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.
Please know once again how proud I am to be a JAG! Students have done an outstanding job coming back to school from our missed school days last week prepared for great days of teaching and learning. We picked up and moved forward and even concluded our Spirit Week festivities this week with a great Pep Rally in the stadium for the entire student body. At the Pep Rally we finally were able to finish our Homecoming week traditions by crowning the 2018 Homecoming King and Queen. The 2018 Homecoming King and Queen are Tyrone Williamson and Angelica Luzzi. Congratulations to the first-runner ups Vishal Kasula and Jaie Love. I am proud of the fact that our students can have both a fun week(s) and also maintain a positive learning environment! I look forward to tonight’s Senior Night and last home football game of the season against Cary High School beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Athens Drive Magnet High School Food Drive sponsored by the LEO Club! The food that was donated by our Athens family members will be a huge help to our students who are supported by our Backpack Buddies program. A total of 732 pounds of food was donated during the food drive! Thank you for your support in helping our students learn the value of service.
Athens Drive Magnet High School is in the Guinness Book of World Records! On Tuesday, World Food Day, we had a group of students participate in a Rise Against Hunger meal packaging event. Rise Against Hunger is a non-profit organization and they facilitate groups of people to pack meals that are sent all over the world to help combat hunger. We were one of ten locations around the world that packaged meals for five minutes and we now are a part of the Guinness Book of World Records for the most meals packaged in five minutes! We were able to package 864 meals which will be shipped off to either Swaziland or Madagascar. As if there was any doubt, we are a World Class, Record-Breaking School!
The Senior Class will have a Class Assembly next Friday, October 26th during Drive Time to get information regarding how to order Graduation Cap and Gown along with other great Senior items. A Jostens representative will be presenting the information so be sure to ask your Senior for it! Jostens will return on November 2nd and again on December 6th to take Cap and Gown orders during both lunches. You can either pay the full balance or put a $60.00 down payment and pay the balance later. There is also an option to order online for those who prefer that.
The Senior Breakfast is scheduled for Thursday, January 24th and is done entirely by the Senior Parents, so now is the time to start preparations! There will be a Senior Parent meeting on Monday, October 22nd at 5:30 p.m. in Mr. Remaley’s room, Room 2618, to discuss and plan this exciting event for the Seniors! Any parents interested in volunteering, please make plans to attend this meeting!
Parents of Seniors, please remember that your Senior Ads are due! If you would like to buy a space to congratulate your Senior in the Yearbook, this is the time. Ads can be purchased through the website 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. The deadline for Ads is Tuesday, October 30th, so hurry in now to reserve your space! 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.
If our students are interested in unleashing their inner artist, we have the perfect opportunity for them—the Reflections Arts Contest. This PTSA led initiative is a great way for our students to shine. This year’s theme, “Heroes Around Me,” calls for our students’ own unique interpretation through the Arts. Categories include: dance, film, literature, music, photography, and visual arts. Look for the Reflections flyers around school and click on the QR code for submission guidelines and entry form. In addition, you can go to the Athens Drive PTSA website (athensdriveptsa.com) for information. The entry deadline is Wednesday, October 31st.
On Wednesday October 24th, we will be administering the Pre-ACT to all Tenth-Grade students. We will operate on a Regular Bell Schedule for all students except our Sophomores, who will take the Pre-ACT from 7:25 a.m. until 12:05 p.m.
Thursday, October 25th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium, we have our Fall Café Chorus Concert! Admission is free, and our students are amazing! This is a wonderful evening, so please come hear our incredible Choral students put on an outstanding concert.
As we continue observing National Bullying Prevention Month, we will be celebrating Unity Day on Wednesday, October 24th to be UNITED for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. We are asking our staff and students to wear orange to come together in one message of hope and support to visibly show that we believe that no student should ever experience bullying. Make it Orange and make it end!
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). Upcoming visits from schools include Savannah College of Art and Design on October 24th; William Peace University on October 25th; and Appalachian State, Cal Berkeley, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, East Carolina University, and the University of Alabama on October 31st.
Looking ahead, please remember that the last day of the First Quarter is Wednesday, October 31st. First Quarter Report Cards will be sent home on Friday, November 9th. Please help us work together to have our students finish the First Quarter strong.
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. To prepare students, the Theatre Department will host two audition workshops. The Dance Workshop will be hosted on November 1st after school in the Auditorium from 2:45 p.m. until 4:45 p.m. and will be led by our guest choreographer, Chasta Hamilton, owner of Stage Door Dance. During this workshop, students will be taught the audition choreography that they must perform during the Dance Call on December 3rd. This will be the only opportunity to learn the dance directly from the choreographer before auditions occur. There will be an additional audition workshop lead by Ms. Hayes and Mr. Santangelo on November 8th where they will go over additional audition information and how to select your audition music. For students interested in auditioning for this year’s musical, it is highly encouraged that they attend both workshops. For more information, please contact our Theatre Director, Ms. Hayes (ahayes3@wcpss.net).
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.
The Band’s annual fruit and nut fundraiser is kicking off on Monday, October 22nd. 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. Order need to be placed by Tuesday, November 13th, and orders will be picked up on Friday, December 7th.
The JAG Club is hosting a Spirit Night at the Cary Crossroads Chick-fil-A on Thursday, October 25th, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. 10% of all sales will be donated back to the JAG Club, and no flyer is needed. Thank you for helping us raise funds for the JAG Club.
Chorus kicked off its Butterbraid and Go Play Save Coupon Book fundraiser last week. 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!
Our Magnet recruiting season is beginning. We are hosting tours and Open Houses in the coming weeks and months and look forward to showcasing the great things that are happening at Athens Drive. I appreciate your support as we work to share information about our school, Magnet Program, and school family with interested families. Please see visit the Magnet Information portion of our Athens Drive website https://www.wcpss.net/domain/7485 to find information regarding our Medical Sciences and Global Health Initiatives Magnet program.
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 one 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!
Please remember that it is still not too late to join the PTSA! The PTSA is an amazing support to the teaching and learning at Athens Drive Magnet High School and I ask that you please join if you have not already. Thank you very much to those families that have already joined!
I am proud of the way our student athletes have represented Athens Drive and look forward to watching their post-season accomplishments. Just a reminder to continue to check the Athens Drive Athletics webpage (http://www.wakecountyathletics.com/athensdrivehs) for game times of our Fall sports as we move into the playoff and state championship season. Please also remember that our Winter Sports try-outs will be starting soon. Please be sure that if your student is interested in playing he/she has his/her physical and all forms completed and knows the dates, times, and locations of tryouts.
Those are all the announcements for this week. Please continue to check the Athens Drive website (www.wcpss.net/athensdrivehs) for general information and to help you stay informed. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Go JAGS and please take care.