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MONDAY, MARCH 23
» Baseball - 4:00pm, vs. AASD @ MSA » Tennis - 4:00pm, vs. La Grange @ MSA TUESDAY, MARCH 24 » Golf - 4:00pm, vs. Brandon Hall @ Trophy Club » Tennis - 4:00pm, vs. Brandon Hall @ MSA WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25 » College Coffee Talk - 8:30am, Upper Great Rm » Golf - 4:00pm, vs. Cottage @ Trophy Club » Tennis - 4:00pm, vs. Cottage @ MSA THURSDAY, MARCH 26 » Tennis - 3:30pm, vs. Oak Mountain in Carrollton » Track - 3:30pm, GISA @ MSA » Baseball - 4:00pm, vs. Howard @ MSA FRIDAY, MARCH 27 » B&N Book Fair - 4:00pm, at North Point Barnes & Noble SATURDAY, MARCH 28 » Family Dinner & a Movie - 6:00pm
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| | Artwork of the Week  Chasing Grandma Moses PreUpper art student Samantha Benjamin created this delightful, colorful farm painting. Grandma Moses would be proud.
Feature Teacher  Meet Jay Hudson!
Jay is a science teacher in the Communication Arts School. He teaches life science, physical science, biology, environmental science and chemistry, and has been a teacher at MSA since 1998. However, from 6th - 10th grades Jay sat in a classroom as a student! He feels that "every person is unique." He says, "While the things that make us different can be challenging, under the right circumstances those differences can turn into unique abilities. I try to help my students see that they have their own perspective of the world, and it is that distinctive perspective that gives them a way to help the world." One of the things he likes about MSA is the Community Structure, "it can address small problems before they become big. It makes for a more open community." Outside of school, Jay likes to bike and travel. He doesn't have a favorite food, but says he is a "big fan of bacon, chipotle, and sweet tea with lemon." Right now he is reading a book by Temple Grandin titled, "Animals in Translation". His most favorite visited place in the world is the canopy of the Amazon rainforest north of Iquitos in Peru. At some point in his life he has taught English to middle school-aged kids over a summer in Hangzhou, China. Thank you for what you do every day Jay!
A Note of Thanks Guest Journalist - Lauren Crisp, Upper School  In my crime scene, the pastor of a local Anglican church has some hidden secrets. He has been cheating on his wife in secret, but she has just found out. Distraught at her husband's betrayal, she grabs a kitchen knife and puts it through his throat as he sits unsuspectingly at the table in their living room. As she stands over the body of her former husband, she comes to her senses and concocts a plan to cover up the murder. She pulls the knife from the body and begins to slice him open, before dipping her hands into the blood. She paints the floor with the symbol she remembers from the day time TV show she had seen that afternoon, a pentagram. The simple circle with a star in it should be enough to blame the occult, or so she thinks. After the rug has been turned into a scene from a horror movie, READ MORE
Annual Tradition in Lower  The Lower School students had a special treat for St. Patrick's Day this past Tuesday. Cindy Thorne read the students two Irish stories, Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk and Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato. This has been an annual tradition for the last 20 years in Lower School. The students really enjoyed listening to the stories.
Questions about College?  Speak to the Counselors!
College Coffee Talk Wednesday, March 25 8:30 - 9:30am Upper Great Room
Student Spotlight  Please congratulate Lauren Yelverton for exceeding all Wordly Wise requirements for the 2014-15 school year.
The 7th and 8th grade literature teachers implemented a Wordly Wise online vocabulary enrichment program this year. Students are expected to complete five units each semester. Lauren was very diligent in her studies and logged in daily to successfully complete 20 units as of March 5th - twice the required amount and two months early! Lauren said that she really likes it when the words that she learned pop up later in something she is reading. Lauren received an award today during levels from the language arts department. We are really proud of Lauren and her dedication to her studies.
Track & Field Kicks off Season
 The Junior Varsity Track Team kicked off their season Monday at Perimeter Christian Academy for the March Madness Track Invitational. It was an exciting start to the season for the Junior Mustangs competing against three other schools. This meet was a first for most of our runners, and they met the challenge like true champions!
The Junior Mustangs represented Mill Springs Academy in the long jump, shot put, discus, as well as the 4X100 meter relays, 100, 200, 400, and 800-meter dashes, with Zach Smith and Grace Gersack rounding off the competition with running the 1600M (1 Mile)! The following returning Mustangs solidified their standings in this meet by capturing some personal bests and finishing within the top 10: Grace Gersack had a new personal best in the Long Jump with a 9-3" jump, and the 1600M (1 mile) with a time of 7:10.06! READ MORE
GISA Literary Festival 
The following students are GOING TO STATE after representing MSA at Regionals! Samuel Mishkin - 1st Place (Piano)
Andrew Walker - 2nd Place (Boy's Solo)
Alyssa Quatela - 2nd Place (Rhetorical Essay)
The following students placed after representing MSA:
Cartwright Ayres - 4th Place (Humorous Interpretation)
Abby Hayman - 4th Place (Girl's Solo)
Jack Abram - 4th Place (Extemp. Speech- International)
Please congratulate the following students also- they have been working their hearts out, and do us so proud!
Nicole Thomas (Dramatic Interpretation), Caroline Holmes (Extemp. Speech - National), Chan Crockett (Spelling), Maridy Moore (Personal Essay) and Joseph Murphy (Argumentative Essay).
Book Fair - Reading is Awesome! 
When: Friday, March 27th from 4-7pm Where: Barnes and Noble, North Point Pkwy, Alpharetta Events: MSA artwork will be on display, and at 6:30pm, MSA Drama will perform scenes from their upcoming show, Spamalot! If you can’t make it, you may also purchase for the Book Fair online from March 27th through April 4th. All proceeds benefit MSA Library. We are excited to share our Fine Arts talents with the community and hope to see you there!
