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Great
view of Wesleyan School campus is up high
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
Gwinnett
Forum.com
July 13, 2001 -- Visit Headmaster Zack Young at the
Wesleyan School in Peachtree Corners, and soon he'll be marching
you up the stairs of the football stadium.
No, he wasn't be talking much about Wesleyan football. Instead,
he talked of plans at his school.
"With our stands facing the street, when you get up here
to the highest point at the press box level, you have the best view
of our campus," he said. He pointed out the handsome brick
Georgian buildings with the high school, new middle school wing
and gymnasiums.
He pointed to progress: "You can see where we have already
jacked up those trailer that housed the middle school last year,"
he was saying, "And they are ready to be moved out of here."
That would leave only the lower school and administration buildings
in modular housing.
"By this time next year, all the other trailers will be gone,"
he was saying. "You see those cranes over there? That's our
present baseball field, where our lower school will be. And here
closest to the Spalding Drive entrance where we now have our administration
offices and lower school will be our new baseball field. My office
in the administration trailer will be in right field."
With the work now in progress at the school, when completed in
the summer of 2002, all the classrooms at Wesleyan School will be
finished. The school now enrolls some 1,040 students, with 395 in
high school; 340 in middle school and 305 in the lower school.
Young wasn't over pointing out his plans for the school from the
perch near the press box. "In the area where you now see trailers
for the lower school, we will build music and art rooms, administration
offices and a performance gym. And we need to build a swimming pool,
so our swimmers, which placed second in the state in Class A, won't
have to swim at 6 a.m. That is as far as the plans go for our school
right now."
That may sound modest, but Wesleyan School has had a whirlwind
ride to its present success since opening its campus between Technology
Park and Highway 141 five years ago. So far Mr. Young and his board
have commitments for $50 million for the school, an amazing fete
in such a short time.
Recently they went back to their donors and raised money to buy
an additional 12 acres needed in the long range plan. After that
purchase, the school learned that one donor could not make a major
pledge because of financial difficulties. "Others stepped forward
and increased their pledges so we could start the lower school this
year, not later," he said. "It seems the Lord has provided
every time we needed it, in some way or the other."
Wesleyan School is founded on Christian principles, though it serves
no particular denomination. Young says: "Our Christian witness
is the main thrust, though academics are important." The School
originally started at the First United Methodist Church in Sandy
Springs as Wesleyan Day School. When that church needed space the
school was occupying, the present land in Peachtree Corners, now
close to 70 acres, became available.
If you get a chance to climb the stadium steps with Zack Young,
do so. He'll inspire you with the story of Wesleyan School.
FEEDBACK
Amazed how often Gwinnett misspelled
July 9, 2001
Editor, the Forum:
"I believe that Ms. Lee must have meant to list the Save Gwinnett
web site address as www.savegwinnett.com (with two "t"s
in Gwinnett, not one) [Feedback, July 6, 2001 edition]. As
a lifelong resident of Gwinnett, I am still amazed by the number
of times our county name is misspelled.
Thank you for your Gwinnett Forum. It is refreshing to have an
online source for Gwinnett information.
-- Heather Blalock, Buford, Ga.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Recently I wrote to Merriam-Webster to query the source
of a word, and they wrote back referring me to "Maine Lingo"
by John Gould."
--- Maine author John Gould ("Maine Lingo"),
in a private letter, July 8, 2001.
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