2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report by Silverdale Baptist Academy

To God Be The Glory, Great Things He Has Done!

Head of School Annual Report 2020-2021

INDEX School Board 3 Head of School Address

Growth in the Arts

Alumni Spotlight 7 Financials 8 Green & Gold Gala

Athletics 9 New Hires in Athletics

Old Glory 12 The Whole Ball of Wax

All the Buzz

Raising the Curtain

Heart of Dance

Class of 2021 Features

Alumni Updates 23 Senior Report Card

The beautiful lobby of the new Creekside Theater. 2 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

School Board The Silverdale Baptist Academy School Board exists to support the mission and vision of the Academy. Our school board is filled with church members, Academy parents and grandparents, and community leaders who are passionate about both student discipleship and financial stewardship.

Bob Peck

Londie Wallin

Karen Bolton

Paul Bowman

Bill Copeland

David Klein

John Shadden

Brooke Standefer

Charlie Wheaton

President

Vice President

Secretary

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Final touches like signage and legacy bricks are installed. 4 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

Mission SBA’s mission is to partner with families in order to provide an environment of academic excellence with a Biblical worldview, which is conducive to developing educated young people of character, while preparing them to represent our Lord Jesus Christ in all walks of life.

Vision SBA’s vision is to impact our world by preparing students to become Godly warriors, as we implement Discipleship (Mt. 28:15–20), expect Excellence (1 Cor. 10:31), and encourage Integrity (Psalm 15).

Silverdale Family, On behalf of the School Board, administration, faculty, and staff, we are delighted to present this annual report, summarizing highlights from the 2020-2021 school year. What you will find within these pages is a printed picture capturing a glimpse of the impact of Silverdale on the lives of our students, staff, and families. At Silverdale, we strive to equip leaders - spiritually, academically, physically, and socially - to fulfill God’s purpose for each of their lives. We believe every child is created in God’s image, and the nurturing of each soul from a context of attaining wisdom and virtue is possible when done in partnership between the Christian home, church, and school. Classical Christian education challenges students academically while serving as a platform to create a heart-centered approach that instills within each learner a desire to be a servantleader and a lifelong learner. Our goal, through God’s grace, is that every instructional area, each curriculum choice, every assignment, event, and program would be structured in a manner that enlightens every student to a growing understanding of the truth, beauty, and goodness of God’s creation. Each should be done with excellence with the purpose of giving God all glory. As you read through this report, I invite you to be reminded of how good our God is. Under His guidance, Silverdale is changing lives. We covet your prayers and your continued partnership. For the Academy,

Becky Hansard Head of School

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 Silverdale Baptist Academy 5

Growth in the Arts

We are honored to announce the new positions of Director of Performing Arts and Silverdale Center Coordinator. These additions to our Arts Department are a blessing and a huge step forward.

Tiffany Askew

Director of Performing Arts “Ever since I was first told about The Silverdale Center, I have been excited to see what God is going to do in its walls. Over the course of my life, I have grown increasingly aware of God’s work intertwining my skills and passions with His kingdom purposes within the arts. Over the last decade particularly, the Lord has made it even clearer that my God-given passion is for the theatre, as an audience member and participant. The Lord has continually been faithful to grow my love for its people, its influence, and its process. I truly and humbly believe that Christ can be and is present in every step of the artistic process, and yet we often think it a place devoid of Him.

I have been looking forward to the doors opening and the many opportunities this place will hold for the students of SBA. Silverdale is equipping students to be the leaders of tomorrow. The leaders developed within its walls will expand the reach of the gospel around the world.”

Jill Fister

Silverdale Center Coordinator “I was cast in my first Community Theatre production in 5th grade at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre and fell head over heels in love with theatre. The lights, the costumes, the audience, the comradery. I fell in love with the journey the arts take you on, the process of building something from nothing with a group of people. It’s not just the art of performing that I love, I love what the arts instill in you. Skills that reach far and beyond the stage or the music stand. Creativity, adaptability, resilience. Cooperation and teamwork. Listening, empathy and compassion.

