Welcome back from Spring Break!  I trust that everyone enjoyed Masters Week and is primed for a great finish to the 2009-2010 school year.  There is so much on the calendar for the last six weeks of school – prom, ArtsFest, sports events, ERB testing, AP exams, honors assemblies, graduation, and at the same time, everyone is also planning for the coming school year.  This newsletter attempts to highlight much of what is ahead.

Happy Birthday, Augusta Preparatory Day School!  That’s right; Augusta Prep will be 50 years old next year, and the school will be celebrating its 50^th Anniversary in style next year.  Everyone connected with the school will be receiving the 50^th Anniversary mailing in April, and I encourage you to make plans to take part in the celebration.  Below is a sample of the exciting events planned for next year:

• Masters Champion Larry Mize will participate in the APDS Golf Tournament in September.
• Homecoming 2010 will feature middle school and high school football games.
• Musician Josh Kelley will be “Live in Concert” in Hull Fine Arts Center at Homecoming!
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller will be the fall play and GREASE! will be the spring musical.
• Prep alumni will perform A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in January.
•  The 50^th Anniversary GALA will be held in Boardman Athletic Center in February.

Information about all of the 50^th Anniversary events is now live on the Augusta Prep website, www.augustaprep.org. 

Re-enrollment contracts are returning, and Director of Admission Rosie Herrmann is pleased with what appears to be the strongest retention in several years.  As each one of us considers the value of an Augusta Prep education, I want to share two concrete markers that speak to our school’s excellence.  First, I surveyed the Class of 2009 about their first semester in college.  With 85% responding to the survey, I am pleased to report that the cumulative GPA for our Class of 2009 is 3.3.  For those of you interested in how the Class of 2009 performed at the most selective schools (Top 100 Liberal Arts or National Universities), the cumulative GPA for that group is 3.53.  Considering the average freshman GPA is 2.6, this is clear evidence of excellent preparation.  Second, the Class of 2010 has just completed a highly successful college placement season.  Below I have listed the most selective schools to which the Class of 2010 have been accepted:

As we prepare for the 2010-2011 school year, there are three teachers not returning.  Mr .Karl Tremmel, 4^th grade teacher, is retiring at the close of this school year.  We are grateful to Mr. Tremmell for his work in 4^th grade and for his lifelong dedication to the teaching profession.  Mr. Ike Isaac, 7^th & 8^th grade English, will remain at Prep as a parent and spouse, but will pursue other teaching opportunities next year.  Finally, Mrs. Lucy Adams, who has taught in the Lower and Middle School over the last several years, will be pursuing other interests.  Please join me in thanking each of these professionals for the contributions they have made to the Augusta Prep community; they will be missed.

Linked to this newsletter is the “End of the Year Schedule of Events.”  This one-page list of events highlights the major events that will take place throughout the school, as we finish the last six weeks of the school year. 

Finally, the next time you are searching for help from a local business, I encourage you to visit the Cavalier Yellow Pages.  Located on the Augusta Prep website under the tab Supporting Prep, the Cavalier Yellow Pages include links to over 70 local businesses, from Advanced Air Technology to White Oak Cleaning Service, almost all with a connection to an Augusta Prep family.

All the best,