COMMENDED STUDENTS IN THE 2022 NATIONAL MERIT® SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The principal, Dr. Chris Harth, of Lake Oconee Academy announced today that Mason Reddick has been named a Commended Student in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®), which conducts the program, will be presented by the principal to this scholastically talented senior.

            About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).

            “Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY INTRODUCES NEW HEAD TENNIS COACH

Greensboro, Ga. (June 18, 2021) – Lake Oconee Academy is pleased to introduce David Paradzik as the new head of the tennis program.  He will become the head varsity coach in the 2021-22 school year.  He also has plans to build a K-12 tennis program to be offered to all students at LOA.  He will be an English and Language Arts teacher at the school.

David Paradzik was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended University College Preparatory School as a scholarship student. While at University School, David won the Ohio State Singles Tennis Championship and was a semi-finalist at the National Indoor Championships. He matriculated to the University of Michigan on a full tennis scholarship where he was a member of the 1996 Big Ten Championship team, All Academic Big Ten Recipient, #1 Singles Player, Captain, and the 1996 National Amateur Champion Gold Ball Recipient. David graduated from the School of Language, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English. 

After a brief stint on the ATP tour, David established the Paradzik Institute of Tennis where he was a high performance coach, advisor, and hitting partner for several Top 10 WTA and ATP players in Los Angeles. He developed numerous National Junior and NCAA Champions. Most notably, he worked with players such as Nicole Gibbs (#68 WTA, 2X NCAA Champion at Stanford), Lauren Davis (#38 WTA), Clay Thompson (NCAA Champion at UCLA, #408 ATP), Kyle McPhillips (NCAA Champion at UCLA), Tommy Marx (Gold Ball Recipient, #1 Butler), and DJ Spice (#1 Wake Forest). 

David possesses over 20 years of teaching, mentoring and coaching experience at all levels. He was fortunate to have the opportunity to teach and coach at several top Independent schools such as Sierra Canyon, The Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences, and The Quarry Lane International School. David attained his Master’s in Education from Loyola Marymount University in 2018, and he is a member of the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society of Education. 

David is an avid reader and author who enjoys composing book reviews and published his first book “Virtuous Tennis: Preserving American Tennis One Virtue at a Time.” Moreover, David believes in fostering a holistic approach, influencing youth to lead an all-inclusive life-long pursuit of academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, mindfulness, and overall well-being.

Chris Ingle, LOA’s Director of Athletics and Activities said, “We are extremely excited about Coach Paradzik joining our team.  His passion for teaching both tennis and English is infectious.  His background in coaching tennis at the highest level is tremendous.  I could not be more thrilled to welcome him to the LOA family.  After a great year in tennis under Coach David Sloan in which our boys team won the Region Championship and the girls team progressed to the Elite 8, we have high hopes of where Coach Paradzik will take our program.”

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY SENIOR GABRIELLE GRUSZYNSKI’S AUDIENCE WIDENS AS SHE BECOMES A PUBLISHED WRITER

Gruszynski Selected to Attend Governor's Honors Program in Communicative Arts

Greensboro, Ga. (June 22, 2021) – Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) rising senior Gabrielle “Gabby” Gruszynski, who served as the managing editor in the 2020-2021 school year of LOA’s literary magazine The Archetype, recently had the honor of having two of her original pieces, "Our Roots" and "The Witching Hour," published in a national literary magazine, Shambles: A Literary Journal. The magazine is released through LP Publishing.

"Our Roots" was written in Mrs. Caroline St. John’s creative writing class. After watching Amanda Gorman's recitation of her 2021 inaugural poem and all of the other inaugural poems that are recorded on video throughout history, the students were challenged to write an Inaugural Poem to signify an ending and a beginning.  Gabby’s poem portrays a time in the future when the country elects its first female President and Vice President.

“As her creative writing teacher, I have never been more sure that a student will use their writing to shape the world,” said Mrs. St. John. “We will see her name in the press one day. Our literary magazine staff is thrilled to cheer on Gabby as her audience grows.”