The Silverdale Center is a beautiful space we have been blessed to use. I cannot wait to watch it serve our students and our community. Two theatre spaces, a dance studio, gymnasium, visual art space, and music rooms for our students and our community to come together and to see not only excellent work but the love of Jesus Christ. A place of kindness and gentleness. A grace and peace-filled building that you can feel as soon as the curtain opens, when the first note is played, or the ball is tipped off.”

For more information on the arts at Silverdale, scan the QR code or visit us online at

silverdaleba.org/arts 6 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

Jennifer Leslie

Director of the Visual Arts Mrs. Jennifer Leslie is a student favorite and longtime teacher, having been at SBA since 2002. We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Leslie has been named the Director of Visual Arts, in large part due to her passion for sharing the visual arts with her students. Congratulations, Mrs. Leslie!

Alumni Spotlight

The Hayman Family Fall 2021

Casey and Jessica Hayman ‘14 What was your experience with the arts at SBA? My experience with the arts at Silverdale was truly one of the most unexpected blessings of my life. I joined the theatre department because I had always had an expressive personality and was drawn to acting; yet, I never expected the discoveries I would make with the help of Mrs. Bateman. She walked alongside me in the journey of unlocking my God-given talents while allowing my roles to shape who I am as a person. I learned to have confidence in my own spunky personality and never let situations in life put a damper on who I am through the fiery red hair of Anne Shirley. I discovered the importance of playfulness and resourcefulness bouncing around the stage in Puck’s shoes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Then, of course, I found a love worth fighting for and my own Romeo just as Juliet did. I owe much of the beautiful life I have now to the productions played out on Silverdale’s stages. What would you tell our students in theatre today? Given the opportunity, I would tell the theatre students of today to soak in every moment. From the smell of a new script to the way the lights feel on opening night, take it all in. Without you knowing, these experiences are shaping who you are now and who you will become. The skills I developed in long practice sessions and late nights saying lines in my mirror have impacted me far beyond one play. I now put on a theatrical production each day as I teach my second grade students and watch as my six-month-old daughter mimics the same expressions I learned in the theatre. The days may seem long, but this is an experience that you will never forget. What has the arts at Silverdale done for your family? As a couple, the fine arts department can take credit for much of what we have now. It was in the midst of hours spent rehearsing lines and days in the theatre that playing the roles of Romeo and Juliet merged into our everyday lives. It has been seven long years since we graced the stage in the auditorium of Silverdale and we now look at our beautiful baby girl and have theatre to thank. We hope to bring Taylor to the very stage where everything started for her mom and dad and maybe one day watch her act under the very same lights.

Romeo & Juliet April, 2014 Silverdale Baptist Academy 7

Financials

Expenses | $11,253,359

Revenue | $11,440,381

Operations

Curriculum

Before & After Care

$1,720,016

$210,918

$97,125

2.1% 5.2%

91.7%

72.5%

1.8% 2.1%

15.2%

8.1%

0.8%

Athletics $241,380

Cafeteria

$601,203

Tuition

$10,500,673

Grounds

$913,990

Compensation $8,167,055

3 2 1 COMPARED TO 2019-2020: Tuition increase plus enrollment increase P-12 Decreased due to COVID service and fee reduction Decreased due to COVID, reduction of families utilizing service 6 5 4 Increased COVID costs to grounds maintenance Reduced orders due to budget adjustments. Increased enrollment = increased staff. Proctors/subs included.

