Athens Academy

The Upper School Peer Support Program got into the Homecoming spirit last week with a special “Snack Down” event, filling large decorated bags with treats to help fuel all the Homecoming preparations on Friday, September 25. It was a fun way for PSP members to show their support for the people working behind the scenes to make Homecoming Week a success.

That’s what Peer Support is all about—Spartans supporting Spartans!

Congratulations to this week’s SpARTan Spotlight, freshman Ty Thitaram!

Ty is a multi-talented percussionist who has lit up the Fine Arts department with his dedication to making good music over the last four years. He received a superior rating at the District 14 Solo/ensemble Festival in 2025 for a fantastic classical snare solo and won a coveted percussion spot in the North Georgia Youth Winds this fall.

Ty has played a pivotal role in helping his dream of starting a drumline in Upper School come to fruition, and the ACAD community is reaping those benefits as we speak. At any given time he can be found playing bongos on a park bench on campus, tuning bass drums in a practice room, working in the sound booth at Bertelsmann, or jamming with his friends in the Band Room. The joy he finds in making music simply radiates from him. Ty will be playing drumset at Porchfest with his band, Thingamajig, in a few weeks - go check them out!

Last Thursday our seniors met their first grade buddies, and together they planted daffodil bulbs in the beds outside the Science and Art Building. They'll see each other again several more times this year, including when they decorate the tree at the Holiday Celebration in December--a tradition that dates back to 1985. It's a very special part of being a senior--and a first grader--at Athens Academy!

Athens Academy is proud to be the #7 ranked private school in the state for the third consecutive year, as well as the #1 school outside of Metro Atlanta.

In addition, Athens Academy moved up one to the #5 best school for STEM education in the state for public and private schools.

Way to go, Spartans!

Best private high schools in Georgia Stacker compiled a list of the best private high schools in Georgia using data from Niche.

Athens Academy is pleased to announce that twelve members of the Class of 2027 have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation: five students as Semifinalists and seven as Commended Students.

Congratulations to Sumit Alexander, Nicholas Chester, Milo Gabara, Chloe McPherson-Kim, and Noam Thrift, who have been named Semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Program. As Semifinalists, these five students represent the top 1-2% of the highest scoring seniors across the country. They will continue in the competition for National Merit scholarships, which will be announced in the spring.

Of the 900+ private schools in the state of Georgia, Athens Academy is proud to have the third largest number of National Merit Semifinalists recognized this year (tied with Pace Academy and Woodward Academy). Athens Academy is also the only private school in the Athens area to have National Merit Semifinalists.

In addition, seven seniors have been recognized as National Merit Commended Students, representing the top 3-4% of the highest scorers across the country. Congratulations to Evangeline Bina, Sophia Coppins, Emma-Jane Kirk, Beckett Newland, Eva Saraf, Nicholas Song, and Ben Warner.

“We are incredibly proud of these twelve students and all they have accomplished,” said Head of School Jeff Miles. “This recognition reflects not only their academic talent, but also the hard work and determination they have shown throughout their years at Athens Academy. They are truly some of our best and brightest, and it is a joy to see them recognized for something they have worked so hard to achieve.”

We were excited to welcome alumni and faculty from across the years for our Alumni Homecoming Dinner last Friday night in the Farmer Field House. Guests enjoyed dinner during the first half of the football game against Whitefield Academy, and several alumni even arrived early for a tour of campus.

We also celebrated two special classes! Jenny Richardson accepted the Participation Award on behalf of the Class of 1985, while David Ellison, Erica Baumwald, Keith Guest, and Bucky Woodruff accepted the Financial Support Award for the Class of 2003.

Head of School Jeff Miles, Alumni Coordinator Sarah Gilbert, and Alumni Association President Everett Young ’09 were on hand to help celebrate and reconnect with our alumni.

It was great to see so many familiar faces back on campus. Welcome home, Spartans! 💚

It was great to see so many new parents, Welcome Committee members, and school administrators at this morning’s New Family Coffee, hosted by the PSO in the Tricycle Room at Mama’s Boy! Guests heard from Head of School Jeff Miles, PSO Chair Robin Burnett, and Welcome Committee Chair Natalie Glenn, and everyone enjoyed the chance to catch up and connect after the first six weeks of the school year. We’re so glad to have these new families as part of the Athens Academy community!

What a way to wrap up Homecoming Week! Spartans of all ages came out for the Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally on Friday, and the Upper School floats were fantastic! A huge thank you to the 12th Man Club for organizing all the fun games—including several new ones this year.

Congratulations to the 2026 Homecoming King Abhi Chawla, who was crowned during the pep rally. The King's Court included fellow seniors Land Johnson, Charlie Raeber, Sumit Alexander, and Andrew Caldwell.

WAY TO GO, SPARTANS!