Her other literary awards include a regional Gold Key for the prestigious Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards for a nonfiction scholarly essay earlier this year titled “The Disney Princess Debacle” and consecutive district first-place finishes in the Young Georgia Authors writing competition for her pieces “Seven Deadly Sins” and “Of Heaven and Earth: A Collection of Poetry” respectively.

Gruszynski was also selected out of over 3,000 state-level nominees to attend the Georgia Governor's Honors Program (GHP) this summer in Communicative Arts. GHP is a residential summer program hosted at Berry College for gifted and artistically talented high school students who will be rising juniors and seniors. The program offers instruction, significantly different from the typical high school classroom, designed to provide students with academic, cultural, and social enrichment necessary to become the next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators, and leaders.

Gruszynski’s seriousness for her writing career has led her to want to pursue writing outside of her formal education. In college, Gabrielle hopes to study English, International Studies, or Broadcast Journalism and would love to work for the United Nations in the future.

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY'S COLLEGE READINESS INDEX AMONG TOP SCHOOLS IN THE NATION IN THE 2021 US NEWS BEST HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS

Greensboro, Ga. (May 17, 2021) – US News & World Report has released its annual rankings of the best high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. The rankings include data on 17,857 public high schools based on their performance on state assessments, AP® programs, graduation, and college readiness.

For the 2021 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings, data from the 2018-19 school year was used to assess schools based on a six-factor formula devised by the magazine. Lake Oconee Academy had an overall score of 90.91/100 based on AP course enrollment and exam pass rate, mathematics and reading proficiency, and graduation rate. Lake Oconee Academy was ranked as follows:

#40 in Georgia High Schools (top 9%)

#1,623 in National Rankings (top 9%)

#266 in Charter High Schools (National, top 9%))

65.5/100 College Readiness Index (#9 Georgia - top 2%, #464 National – top 2.5%)

97.5% College-Ready Student Performance (based on AP exams)

The six factors used in the methodology to determine the rankings are:

·         College Readiness (30%), defined by enrollment and pass rate on AP exams.

·         Math and Reading Proficiency (20%), defined by aggregated scores on state-required testing.

·         Math and reading Performance (20%), defined by state testing results compared to expectations based on the school’s demographics.

·         Underserved Student Performance (10%), defined by state testing results among students who are Black, Hispanic and from low-income households compared to non-underserved students.

·         College Curriculum Breadth (10%), defined by qualifying scores on AP exams in multiple areas.

·         Graduation Rate (10%)

“Achievements such as these are the work of everyone at Lake Oconee Academy–students, faculty and families,” said LOA CEO Dr. Otho Tucker. “Our high school faculty does an excellent job preparing the students for their entrance into higher education. Our elementary and middle school faculty build the foundation for success. It is truly a team effort. I am proud of our students and their commitment to embracing the knowledge that a quality education will set a path for the rest of their lives.

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY’S HANNAH HEINEN SELECTED TO REPRESENT GEORGIA IN THE FBI YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Greensboro, Ga. (May 12, 2021) – Hannah Heinen, a rising junior at Lake Oconee Academy, has been selected to attend the prestigious Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy Youth Leadership Program (YLP) in Quantico, Virginia, this summer. After an intensive application and interview process, 60 students from across the globe, representing 40 U.S. states and four countries, were chosen for this program. The program is overseen by a group of law enforcement instructors, and the training immerses the attendees in the topics of leadership, integrity, FBI operations, resiliency, and fitness.

The program is sponsored by the FBI National Academy Associates, Inc., (NAA) a non-profit law enforcement leadership network, and attendees participate at no charge to them. According to the FBI NAA, “YLP is designed to offer lifelong enrichment opportunities in support of exceptional young leaders’ drive for knowledge and their desire to make a difference in the world. The vision of YLP is to develop an influential community of socially conscious and service-minded leaders, connected through association, who positively shape the world.”

