By Erin Joyner, Upper School Director of Student Life and High School Counseling
TCS students are sought after by the best private schools and have excellent public school options as well. Our alum are highly engaged, confident, and compassionate learners and doers who are prepared to excel in high school and beyond.
The Class of 2021 joins their Wolf Pack predecessors as TCS alumni after their commencement ceremony on Thurs., May 27. After completing the most challenging and unique admissions season to date, our eighth graders independently navigated the entire admissions process through the restrictions and, often, improvisations caused by the pandemic with perseverance, determination, and grace.
Our 28 graduates were accepted to a wide range of Atlanta-area schools – single-sex and co-ed, religious and non-religious, traditional and progressive. In fact, of the 19 students who indicated a first-choice school, 17 were admitted to that top choice!
We are excited to send students to Academe of the Oaks, Atlanta Girls’ School, Ben Franklin Academy, The Galloway School, Maynard Jackson High School, Midtown High School, Mt. Vernon School, The New School, North Atlanta High School, Pace Academy, The Paideia School, The Westminster Schools, and Woodward Academy.
With limitations on in-person school events, our flexible eighth graders who applied to independent schools participated in the admissions process entirely via Zoom and virtual events; but they didn’t let this interfere with showcasing their authentic selves. This also meant an increased level of independence in managing their admissions events, with students retreating to the “fishbowl” in the library to participate in virtual interviews, assemblies, and shadow days. Zoom fatigue is real, but nothing could slow down this group and their ability to make the best of every opportunity.
The high school counseling process begins the summer before eighth grade, and continues throughout the school year with regular, individual check-ins with families, and high school guidance lessons facilitated by me.
Eighth grade teachers and other administrators play a critical role in supporting kiddos through the application process and essay writing, and advocating for each student’s best interests through letters of recommendation and evaluation forms. It truly takes a village, and the end result for this confident group of rising ninth graders is worth every minute.
The Class of 2021 embodies the best of TCS – their charisma, bravery, and unique sincerity will be cherished and missed. We are tremendously proud of what they accomplished in such unique circumstances.
As they begin their next chapter, we are confident that they are not only uniquely prepared academically and social-emotionally, but excited to make their special mark on their next communities.
