At The Children’s School, our eighth-grade students are “the leaders of our Pack” because they model confidence, compassion, and demonstrate leadership skills for our younger students.
The Class of 2023 established themselves as leaders during moments of adversity, including navigating COVID, when they found strength in the Wolf Pack community and, ultimately, found their voices.
From the business pitches associated with their Wolf Den’s projects to thinking about how to make our government more equitable and serving as inaugural members of the TCS student council, the Class of 2023 demonstrated critical thinking, problem-solving and empathy – the qualities our world needs in our next global leaders.
“Together we navigated COVID, getting to know each other via Zoom or in person,” said Head of School Roslyn Benjamin. “The Class of 2023 showed all of us what joyful learning looks like. They have left their mark on the school, and I couldn’t be more proud of them for making the most of their opportunities.”
During their time at TCS, our graduates learn and refine the skills that make them competitive applicants to a diverse range of high schools, help them thrive in a range of learning environments, and ultimately help them succeed beyond TCS.
This year, our graduates applied to 16 independent, public and parochial schools across Atlanta, including Atlanta International School, DeKalb School of the Arts, The Galloway School, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Mt. Vernon School, Pace Academy, The Paideia School, St. Pius X Catholic High School, Tucker High School’s International Baccalaureate program, and Woodward Academy. Two students will attend Midtown High School.
“Working with this group of eighth graders has been an absolute joy,” said Upper School Director of Student Life and High School Counseling Ashley Clay. “They are kind, empathetic, funny, witty, and incredibly well-rounded. They’ve displayed a genuine love for the process of learning, no matter the topic. They are inquisitive, asking insightful questions of both me and admissions staff at various schools. I have most loved to see their comfort with advocating for themselves and assertively sharing their thoughts and opinions about their needs as they think about what is coming next for them.”
The Class of 2023 is prepared to take what they’ve learned during their time at TCS and forge a new path in high school. While they’re leaving The Children’s School, they’ll always be a part of the Wolf Pack!
Their futures are bright, and we look forward to hearing all about the positive impacts they make in high school and beyond.
Congratulations, TCS Class of 2023!
Ari Brownlee
High School: Midtown High School
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS??
A: That it’s okay to make a mistake, and it’s what you do after that matters
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: TCS has prepared me for high school because I have learned to advocate for myself and talk to my teachers. In addition, they have prepared me by giving me the tools necessary and educating me well in my studies.
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: I have a lot of favorite TCS memories, but my absolute favorite was last year in seventh grade when our entire class went whitewater rafting. It was full of laughing and unexpected adventures, and it is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: I have many favorite PBL units, but one that stands out to me is one we did in fourth grade where we ran a lemonade stand. Each lemonade stand had a group of about five people, and each person had a different job. The job titles were CEO, COO, CFO, etc. This taught us how to effectively run a business and get some experience in different jobs.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: I hope the community and right to show up as your authentic self remain the same at TCS.
Chris Broyles
High School: The Galloway School
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: While planning for the next step is key, remember to stop and take the time to observe what’s happening, as it’s easy to miss the experiences you may look back on later.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: To speak up for myself when I question something
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: TCS has given me confidence, the ability to think creatively, the ability to work with others, and the ability to advocate for myself.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: My favorite PBL unit is running the school Spirit Shop. I like learning how to run a business, especially figuring out how to market goods and what people will buy.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The Building Character and Community (BCC) program, including focusing on respect, kindness, honesty and hard work
Benjie Burns
High School: Woodward Academy
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: TCS taught me how to work with people.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: The ability to make friends and work with others
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: The bridge project in fifth grade. It was fun to build a bridge with my friends.
Q: Who has inspired you? Why?
A: My friends and family
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: Our camping trips
Jackson Carver
High School: Greater Atlanta Christian School
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: TCS taught me how to work with others and how to complete assignments.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: The Civil War performance we did in front of the whole school in fifth grade
Q: Who is one person who has inspired you? Why?
A: Art Specialist Kelley Taylor for teaching me how to draw and how to get better at art
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: All of my friends and all the memories I have had with them
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: Little buddies because when you are a little buddy it is really fun and cool to be with the older kids
Gabrielle Dotson
High School: Woodward Academy
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: Enjoy your last year of middle school and your friends before you all go off to different places.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: Seventh grade was very difficult, but I learned a lot about how to have challenging conversations and how to navigate friendships.
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: I really enjoyed the seventh grade camping trip. We went to Black Rock Mountain. That was a rough night, but the next morning we went whitewater rafting, and it was probably the funnest thing I’ve ever done with my class.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: I really enjoyed doing the restaurant design challenge. In this project, we got to design a restaurant and a menu. I really like designing buildings so I really enjoyed that one. I also had really good group mates.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The tight knit community. Being in a small school is really cool in my opinion. It’s really cool that everybody basically knows each other. I also like how much we interact with the younger grades.
Daniel Gwynn-Steele
High School: The New School
Q: What dreams do you have for the world of tomorrow?
A: for everyone to get along
Q: What is your dream job?