“Hannah is an excellent candidate for the FBI Youth Leadership Program,” stated Dr. Jody Worth, LOA’s Chief Academic Officer. “She will not just be another participator, but rather a true contributor. She will enrich the program with thoughtful ideas and feedback. Hannah encapsulates all of the qualities that describe the excellent student. I am excited for Hannah and the opportunity at hand.”

“I am honored to be selected to represent the state of Georgia and look forward to strengthening my leadership skills and learning how FBI agents train for their careers,” said Hannah. She is a high honors student, plays varsity basketball and soccer at LOA and is a member of the LOa Student Government Association and Beta Club.

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY ELEMENTARY TOME STUDENT LITERACY SOCIETY TEAM PLACES THIRD IN STATE COMPETITION

Greensboro, Ga. (April 20, 2021) – The Lake Oconee Academy Tome Student Literacy Society team of fourth and fifth grade students made school history this year by placing third in the state competition on March 17, 2021.

The Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) Club Tome Society is a group of young readers who read seven novels over the course of six months and interacted with other students through collaboration, discussion, and an online competition with other fourth and fifth graders across the state. Teams competed against each other to earn points by answering questions about the details of the seven Tome Student Literacy Society "It List" books which included titles such as Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn and The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle. LOA's team met once a week with faculty leaders Mrs. Shannon Hooks and Mrs. Allison McNutt to discuss books, collaborate, and prepare for competitions.

The team competed in three online Reading Bowl quizzes from September to February to qualify for the Tome Student Literacy Society state competition. At state, the students competed against the top-four scoring teams in the state and finished in third place. 

“These students have shown so much dedication during many uncertainties,” Library Media Specialist McNutt said. “Last year, the team finished in 6th place, and they challenged themselves to improve that this year. We are so proud of their hard work, dedication to the team, and their passion for reading.

The LOA Club Tome Society finished in third place in the Tome Student Literacy Society state competition in March. The team members are (back row, left to right) Shannon Hooks (leader), Grayson Hooks, Clay Bellefeuille, Ansley Evans, Lizzie Bowen, Nicole Wang, Carly Hall, Emi Mokan, Atina Chen, Allison McNutt (leader), (front row, left to right) Brooks Dellinger, Ellie Chupp, Jenny Limeri, Sutton Alexander, Rhys Postlmayr, Ronin Gibson, and Cole Schumacher.

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY VARSITY GOLF TEAMS CAPTURE AREA CHAMPIONSHIP

LOA Golfers Set New Area Championship Records

The LOA golf teams captured the boys and girls Area 4-A Public Golf Championships. Back row, left to right: Willa Kent, Kelli Scheck, Georgia Bosart, Katie Scheck. Front row, left to right: Halsey Bosart, Rhett Smith, Drew Williams, Rylan Black, Colby Bennett, Tyler Urrutia.

Greensboro, Ga. (April 20, 2021) – The Lake Oconee Academy varsity boys and girls golf teams won the Area 4-A Public Golf Championships on Monday, April 19, at Double Oaks Golf Course in Commerce, Ga. Both teams will advance to the state championship tournament in May. The girls team will be seeking a third consecutive team state championship title. Senior Katie Scheck, who will play college golf at Penn State University in the fall, is a favorite to win her third straight individual state championship title.

During the area championship, Katie Scheck won the girls individual low medalist with a score of 68 (-4), set a women's course record, and set the new area championship record.

Other girls scores included:

Kelli Scheck: 70 (-2)

Georgia Bosart: 77 (+5)

Willa Kent: 84 (+12)

The girls area championship team total of six under 138 (top two scores) gave them an 18-stroke win over the runner-up team Commerce High School.

Junior Rylan Black’s round of 65 (-7) earned him the boys individual low medalist title, set the high school boys and juniors course record, and set the new area championship record. Rylan’s amazing round also included a hole-in-one on the 16th hole with an 8-iron from 160 yards into the wind. This is the first hole-in-one for any Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) golfer during a competition.

