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Wesleyan School Celebrates 25 Years in Peachtree Corners- Cleveland Family

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Four families share their stories

Walking through the grounds of Wesleyan School, it feels more like stepping onto a college campus. For those unfamiliar with the school, it may be surprising to learn that Wesleyan is actually a K-12 private college-preparatory nondenominational Christian school with an enrollment of 1,171 students.

Chris Cleveland, who has served as Head of School for nearly 20 years, describes Wesleyan as many do — a family. The Wesleyan family is made up of teachers, community members and, of course, students and their families.

The Cleveland family

Chris Cleveland, Head of School, has been working at Wesleyan School for nearly 20 years. He first served as the middle school principal in 2002, then principal of the high school in 2004, and became the Assistant Headmaster for Advancement in 2010. When Zach Young retired in 2014, the board appointed Cleveland to the position of Head of School.

Chris Cleveland

In addition to being a loyal employee of Wesleyan and core part of the fabric of the community, Cleveland is also a Wesleyan parent. Living with his wife and family in a home that the school owns on nearby Spalding Terrace allows him to walk to work every day via an idyllic path through the woods, and his children have also been able to walk to school.

His two sons are both Evergreens, with his oldest currently attending Georgia Tech and his youngest just beginning his senior year at Wesleyan.

Cleveland has thrived in his role. He says that administration is the hardest, and yet most rewarding, aspect of working in schools that he has ever experienced.

“I love working in a team setting, I love having a leadership team to work with and to problem solve with, but it’s also incredibly rewarding when you see a vision come to reality and when you see the lives of students that are changed,” said Cleveland.

Overseeing a K-12 school has also provided a unique opportunity to be a part of kids’ lives from the time when they are first entering the school system to when they are ushered into the world as young adults. “Those things are incredibly life-giving from a leadership standpoint,” he said.

Part of his job is to oversee the hiring process with the help of board members. This is a very important part of Cleveland’s responsibility as he feels strongly that a school is only as good as the people who work there.

While students of all religions are welcome, as a Christ-centered college-preparatory school, Cleveland feels that it is imperative that all faculty members and teachers adhere to the same basic belief structure. The Wesleyan model requires that all employees are practicing Trinitarian Christians.

“When we describe ourselves as a Christian school, the reality is that a school can’t really be Christian, only a person can,” Cleveland explained. “We never want to be a place that is trying to shove the Bible down anybody’s throat. Our job is simply to live our lives as followers as Christ and we hope that that is appealing.”

Strong sense of family

Wesleyan’s mission is to be a Christian school of academic excellence, and that’s a vision that Cleveland feels is lived out every day. “The first single term that comes to my mind is community. There is such a strong sense of family and belonging here, and I think that that has generated a lot of loyalty to the school over the years, which we are incredibly thankful for.”

Students on campus (Photo by Isadora Pennington)

Above and beyond the experience of educating the minds of its students and providing opportunities for growth in athletics, arts and leadership, the school aims to provide a nurturing environment with a wide-reaching team of adults who work as a team and are dedicated to guiding each child through their formative school years.

“We love them right where they are. And we are going to give them our absolute best each day.”

Some of Cleveland’s favorite parts of the Wesleyan experience are, rather unsurprisingly, the moments when the community rallies together. That includes celebrations, such as the annual Hoedown on the quad which coincides with Homecoming, and also the hard times when a Wesleyan family might need support.

He recalled instances wherein students were diagnosed with cancer, and he witnessed other faculty, students and their families step up in the form of financial aid, prepared meals or acts of solidarity like shaving their heads and wearing commemorative shirts.

“To see our community really act as a family and rally around the families who are hurting or walking through difficult times, that is really encouraging,” said Cleveland. “We want to be good members and supporters of the community, but we also hope to be leaders.”

Isadora is a writer, photographer, and designer living in Avondale Estates, GA. She has worked in print for the past decade and has been published in the Atlanta INtown, Oz Magazine, Atlanta Senior Life, and the Reporter Newspapers.

