopalSchoolthisyear, havingmostrecentlytaughtintheUpsonCountySchoolSystem Shehasbeenmarriedforsevenyearsandhasatwoyearolddaughter,MaverieKay.

WHAT MOTIVATES HER IN THE CLASSROOM?

Mrs Katiefindsherpassionbymakinglearningfun, engaging,andexcitingforstudents Shestrivestodevelopa loveforlifelonglearningineachofherstudents She routinelyusespopcornandM&M'sasincentivesfor classroomachievements!

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

AN ANNUAL TRADITION

The Pacific World Real Estate's Official

Each September, students gather in the Grove to celebrate God's love of all creatures. Held on our own SGES campus, students bring animals of all sorts - cats, dogs, fish, horses, goats, turtles - any creature they love as their pet - to be blessed When a pet cannot come to campus, students bring a picture of their pet. This annual service is conducted in remembrance of St Francis of Assisi, who is known for his love of all creatures, as displayed in his "Canticle of the Creatures" The Feast of St Francis is annually held on the Sunday closest to October 4th, and the school celebrates the day in late September.

Each animal is welcomed and affirmed with a special blessing given by Father Kirk LaFon of St George's Episcopal Church in Griffin.

Athletics

CelebratingtheSeason

ONE SCHOOL - MANY FESTIVITIES

LESSONS AND CAROLS

Each year, the school gathers to hear the Christmas story through Scripture and song The service is entirely led by 3rd through 8th grade students.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CHRISTMAS PAGEANT

The youngest St George's students present their version of the Christmas story in costume on the last day of classes before Christmas Break. It is always delightful to hear their voices and sense their excitement about the season!

GINGERBREAD HOUSE DAY

Early Childhood students enjoy the annual Gingerbread House Day

They all gather together to create their own gingerbread masterpieces!

HIGH SCHOOL SERVICE

High School participates in service opportunities during the Christmas season

Students find ways to plug into the community and live out the mission of St. George's to serve others.

Jonny McFadden

When Jonny McFadden demonstrated his archery skills, I never knew I would be looking through the soccer field grass to find the arrow that was deeply embedded into the red Georgia clay beneath. "This arrow will go through at least two torso's" Jonny explained. After a long search for the missing arrow and finally seeing how deeply it penetrated our soccer field, that statement comes as no surprise

Jonny is humble about his archery skills In fact, not very many people know that he practices three hours a week, participates in the Pike County 4-H Archery team, and enjoys competing in two archery tournaments per year.

His preparation, both mentally and physically, is demanding for the sport Deep breathing, focus, and concentration are methods that mentally prepare for each shot, but the physical strength of back muscles require one to be in perfect form to shoot the arrow

His love for the sport peaked my own interest, and I found myself asking many more questions While it isn't a sport that is offered at SGES, he has found and pursues his passion. He shares his love of it, humbly, when asked. A portion of the SGES mission statement is "to learn with passion". Jonny's love for the sport is impressive and demonstrates the passion we should all have for something we enjoy

-Ellee Hilley Director of Marketing

Anna Takle

PRIVATE PILOT

Anna Takle is a multi-talented senior at St George's If you ' re wandering the halls at SGES, you might see her chatting with her friends in the hall, playing on one of the varsity athletic teams, or you can find her in our Chapel playing on the Steinway grand piano In academics, sports, music, and hobbies, she always strives for excellence

This fall, she obtained her Private Pilot's license! To obtain this license, she had to complete a written test, fifty hours of flight training with an instructor, and she had to complete a solo cross-country flight Following those prerequisites, she flew to Valdosta for her check ride, oral examination, and flight check The flight check required various flight maneuvers that she had to perform on the test

We love seeing our students soar not only in their academic studies, but watching them pursue their passions

Congratulations, Anna.

Blythe Armistead

In September 2022, Blythe Armistead auditioned for the American Choral Director's Association of National Honor Choir by submitting three audio recordings To audition, these recordings had to consist of:

choosing a challenging excerpt of a song by singing precise vocal exercises across her vocal range performing a solo of her choice

J S Bach

Hundreds of auditions were submitted from students in all fifty states, and Blythe was selected to be a part of this National Elementary Honor Choir! She represented St George's Episcopal School in Cincinnati, Ohio in February

Even our youngest students at St George's are given opportunities to find their passions

Ways to Give About our Annual Fund:

When you make a gift to the Annual Fund, you enrich our school community.

Annual Giving Fund donations benefit every classroom, every student, and every teacher.

The stronger the percentage of families that give to the Annual Giving Fund (regardless of the amount given), the more likely the school will receive outside grants.

The cost of tuition is lower than the actual expenses for a student to attend St. George's. This is why giving to the Annual Fund is so important: it helps bridge this " gap " .

The Get-Away-Gig is the single largest fundraiser to the Annual Fund.

Why Give?

How can you help?

Give to the Annual Fund. The fiscal year for giving is July 1 through June 30th, so there's still time to make a donation for this year ' s campaign.

Consider becoming a sponsor at next year ' s Get-Away-Gig. There are multiple sponsorship levels, and both corporations and individuals can become sponsors.

Make a gift to the "Fund-A-Need" program. This year, gifts are given to help establish an outdoor recreation area.

Learn more about our Annual Giving Fund on our website at www.sges.org. It's easy to make a contribution online!

Why Give?