Other boys scores included:

Colby Bennett: 66 (-6)

Drew Williams: 71 (-1)

Rhett Smith: 74 (+2)

Halsey Bosart: 75 (+3)

Tyler Urrutia: 77 (+5)

The boys area championship team total of twelve under 276 (top four scores) resulted in a 15-stroke victory over Social Circle High School.

"It was truly a great day for our very talented LOA boys and girls golf teams,” said Head Coach Ricardo Patton. “What is special about our team are the other team members that pushed and challenged the area tournament participants to play their best. Thank you to Jacy Singleton, Rylee Oyler, Sydney Pattison, Sienna Wojciechowicz, Maddox Cantrell, Caleb Worth, and Tyler Ashurst for your hard work and dedication to this team. Coach Josh Martz and I are honored to coach this amazing group, and look forward to helping both teams realize high expectations over the next few weeks."

LOA junior Rylan Black recorded a hole-in-one during his round of seven-under 65 at the 2021 Area 4-A Public Golf Championships.

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY STUDENTS EARN AP SCHOLAR AWARDS FOR COLLEGE-LEVEL ACHIEVEMENT

Forty-Six Students Achieved AP Scholar Status

Greensboro, Ga. (April 19, 2021) – In addition to being named an AP Honor School for 2021, Lake Oconee Academy is pleased to have 46 students awarded 51 designations in the AP Scholar categories for 2019-20. The AP Scholar Awards recognize high school students who have demonstrated college-level achievement through AP courses and exams.

The AP program is administered by the College Board and offers college-level coursework to high school students. Colleges and universities will often grant course credit and advanced placement for qualifying scores on exams. AP exams are scored on a scale from 1 to 5: 5 - extremely well qualified; 4 – well qualified; 3 – qualified; 2 – possibly qualified; 1 – no recommendation.

Among those 46 students, 16 students earned the AP Scholar award that is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams:

Ally Blythe, Sophia Bradley, Chloe Cosby*, Helen Garcia-Carreras*, Gabrielle Gruszynski, Anna Claire Hong*, Lauren Johnson*, Marissa Malone, Rylie McDonald, Daryn Minster*, Addy Rentz, Charlee Scheller, JP Sheehan, Conner Strickland*, Zach Tolleson*, Christian Williams*.

The AP Scholar with Honor, for students who received an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four more of these exams, was awarded to five students:

Will Jackson*, Jack Miller, Lucas Minton, Grace Stephens*, Tyler Urrutia.

The AP Scholar with Distinction, granted to students who received an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams, was achieved by 25 LOA students:

Natalie Ansley*, Landon Beall*, Hannah Bell, Katie Ciavola, Madison Courter*, Ella Darby, Lauren Ellison*, Idil Erturk, Logan Fedelem, Lauren Harris, Lily Hartrich, Lane Herndon*, Cory Kimbrough*, Olivia Lee*, Paola Marquez-Mejia*, Jackson Millwood, Wilson Morris*, Jessica Patino*, Jackson Perry, Mason Reddick, Kelli Stevens*, Braden Strickland, Bhumi Sukha, Kurtis Tran, Reese Williams*.

Finally, five students reached National AP Scholar status with an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams:

Katie Ciavola, Logan Fedelem, Lane Herndon*, Jessica Patino*, Reese Williams*.

“To have so many LOA students recognized by the College Board is not just an honor for each of those students and the school, but for all of our AP instructors and for every teacher at LOA, across all grade levels and subject areas, all of whom have contributed over the years to our students’ learning and growth,” LOA Chief Operating Officer Dr. Chris Harth stated. “We could not be more proud or excited for them all.”

“I'm so proud of the class of 2020 for their continued accomplishments, and extremely pleased to see that Georgia's students maintained their strong performance on AP exams even given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in their final year," State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “In a challenging time for schools and students, this is good news as we continue our work to expand advanced learning opportunities to all students.”

*class of 2020 graduate

Photo: LOA teacher Mrs. Caroline St. John works with senior and AP Scholar Rylie McDonald in the AP Seminar class.