A: An architect or a pro scooter rider
Q: What’s the most important thing you learned at TCS:
A: How to self advocate
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: The bridge project because I love to build and design things
Q: Who is one person who has inspired you? Why?
A: Ryan Williams because he has been scootering for over 18 years, and he never gives up. I have learned if I ever want to be as good as him, then I should never give up.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The way TCS teaches
Luke Harden
High School: Mount Vernon School
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: Have lots of fun and always believe in yourself
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: That you should never let anyone walk over you
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: TCS has taught me that no matter what to try your hardest
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: My favorite PBL unit is probably when we got to create our own restaurant design because I had a great group and because I love food
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The friendliness of all the teachers and competitive sports games at recess
Ricaela Haywood
High School: Woodward Academy
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: You’re not always going to be a kid, so embrace it while you can.
Q: What’s the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: The most important thing I learned is to come out of my shell and embrace my differences.
Q: Who is one person who has inspired you? Why?
A: One person who inspired me was fifth-grade teacher Lucius. He inspired me because he is the reason why I love English, and came out of my shell to sing.
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: I will remember the people, my friends, and friendships with my teachers.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: I hope what stays the same is the teacher-to-student relationship. Nothing is better than when a teacher understands what you’re going through.
Whit James
High School: The Paideia School
Q: What is your dream job?
A: I want a job where I can make a difference in the world while doing something that I love.
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: Enjoy eighth grade! You have one last year at TCS, so enjoy every second. If you work hard, you will be fine.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: You can see different sides of people in different situations. People can act very differently out in the woods versus in the classroom.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: TCS has helped me love learning, and I hope to carry that through high school and college.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: I loved our eighth grade social entrepreneurship unit. We got to make our own social entrepreneurship business, and it was fun to think of how we could make a living off of helping others.
Morgan Jones
High School: Midtown High School
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: Being more confident in myself and what I do in school or out of it
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: The seventh grade whitewater rafting trip. We all got to work together, float down a river with friends, jump off rocks, and go down steep waterfalls!
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: The Wolf’s Den social entrepreneurship project. We got to think about how we would want to help people.
Q: Who is one person who has inspired you? Why?
A: All my teachers for showing me how to do things i previously didn’t know how to do and showing me how to do it confidently.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The camping trips. All of us always had so much fun, even if it was raining and we all couldn’t sleep. We all just had so much fun going whitewater rafting and just the fact you got to go in the woods with all your friends.
Ethan McIntyre
High School: The Paideia School
Q: What dreams do you have for the world of tomorrow?
A: I really just want it to have improved just a little bit before we are to inherit it.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: It’s always okay to ask for help.
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: I have many positive memories from TCS, but one that’s more recent was helping build storage boxes across campus.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: I can’t remember all of them, of course, but again a recent one is a science project where we design and build bridges.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The community
Theo Nash
High School: The Weber School
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: Do your homework, get to know everybody, have fun, and do your best.
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: Going rock climbing. It pushed me and made me feel like I can do more stuff than I thought I could do. It gave me a boost of confidence.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: My favorite one was the Wolf’s Den social entrepreneurship project because it taught me about non- profit businesses and strategies to speak in front of a group of people.
Q: Who is one person who has inspired you? Why?
A: Carl has inspired me because he taught me a lot, gave me so much confidence, and got me to do stuff that I was worried about doing.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: I hope the learning aspect stays the same and the kindness. The people here are so kind and enjoyable to be around.
Cyrus Ogle-Forbes
High School: The Galloway School
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: How to work well with others
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: TCS taught me to be myself.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: I like the bridge project because you can use all of your creativity and put it into a beautiful bridge.
Q: Who is one person who has inspired you? Why?
A: Julia Stewart. She taught me math for two years and got me to like it.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: I hope the PBL units stay because they teach you how to work with others and be creative.
Louis Register
High School: Whitefield Academy
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: Take it one day at a time
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: Self control
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: Camping at Saint Simons
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: Making the garden because it was helping the community
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The sports
Franco Suglia
High School: The Howard School
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: Equality
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: Just over all everything we have learned
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: Walking out of school by myself
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: The bridge project
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: Eighth grade
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The school and its way of teaching
Kaya Williams
High School: Dekalb School of the Arts
Q: What dreams do you have for the world of tomorrow?
A: I hope that there would be more schools like TCS that are easier for everyone to access.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: I learned that everyone learns things at their own a pace and that it is okay not to know everything.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: Before I was at TCS, I didn’t know how to study well. I would wait until the last minute, not take good notes, or just memorize everything last minute. When I got to TCS, I had to learn how to fix all those things, and I am very thankful for that because now in high school I won’t struggle with them.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: My favorite TCS PBL unit was probably the food unit in seventh grade. My group got to have a food drive and make sandwiches to help people with food insecurity
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The community
Isabelle Wood
High School: The Paideia School
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: That most problems have many different solutions so be open to the possibilities.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: TCS has taught me to be independent, creative, curious, and assertive. I think that those traits will help me during high school. It also showed me the advantages of working with others.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: The Social Entrepreneurship project. It was really enjoyable and our final project was really cool.
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: The outdoor education trips and the amazing community at TCS.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The mutual respect between students and teachers.
