September 1, 2004
Back to school social real treat
Annual Ice Cream Social at GT Academy draws 1,000 parents, students and staff
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
What do ice cream, school uniforms and car-pooling have in common?
For students and parents at the Grand Traverse Academy, the three were part of a party held Thursday evening to ease everyone back into the school routine.
The third annual Ice Cream Social drew 1,000 parents, students and faculty members to the school to handle some basic housekeeping chores. With kindergarten students starting this week and all others after Labor Day, the event drew an estimated 75 percent of the student body.
The Ice Cream Social was geared to both new and returning students, noted Allyson Apsey, assistant principal and character education coordinator for the school.
"We'd like the kids to have an opportunity before school starts to come in and see their rooms, meet their teachers and some of their classmates," Apsey said. "Even for some of the kids coming back again, it feels good to have an informal and fun event before they come to school the first day."
Students found their rooms for the year and talked with teachers while parents signed up for car pools or looked through used uniforms for a bargain. The Academy, which requires a uniform for all students, hosts the annual sale to help parents defray costs of regulation shirts, pants, skorts, vests or sweaters.
"The uniform sale helps parents because they are at considerably discounted prices," Apsey said. "Also, because we don't have busing, we want to make the drive back and forth as convenient as possible for parents so we try to help them hook up with people from their area."
Upper elementary and junior high students also browsed sign up sheets for a variety of sports teams, including cross country, girls and co-ed volleyball and boys and co-ed basketball.
In one corner of the gym, the school's Spanish teachers were in charge of the ice cream. Working with rapid precision, they doled out hundreds of four-ounce cups of vanilla ice cream, including a wooden spoon and napkin with each. In another part of the gym, people noshed on a variety of chocolates plus crackers and cheese that will be part of the school's annual fund-raiser.
"We wanted everyone to have samples," said Apsey of the treats everyone will soon be selling to family and friends.
The Grand Traverse Academy opened in 2000 offering K-6th grade classes. This year's enrollment of 650 students in grades K-10 is the largest ever, an increase of 130 students from the previous school year. To help handle the increasing enrollment and the older students, the school plans to build an addition during the year that includes classrooms, science labs and music and art rooms.
The academy has added a class every year and this year's tenth grade class numbers 16 students. In addition, the school has a thriving pre-school program that includes more than 50 kids.
The Academy draws families such as the Belknaps, who attended the Ice Cream Social Thursday night. Myca Belknap has three children, two of whom will attend the Grand Traverse Academy this year: Joy, 6, in first grade, and Isaac, 4, in pre-school.
"I love it here, it's cool," said Myca, whose other son is Benjamin, 3. "Joy started in kindergarten and I like the positive mental attitude they instill in the kids."
As summer draws to a close, Belknap said she does not worry about her kids getting the jitters about heading back school, especially not her daughter.
"She loves it, she can't wait for summer to be over," Belknap noted. "That means everything to me, that she loves to come here."