Grandparents Sam and Jan Wills This past year’s Green & Gold Gala was, for the first time ever, held virtually March 19, 2021. The event was hosted by local WRCB meteorologist and long-time friend of the Academy David Karnes, and was streamed live from backstage of the Creekside Theater in the Silverdale Center that was still very much under construction! Donations from this gala exceeded an incredible $180,000 on the night, and are currently supporting need-based financial aid for families who need help on their tuition during these tough financial times. A portion of the donations also went toward the Silverdale Center project as we worked toward the opening of the building in time for the start of the 2021-2022 school year. A special thank-you goes out to our Green & Gold Gala co-chairs, parents Tiffany Newberry and Becky Tedford! 8 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

Scan the QR code here to visit the 2021 Green & Gold Gala webpage! www.silverdaleba.org/gala

ATHLETICS Elementary School - Cross Country: Boys made school history as district champions, also with girls and boys teams qualifying for state - Boys Basketball: ISC regular season and tournament champions

Middle School - Boys Basketball: ISC champions - Volleyball: Undefeated regular season, ISC tournament champions

High School - Girls Cross Country: Savannah Inman overall individual champion, NGXCL - Golf: Cambelle Williams advances to state - Swimming: Ryan Teuton qualified for state in 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle - Tennis: Kai Lam is District Champion and qualifies for state - Track: Caroline Upchurch (triple jump) 3rd in state, Avery Levitt (300m hurdles) 2nd in state - Baseball: made school history, undefeated in district - Boys Basketball: made school history, qualified for state - Girls Basketball: State tournament Elite 8 - Boys Cross Country: 2nd place region, first time to compete in state - Girls Cross Country: 1st place region - Girls Soccer: made school history with state tournament Elite 8 appearance

Scan the QR code here to find out more about Silverdale athletics!

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Ryleigh Hoover Covenant College

Tessa Gibson Tusculum University

Skylar Sheridan Austin Peay State University

Dawson Riggins Sewanee

Bree Sexton Morehead State University

Laney Bone University of Buffalo

Dixon Riggins Sewanee

Katie Riggs Bryan College

Ana Vereen Covenant College

Not pictured: Paige Johnson - Equestrian | Emory & Henry College

Ben Bambrey Birmingham Southern College

Congratulations to our seniors in the Class of 2021 below who signed scholarships to compete at the next level!

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The new gymnasium in the Silverdale Center hosts its first high school volleyball game.

New Hires IN Athletics

With the ever-growing demands on a quality, high-performance athletics program, we continue to invest in personnel who love the Lord and are gifted in their roles of developing quality student-athletes!

Slater Belew ‘09

Lance Rorex

Mike Connor

Kyle Farmer

Jake Ledbetter

was a standout on the basketball court as a Silverdale student and has been on our staff since 2014 both in the classroom and serving as the head coach of our high school boys basketball program. Belew has now added to his roles as the Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Information.

joined the Silverdale Family in August of 2019 as our Athletics Field Supervisor. In addition to caring for our athletics facilities, Coach Rorex leads our high school baseball program.

joined the Silverdale Family in February of 2020 to take over our high school football program as previous Head Coach Al Rogers shifted his focus to the Outdoor Education program at SBA. Coach Connor teaches full time in the high school for both weight training and Bible.

relocated from Nashville, TN and is in his first year on staff, teaching high school History and Bible courses. Beyond the classroom, Farmer serves as Line Coach for the high school football team led by Head Coach Mike Connor.

is in his first year on staff and teaches 6th Grade Study Skills. Beyond the classroom, Ledbetter serves as Offensive Coordinator for the high school football team led by Head Coach Mike Connor.

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Old Glory

Properly Retiring The American Flag There isn’t a more beautiful sight than the American flag flying high. And while you may already know how to display the American flag correctly, it’s important to know how to discard a tattered or soiled American flag properly. When a flag is worn out or no longer a fitting symbol to display, the United States Flag Code says it should be retired in a dignified way, preferably burned and buried. Many people know the basics: that you honor the flag of the United States by keeping it off of the ground, never flying it upside down, and you should always face the flag with your hand over your heart when saying the Pledge of Allegiance. But when the time comes to retire older flags, there are processes and procedures to follow to show respect.

Middle school students gather at the outdoor classroom fire pit to take part in a flag retirement ceremony.

