Good Afternoon, this is Steve Mares, principal of Athens Drive Magnet High School with announcements for the upcoming week. A copy of these announcements will be posted on our school website, emailed and texted to our school families, and emailed to the Athens Drive PTSA email group.
What a week at The Drive! Our Band brought home more hardware from two competitions they participated in last weekend in Charlotte; our Chorus did an outstanding job representing Athens Drive at East Carolina University in a festival; we are preparing to induct over 100 students into the National Honor Society next week; our Seniors began ordering their Class Rings, Caps and Gowns, and other Senior items; our Men’s Soccer Team won in the First Round of the State Playoffs and advance towards the State Title; we had students running in the Regional Finals for Cross Country; we held tryouts for our Winter Sports; we held choreography practices for our Spring Musical; we had students raise donations to support a variety of organizations; we offered our students the opportunity to receive a free jacket, sweater, sweatshirt if they needed one; we created new business partnerships through our Health Science Career Academy, STEM Academy, and Business Alliance; and we wrapped up the First Quarter of teaching and learning in a positive manner to name just a few of the amazing things going on! Tomorrow, Saturday, November 3rd, we will be representing Athens Drive at the Magnet Fair, we will have students running in the State Cross Country Championships, and our Band will be performing in its final competition at Cary Band Days at approximately 9:30 p.m. We have a lot to be proud of at Athens Drive, and I want to thank all of you for all your support in allowing us to serve your (our!) students!
Please know that we will be operating on a Two-Hour Delay schedule on Tuesday, November 6th, due to Election Day. Our school day will begin at 9:25 a.m.
Please remember that Report Cards will be sent home next Friday, November 9th, so please be expecting your student to share them with you. We began a new Quarter this week, so let’s encourage our students to take on the Second Quarter with a renewed commitment to academic excellence!
I look forward to joining other staff, students, parents, and business partners at the Wake County Public School System Magnet Fair tomorrow morning sharing information about the outstanding school we have! In the coming weeks we will be hosting school tours and Open Houses to allow interested families to see the great things going on at Athens Drive! I appreciate your support as we work to share information about our school, Magnet Program, and school community with families interested in attending Athens Drive.
As we begin our Magnet recruiting “season,” our Magnet Coordinator, Ms. Tonya Hinton is coordinating our Magnet Tours for families interested in finding additional information out about Athens Drive Magnet High School. If you are interested in helping out with a Tour (they are held from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.) on the following dates: Friday, November 16th; Wednesday, November 28th; Monday, December 10th; Monday, December 17th; Monday, January 7th; and Wednesday, January 23rd, please contact Ms. Hinton at tchinton@wcpss.net. Thank you for your support of our efforts to attract families to The Drive!
On Thursday, November 8th, we will be hosting our Fall Band Concert in the Auditorium. Admission is free, and this is a great opportunity to hear the incredible music of our award-winning Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble.
Auditions for the Spring Musical, All Shook Up, will be held on November 29th and November 30th, with a Dance Call held on December 3rd. The Dance Workshop was hosted on Thursday, November 1st after school in the Auditorium. An additional Audition Workshop will be led by Ms. Hayes and Mr. Santangelo on Thursday, November 8th. Videos were made and will be available for student use at the Thursday, November 8th workshop. During this workshop, students will go over additional audition information and help students learn how to select their audition music. For students interested in Auditioning for this year’s Musical, it is highly encouraged that they attend the Thursday, November 8th workshop. For more information, please contact our Theatre Director, Ms. Hayes (ahayes3@wcpss.net).
Please know that working in conjunction with Raleigh Police and Wake County Public School Security, we practiced a Lockdown Drill this week. Our students and staff responded well, and we received positive feedback from Raleigh Police regarding our strengths and those areas to strengthen to support the safety of our students and staff. Please know that we continue to monitor and assess our procedures and practices with regards to safety to provide a safe, orderly learning environment each day.
We have adjusted our schedule for our Senior Ad deadline. If you would like to buy a space to congratulate your Senior in the Yearbook, the deadline has been extended until the end of the day on Sunday, November 4th. Ads can be purchased through the website (www.athensdriveyearbook.weebly.com) and range in price based on size. No design ability needed, our students will create and personalize an ad just for you! Upload your photos and provide a message and then wait for the magic to happen. Once our students have created your space, they’ll email you a proof to ensure your happiness and submit for publication. If you have any questions about ads feel free to email Ms. Luna (eluna@wcpss.net), our Yearbook Advisor. Ms. Luna is out this Semester, and email is the only way to reach her regarding any Senior Ads questions.
Yearbooks are currently on sale for $80.00 through the yearbook website (https://athensdriveyearbook.weebly.com). Prices will increase in December, so please make sure you purchase now for your lowest price option.
Please know that we continue to have representatives from universities meeting with our students during the school day. University representatives are located in the area outside of the Attendance office during both lunch periods. This is a great opportunity for our students to learn about the various programs that are available, admission requirements, and financial aid. For more information on the colleges that are visiting, you can contact Ms. Carrillo in Student Services (919-233-4050 ext. 24893) or visit the Student Services website (http://adhs-student-services.weebly.com). On Thursday, November 8th, Elizabeth City State University will be on campus during “A” Lunch.
Athens Drive Magnet High School will be hosting Reality of Money on Thursday, November 15th. This financial interactive simulation, sponsored by State Employees Credit Union and the Athens Drive Business Alliance, is designed to help students understand basic household budgeting and decision making. To make this event happen for our students, we need approximately 30 volunteers for each session throughout the day. Please consider signing up for the entire day (both sessions) or just one of the sessions. Please follow this link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044eafa923a7fd0-reality to sign-up to assist. Thank you for your support!
Our Health Science Career Academy is holding its 3rd annual Fresh Market Pie Sale. Please visit the website https://bit.ly/2zYEeWv for details and to order. Orders are being accepted thru Monday, November 12th and delivery will be Monday, November 19th, from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. in Room 1926. Thank you for your support of our students!
The Band’s annual fruit and nut fundraiser is continuing this week. Information on this fundraiser is available online on the band website (www.athensdriveband.com/fundraisers/fruit-and-nut-sale). In addition, any Band student will gladly take your order. Orders need to be placed by Tuesday, November 13th, and orders will be picked up on Friday, December 7th.
Chorus is still offering its Butterbraid and Go Play Save Coupon Book fundraiser. See any Chorus student to buy some delicious treats for the upcoming holiday season or a coupon book with over $12,000.00 worth of coupons!
Please remember that we have our final regular season football game next Friday night at Apex Friendship High School. Winter sports begin competition soon, so please check the Athens Drive athletic website (www.wakecountyathletics.com/athensdrivehs) for more information about game dates and times and thank you for your support of our student athletes.
Those are all the announcements for this week. Please continue to check the Athens Drive website (www.wcpss.net/athensdrivehs) for general information to help you stay informed. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the extra hour of time we get Saturday evening. Go JAGS and please take care.