Celebrating Pi Day  While the great Pi Day of the Century (3/14/15 9:26:53) occurred on a Saturday, Mill Springs was determined to celebrate it anyway. On Monday the 16th, Sam and Carol's math classes discussed the history and secrets of the transcendental number π. Sam Adams also led students in a direct demonstration of π as the ratio between the circumference and diameter of a circle outside in the sun. Most people know the number as 3.14 ... but its value can't be written down in our number system. At lunch CommArts enjoyed the tasty side of Pi Day by eating lots of pie. There was so much pie the celebration continued into Tuesday!
Eagle Scout Project Needs Help  MSA Garden Project
Eagle Project by Cartwright Ayers - 9th grader I am doing my Eagle Scout Project in the MSA Garden and I need your help! On March 28th from 10:30am to 3:00pm you can come volunteer (7-12th graders) and leave at any time. We will provide lunch and you will also get service hours. To help, contact Cartwright via email.
The minions are coming ...  To the 2015 MSA Family Dinner and a Movie on Saturday, March 28th. The fun begins at 6pm with a Pizza Dinner followed by music and games plus an outdoor showing of Despicable Me 2. Bring your blankets and chairs and join us for a night of FUN. The PVA will be selling pizza, drinks, and movie snacks plus we will have a Silent Auction of student artwork and raffles for Beats headphones and restaurant gift cards. CLICK HERE if you want to help that night. If you have questions, email Alison Stoddart at stoddarts@mac.com.
CPR in Schools Program 
Seventh grade students in Michael Adams' life science class participated in the CPR in Schools program sponsored by the American Heart Association and Ross Stores. Due to a generous donation by Ross, Mill Springs received a CPR kit containing instructional DVDs and life-like manikins for hands on CPR practice. Students not only learned about the benefits of hands-only CPR, they enjoyed administering CPR to the beat of the Bee Gee's Stayin' Alive to reach the optimum 100 beats per minute pace. Pictured is Sean Carmody giving CPR to his manikin.
Where forth art thou Romeo?  On Monday, March 9, the Atlanta Shakespeare Company brought their touring performance of Romeo and Juliet to our Stallings Theatre sponsored by the Upper School English department.
The show was a 55-minute abridged version of the play. Amazingly, 5 Actors played all of the parts; one actor played 6 different characters by changing costumes, voice tone, and mannerisms. After the performance, the actors led a question & answer session for our students providing insight into what it is like to be a Shakespearean Actor. “The English language owes a great debt to Shakespeare. He invented over 1700 of our common words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising words wholly original.” For example: amazement, bandit, courtship, discontent, eyeball, generous, hobnob, and lackluster. For a complete list of words, CLICK HERE.
Save the Date 
Mill Springs 17th Annual Tee Off for Technology golf tournament will be held on Monday, April 27 at Polo Golf and Country Club. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming days!
Beware the Ides of March!  Did you know that Julius Caesar was assassinated by bubbles? That was the case in Communication Arts this year, when a group of toga-clad students surprised Caesar, played by Senior Morgan Taylor, and "bubbled" away until, "Alas, Caesar was no more."
It is a tradition in Communication Arts for the Level L's to improvise a new way to kill Caesar every year. Thinking outside the traditional assassination box, Johnny Ray suggested that Caesar should be killed by blowing bubbles all over him (or her, in this case). Other Caesars in Communication Arts have been killed with salamis, granola bars, and even bad jokes. "This is a riot," stated student Ross Morella. "I wish all of history were this much fun to study," he added.
Chemistry Olympiad 
Guest Journalist - Matt Rankin Over the past weeks several groups of students in Upper have been actively studying and preparing for Chemistry Olympiad. Chemistry Olympiad is a nationwide exam on advanced chemistry, and students compete to earn high grades and move on to the next level of this competition. My friend Drew Dickerson and I studied several times for this test, and even though we did okay on the practice tests, the exam we took on March 5th itself was very difficult and the level of chemistry was hard to answer. This is the first time we had the Chemistry Olympiad happening at MSA. I don't know how well I did, but I do know that the experience was very fun and challenging, giving me a different perspective of what I can expect in college. Thank you Vaidehi for giving us the opportunity and I am proud to be part of this exam.
Carpool Tips  Dismissal times are as follows: Lower– 2:45pm. Middle– 3:00pm. PU/CA/U – 3:15pm. Buses pick up at 3:25pm. To avoid the PU/CA/U carpool line, parents can wait until 3:30 to pick up.- The carpool lane is a NO PASSING ZONE, at all times and especially if there is a bus with FLASHING LIGHTS.
- The speed limit on campus is 10 miles per hour.
- To keep the carpool line moving – ensure your carpool tag is on your rear view mirror BEFORE entering the carpool line.
- Do NOT leave your car unattended in the carpool line. If you need to go inside, please PARK.
- Contact your principal, either via phone or email, as early as possible if there is a change in transportation.
- If you exit from the L/M carpool line, please watch for the traffic coordinator to wave you on before coming down the hill to leave campus.
- If you need to pick up a PU/CA/U student early, plan to arrive before 2:30 as it will be difficult to get to the PU/CA/U parking lot once carpool begins.
Thanks for your patience and cooperation in making our carpool safe for students and everyone.
Community Cares & Concerns
Please keep the following from our Community in your thoughts and prayers. The Porper Family Unemployed Families Please email me at any time with individuals you would like to include on our list as their needs arise. For privacy, I will only list names and claim ignorance if you ask me for details.
Quote of the Week 
Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. --Lou Holtz | |
Dear Spring: 