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This is a focus that is very important to Linda Mines, a local historian, and Charlie Wheaton, a retired Navy officer. That’s why our middle school history teacher, Jackie Freelend, invited the two of them to class. Mrs. Mines created a special ceremony that demonstrated to our students how to dispose of American flags that need to be retired properly. What a wonderful privilege to teach our students this time-honored tradition.

School board member and United States Navy veteran Charlie Wheaton joins with students in retiring a flag. Silverdale Baptist Academy 13

The Whole Ball of Wax In elementary school, our teachers continually think outside the box, from outdoor days to bee hives and even a living wax museum! Students choose a historically significant person to research, then are tasked with writing a biography about the person they selected. Finally, students create scripts for the final wax museum project at the end of the lesson. Staged around a dark room, students dress as their figure, complete with props. Frozen in place, they only come alive when a guest shines them with a flashlight. Once triggered, students present a brief overview of their historical person, completely in character! Students and staff, in addition to family members of the fifth-graders, are invited to the event. It’s definitely an exciting project. This living wax museum is a great way to tie together reading, writing, social studies and speaking and listening skills all in one fun project. The best part about this project is the students do not even realize that they are learning! 14 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

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All the Buzz

Outdoor Education at Silverdale No one would argue about the importance of fresh air and sunshine during the 2020-2021 school year. During this unprecedented year, our students flourished outside! Classes could be seen all over our 22-acre campus smiling, learning, and thriving. Our creative teachers were able to incorporate the outdoors into every aspect of the curriculum and offered our students a rich feast of opportunistic learning. From exploring the creek to navigating our bamboo forest, students worshipped the Creator while wondering at creation. This year we were blessed with a brand new 16 ft. by 30 ft. Atlas Educational Greenhouse from Farm Bureau! Our students were able to get their hands dirty and learn all about seed growth and development, as well as care and maintenance of plants. Classes grew Mother’s Day gifts and plants that were added to our existing garden beds. Students planted hundreds of seeds and we distributed over 100 plants and seedlings to our teachers and staff. With all the excitement around our new garden addition, we had not just one but two garden camps this summer. We can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for our little greenhouse! Silverdale was also recently awarded a $26,000 grant from Outride’s Riding for Focus cycling program! As a recipient of the grant, Silverdale received 27 new Specialized mountain bikes, helmets, maintenance kits, the Riding For Focus curriculum, and program training. We taught the bicycle curriculum to our middle school physical education classes, and several students learned how to ride a bike for the first time! This past summer, Silverdale hosted two mountain bike camps, where students learned bike skills and more while riding on beautiful local trails. This fall, we debut our Mountain Bike Club for upper school students to ride mountain bike trails after school! Research shows that cycling has a unique and powerful impact on students’ learning, mood, attention, confidence, and fitness. The positive effects are even more profound on students who struggle with attention disorders. The Riding for Focus school-based cycling program was born after Mike Sinyard, founder of Specialized Bicycle Components, found that cycling improved his ADHD enough to go from high-school dropout to the founder of one of the world’s most successful bike companies. It is awesome observing how cycling has helped Silverdale students achieve academic, physical, and social success! We are now entering our third year with honey bees on campus. This past spring, we split our strongest hive, bringing our number of hives up to 3. In addition, we acquired another NUC through a partnership with an area beekeeper, giving us four hives. Our hives have done so well that we did another split this summer, and that makes five. Five hives!

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We love sharing with our students and families the importance of honey bees. Outdoor Ed and experiential learning are key components to educating students at SBA. Our students get to observe our very own honey bees pollinating the plants in our raised garden beds, pollinator garden, and native wildflowers along our creek bank. They get to taste the honey that our bees produce when we present lessons. They have seen actual workers, drones, and a queen up close. The addition of a teaching hive has also enhanced our bee lessons. Outdoor Education is an integral part of the life of our students at SBA. We are blessed to have these opportunities for our students!

Scan the QR code here to follow SOAR on Facebook!