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Education

ICAGeorgia Granted Middle School Expansion and 5-Year Charter Renewal

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From left to right: Ms. Felecia Tucker-Jones (Principal) Mr. Robert Johnson (Board Chair) Ms. Junko Jones (CFO) // Courtesy of ICAGeorgia

The International Charter Academy of Georgia (ICAGeorgia) is celebrating a big milestone. The Georgia State Charter School Commission (SCSC) approved its plan to expand. They will add a middle school for sixth through eighth grades. The SCSC has also awarded ICAGeorgia a standard five-year charter renewal.

Both decisions stem from the school’s track record of academic, financial and organizational performance according to the SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework (CPF).

ICAGeorgia was founded in 2018. It has an innovative educational approach. It offers a K-5 dual language program in English and Japanese. Core subjects are taught in both languages.

Courtesy of ICAGeorgia

The school is dedicated to academic excellence, as shown by its outstanding “Content Mastery” score of 91.4%, which puts it in the top 18% of all Georgia elementary schools. ICAGeorgia also has a student math score of 98.28%, which highlights its commitment to fostering problem-solving and achievement.

“We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter, empowering our students to thrive academically and culturally and become global citizens as envisioned in our mission statement,” said Robert Johnson, Chairman of the Board of ICAGeorgia.

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Education

Local Students Dazzle at Peachtree’s Got Talent Competition

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Explore the highlights of the Seventh Annual Peachtree's Got Talent show, where student performers showcased an array of unique talents.
Bryson Caldwell // photo courtesy of Gwinnett County Public Schools

There aren’t many times you can find talented student musicians, Tabu classical dancing and a glow in the dark jump roping team all in one place. Yet, the Seventh Annual Peachtree’s Got Talent show on Feb. 23 had all of those things and more.

“We had a total of 100 students audition at tryouts. 20 students in 14 acts were selected to perform based on the originality, diversity and creativity of their presentations,” said Yolanda Sato, head of the talent show committee. “As IB learners, all the students were risk takers while being caring and respectful to their fellow performers.”

Held at Norcross High School, the proceeds from Peachtree’s Got Talent benefited Relay for Life. In total, the event raised over $2,000.

The talent show judges included:

Ruwa Romman, Georgia State Representative,
Dr. Reuben Gresham, GCPS Norcross Cluster Superintendent,
Eric Christ, Peachtree Corners City Councilman,
Lorri Christopher, Former Council member and
Erika Miranda, filmmaker, director and actor.

“I could not have enjoyed my experience judging Peachtree’s Got Talent more. As a spectator, I was in awe of all the contestants as they bravely took the stage to share their joy with their community,” shared Miranda. “As an actor myself, I couldn’t have asked for better inspirations and reminders of the magic one feels when doing the things you love.”

The winners of the annual Peachtree’s Got Talent were:

• First place: El Tepper, who performed an interpretive dance to “Applause” by Lady Gaga),
• Second place: Bryson Caldwell for his drum solo and
• Third place: Skylar Atlakora, Ameena Chan and Madison Page, also known as the Glow in the Dark Jump Roping team.

Peachtree’s Got Talent concluded with performances from Norcross High School’s Eva Tepper and Paul Duke STEM High School’s Latino Dance Club.

Click here for more local school news.

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International Charter Academy of Georgia’s Japan Day at the Capitol [+ PHOTOS]

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International Charter Academy of Georgia students hosting "Japan Day" at the Georgia State Capitol

International Charter Academy of Georgia, located in Norcross, GA, offers a dual language education for students from kindergarten through fifth grade.

On January 23, 2024, International Charter Academy hosted a “Japan Day at the Capitol,” during which 20 students from fourth and fifth grade were selected to sing a variety of songs in both English and Japanese.

Ms. Norika Harada conducted the performance with assistant Ms. Mayuko Nelson, while Governor Brian Kemp and Consul General of Japan Mio Maedawatched on.

Kemp and Maeda recognized the school and the students performing as well as the 50th anniversary of the Consulate General of Japan’s office in Atlanta just before the performance.

During the performance, the students performed “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” “My Country Home,” “My Grandfather’s Clock,” and “It’s a Small World.”

Many families, supporters and businesses attended the event to support International Charter Academy of Georgia on this special occasion.

Photos by Peachtree Corners Magazine

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