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 e-mailed to the Athens Drive PTSA email group.
Next week is Homecoming Week at The Drive! Homecoming 2018 is next Friday, October 12th and that means Spirit Week is next week! The Homecoming theme this year is Destination: Athens. Students are encouraged to participate in Spirit Days by dressing up each day: “Maui Monday” (Hawaiian shirts); “Trendy Tuesday” (dress to impress or dress like a celebrity!); “Rivalry Wednesday” (students can wear their Class Shirts—more information at the end of this paragraph!); “Theme Park Thursday” (dress like your favorite character, hero or villain); and “Orange & Blue Friday” (show your school colors and pride!). There will be a Pep Rally at the end of the school day on Friday in Jaguar Stadium featuring the Athens award winning Marching Band, ALL Fall Sport Team recognition, performances from the Cheerleaders and Dance Team, and of course recognizing the 2018 Homecoming Court. Seniors will vote for the Homecoming Court during Drive-Time on Friday and we will crown the Homecoming King at the Pep Rally. The Homecoming Queen will be crowned at halftime of the Football game on October 12th. Homecoming Class Shirts can be purchased on Tuesday before school, during both lunches, and after school from the Class Advisors: Freshman Class: Ms. Rodriguez-Wester in 822-06 OR Ms. Shelton in 2710 (cost is $10.00); Sophomore Class: Ms. Wilkins in 2714 OR Ms. Pipal in 1612 (cost is $10.00); Junior Class: Mr. Maxwell in 2620 (cost is $5.00); and for our Seniors: Mr. Remaley in 2618 (cost is $5.00). We are looking forward to an exciting week at The Drive!
On Monday, October 8th, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria, the Athens Athletic Department is hosting a BINGO Night to raise money for James Kenan High School. $15.00 will purchase 8 games of BINGO, and additional cards are available for $1.00 a game. There will be door prizes available. All proceeds from the night go to support those families recovering from Hurricane Florence. If you need additional information, please contact Coach Stephenson (astephenson4@wcpss.net) or Coach Faircloth (afaircloth@wcpss.net). What a great way to kick off our Homecoming Week!
Please remember that if your student receives free or reduced-price lunch, beginning October 9th, all students who have not re-enrolled will need to pay full-price for meals. If you still need to renew your application, please use this link https://www.wcpss.net/Page/23137 to apply. Paper copies are also available in the Cafeteria and Main Office.
Please remember that we will be administering the PSAT on Wednesday, October 10th. We will operate on a regular Wednesday schedule, but those students who are taking the PSAT will be in their Testing site from the beginning of the day until 11:45 a.m.
Our Fall Chamber Music Concert will be held on Thursday, October 11th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium. Please come out and enjoy the outstanding sounds of our award-winning Band!
Also, congratulations to our Marching Band on their “First Place in Class SWEEP” in their first competition of the season at Ledford High School this past Saturday, September 29th! The Marching Band won 1st place in EVERY category in their class, including best Drum Major (Tyrone Williamson & Anna Vtipil), Percussion, Color Guard, Music, Marching, and General Effect! How about this fact to demonstrate the excellence of our Band: our Marching Band has won “First Place in Class” in at least 1 competition each season for the past 23 CONSECUTIVE YEARS! How about our amazing Band?!?! They will compete again this weekend at John Holmes High School in Denton, beginning at 7:30 p.m. I look forward to more hardware coming back to The Drive with our incredibly talented students!
I want to share exciting news regarding the grant that we have been awarded from NC GreenPower. They have awarded us (mainly a student led group of STEM Academy students!) a matching grant that will help us install a PV System here at Athens! In short, a PV System (photo voltaic) is a big solar panel (similar to the arrays you see in solar farms). The system would be hooked into the energy grid here at Athens, help us cut energy costs to the school, and provide some excellent learning opportunities for our students. It is most likely going to be positioned on the roof outside the senior hallway, both for ideal exposure to the sun and visibility to the students and staff here at the school. Pretty incredible right?!? And again, this whole process has been STUDENT DRIVEN. Originally it was thought that we would need to raise close to $15,000 that would be matched by NC GreenPower to install the PV System, but after receiving bids for the construction it is likely to be closer to $8,000.00 – $9,000.00. While we’ve started the fundraising process, I’m hoping that our entire school family can get behind this cause and help us raise this money! Whether you donate or not, I would ask that you please consider passing this message along to others who might be able to donate as well. We will be creating a plaque with the names of our biggest donors once we’ve hit our goal; so, if your spouse/brother/sister/parents/friends/coworkers/business friends work for a company that might be willing to donate to a great cause within education and would like themselves or their business to be recognized for doing so, please let them know that this is a great opportunity to do that. Donations can be made directly though this link (https://bit.ly/2L8YpmZ). Any questions can be directed to Mr. Shane Barry (sbarry@wcpss.net), our STEM Coordinator. We have just over five weeks left to reach our goal and I know we can get there to support this student initiative! Thank you for your support!
Chorus kicked off its butterbraid and cookie dough fundraiser this week. See any Chorus student to buy some delicious treats for the upcoming holiday season! Mark your calendars for our upcoming Fall Cafe concert on Thursday, October 25th at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium. Admission is free, so come and hear our amazing Choral students sing some great music!
As we continue observing National Bullying Prevention Month, we are asking all students to sign a pledge to STOMP Out Bullying. Visit the STOMP Out Bullying table on Monday, October 8th, Wednesday, October 10th, and Monday, October 15th during both “A” and “B” Lunches to sign the pledge. Let’s change the culture by putting an end to Bullying and Cyberbullying!
If are 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 Monday, October 22nd.
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!
The Wake County College Fair is happening this Sunday, October 7th, from 2:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the McKimmon Center at N.C. State. Over 100 colleges will attend to discuss college admission with local high school Juniors and Seniors. There will also be information sessions on topics such as Financial Aid and Preparing for College. Admission and parking are free.
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 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.
Please know that we will be celebrating College Application Week from Monday, October 15th through Friday, October 19th. College Application Week activities will include: College Trivia each day (questions presented on the daily announcements, winners will receive a small prize for participation); find the mascot scavenger hunt each day (a photo/print out of one of the NC college mascots will be placed in a common area of school- when students find the mascot they can take a picture or selfie that shows the mascot and its location in the building and then present their photo in student services-first three each day receive a prize); door decorating contest (teachers decorate their classroom door for a chance to win 1st, 2nd, 3rd place); and free/reduced price college application to selected NC colleges (application stations will be set up in Ms. Carlton’s office each day). If you have any questions regarding our College Application Week celebration, please speak with Mr. Wright in Student Services.
Our other Fall athletic teams are winding down their regular seasons and will begin having their Senior Nights, Conference Tournaments, and State Playoffs in the coming weeks. For the most up-to-date schedule information, please check the Athens Drive Athletics website (http://www.wakecountyathletics.com/athensdrivehs) to stay aware of all changes, game dates, and game times of our Athletic competitions. I am thankful for the leadership our student athletes, coaches, and athletic staff provide to represent The Drive in an outstanding manner!
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 make it a wonderful weekend. Go JAGS and please take care.