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His Company Dance Team Christmas, 2020

“The new Silverdale Center houses a myriad of activities to offer to the surrounding community. The dance studio is a light-filled space fit with ballet barres and ample room for movement. Our dancers can practice their skills in an environment that encourages growth. Chattanooga Ballet is grateful for their partnership with Silverdale and loves the new studio space at the Silverdale Center!” 18 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

Nena Widtfeldt Director of Education Chattanooga Ballet

Raising the Curtain So many dreams. So many prayers. The new Silverdale Center is a visible example of God’s faithfulness to Silverdale Baptist Academy, and all the while completed during a pandemic! The Silverdale Center offers so much more than space for performance, competition, and academic rigor - it provides our students with the opportunity to ignite their passions in ways never before possible on our campus. With dressing rooms, a green room, a costume area, and a theater support room, the theater will serve as a learning laboratory for performing arts students, including everything from technicians to designers. Students will be able to use the stage and rehearsal spaces for music, dance, acting, video production, and so much more. This building represents a way to expand on our already successful Summer Arts productions by having a space that can now produce a piece of musical theater in the way it deserves. The counterweight fly line system, orchestra pit, and the larger stage are going to allow us the opportunity to soar as we move forward into an exciting future in the performing arts. We cannot wait to show off a bit for our audience, who have been waiting for this moment a very long time!

Heart of Dance Our Mission is to learn the art of dance and techniques of various dance genres and to use dance to glorify God and lead others to worship Him in spirit and truth! Our goal is to instill a great love of dance while inspiring selfconfidence, discipline, and respect for the performing arts. We provide a solid technical foundation for the developing dancer, and we advocate the study of Classical Ballet as a foundation to instill an awareness of poise, alignment, and technique. Our goal is to give each dancer the tools they need to take dance as far as they dream of taking it. We believe if you can dream it, you can achieve it! We believe in an enriching education, and we recognize that every student has something to offer the arts and the arts have something to offer every student.

different styles. We will continue to develop well-prepared dancers, should they so choose to pursue the arts professionally or are college-bound. Once a dancer, always a dancer; dance is something students can come back to during all stages of their life. Our new dance studio in the Silverdale Center is truly a perfect environment for our dancers. The joy and improvement has increased in their technique, timing, and execution of dance step combinations. We are so blessed to have a state-of-theart dance floor, mirrors, and barres. It is clear that the discipline, focus and artistic enlightenment of dance creates success in all aspects of life. Dance education contributes to the development of responsible, dedicated, determined, and creative adults in society.

We appreciate that the heart of a dancer is born into many different bodies, and the love of dance can take on many Silverdale Baptist Academy 19

Excellence Honored Excellence is one of SBA’s three core values, and every year we try to cultivate and further enhance the culture of excellence that exists in all our departments in the high school. For the 2020-2021 academic year a manifestation of this culture of academic excellence came through the recognition of one of our seniors with the honor of being named as an AP (Advanced Placement) Scholar. Phillip Graham ‘21 received the Honor Award for being an AP Scholar. This award recognizes exemplary college level achievement for attaining an average of 3.25 or above on all AP exams and a score of 3 or higher on four or more exams, with 5 being a perfect score. In his senior year Phillip was able to earn a score of 5 for AP Calculus, which gave him college credit for Honors Calculus 1. He also earned a score of 5 for AP American Government and Politics, which gave him college credit for US Government. Finally, a score of 4 in AP Chemistry gave him honors credit for the entire freshman General Chemistry course. As Mr. Graham, Phillip’s dad, shared with us, “This is a real testimony to the quality of education our children are receiving at Silverdale and the quality of Silverdale’s teachers as educators.” We are so proud of Phillip for receiving this prestigious honor and recognition by the College Board. Most importantly, though, we are so proud of the godly, young man of character that he is and for the way he represents Christ at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in the school of Engineering!

Phillip excelled in the classroom under the direction of teachers like Mrs. Jana Herron and Mr. Bob Walter.

20 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

“From the first day she came to SBA, through her illness and miraculous healing, to last night’s homecoming ceremony, Abigail’s life is richer because of her experience with you, and everyone at Silverdale. Our family’s faith is stronger because of His work through you.” Kent Callison

Father of Abigail Callison ‘21

2020 Homecoming King & Queen: Owen Neal and Abigail Callison.

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Enjoying beautiful weather and the chance to play in the creek!

22 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

Tyler McKenzie ‘10

Tyler has earned both bachelors and masters degrees in vocal performance from Austin Peay State University, having most recently graduated in 2020. He recently moved to St. Louis and started working with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as the Volunteer Coordinator. He’ll be presenting at the National Opera Association’s National Conference in January 2022, and is in the early stages of working with a composer to premiere some of his works.

Mary Pike ‘15

Mary graduated from Samford University in 2019 with a Bachelors of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications and a minor in Sports Media and concentration in Public Relations, then again in 2021 with a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. She currently serves as the Event Coordinator for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga.

Kara (Smith) Day ‘11

Kara graduated from Lee University in 2015 with a degree in Mathematics Teaching Licensure Grades 7-12. She currently teaches at Sweetwater High School in Sweetwater, TN.

Rebekah (Walliser) Elsea ‘12

Rebekah graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2015 with a degree in Exercise Science. She currently works as a Physical Therapist Assistant at Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics in Chattanooga, TN following the completion of the PTA program at Chattanooga State.

Alex Nichols ‘10

Where Are They Now?

ALUMNI UPDATES

Ashley (Dill) Britt ‘08

Ashley recently launched her new business, Wanderlust Glamping Co. She and her husband Bradley were married in May of 2021 and live in Signal Mountain, TN.

Ellen (Huskey) Chapman ‘10

Ellen graduated from Lee University in 2017 with a degree in Public Relations. She currently serves as the Young Adult Pastor at New Life Chapel in Madison, AL.

Alex graduated from Samford University in 2014 with a degree in Entrepreneurship & Marketing and then in 2021 from Duke University with a Masters in Public Policy. He is the co-founder & Chief Operating Officer of Tether, which leverages technology to develop spiritually mature and deeply connected Christian groups.

Tiffany (Chaffin) Gunter ‘11

Tiffany studied nursing at the University of Alabama and is currently a nurse at Erlanger Hospital. She and husband Tyler welcomed baby #2 - Henley Catherine - October, 2021.

Are you an alum of Silverdale Baptist Academy? Scan the QR code and reconnect!

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Class Size: 74 Scholarships: $5.3 million Student Scholarship Average: $72,603 Average ACT: 21.4 | Top 25% ACT Average: 27.4 Average GPA: 3.49 Tennessee Hope Scholarship Qualified: 87% Honors Diploma Graduates: 12% 24 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

t r o p e R Card

#SBAco21

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Third Grade Roman Day 26 2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

Alma Mater VERSE 1

CHORUS

SBA, our Alma Mater

SBA, your vision was

Loyal here we stand

And may it always be

To Jesus, we lift up this song

Discipleship, Excellence,

United hand in hand

And Integrity

CHORUS

VERSE 3

SBA, your vision was

SBA, our Alma Mater

And may it always be

Memories made each day

Discipleship, Excellence,

Help to make us who we are

And Integrity

We give our Lord the praise

VERSE 2

CHORUS

SBA, our Alma Mater

SBA, your vision was

To Green and Gold, we’re true

And may it always be

The seeds of knowledge that are sown

Discipleship, Excellence,

Bear fruit in all we do

And Integrity

Words: Brenda Rayburn & Christie Johnson Music: Brenda Rayburn

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SILVERDALE B A P T I S T

A C A D E M Y

Engaging Hearts and Minds

7236 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421

423.892.2319

2020-2021 Head of School Annual Report

Articles inside

The Whole Ball of Wax

Alumni Updates

Head of School Address

New Hires in Athletics

Growth in the Arts

All the Buzz

Class of 2021 Features