User:Cw03901ENGL1101/Thomas Jefferson Academy

Thomas Jefferson Academy
Thomas Jefferson Academy is a private, college preparatory school in Louisville, Georgia. It offers education for students grades K through twelfth. Thomas Jefferson Academy is a member of Georgia Independent School Association (GISA). Thomas Jefferson Academy is operated as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization which is chartered by the state of Georgia. As such, the corporate bylaws state, "There shall be no discrimination for admission to any school we may operate on account of race, color, creed or national origin." Admission into Thomas Jefferson Academy is by application. A student must take an entrance exam before they begin attending school here. Thomas Jefferson Academy let the student body vote on a mascot. The students selected a Jaguar, a native South American cat, as their mascot.

History
Thomas Jefferson Academy is the successor to a merger between Stapleton Academy of Stapleton, Georgia and Bartow Academy of Bartow, Georgia. It became possible for the two schools to open their doors to students in September of 1970. Over the years, the need for a centralized school that could serve the needs of the entire community was felt. After many meetings of both Boards of Trustees and months of hard work, these two schools merged to form Thomas Jefferson Academy. From September, 1976 through most of March, 1977, this school was housed on two campuses. Grades one through five were housed at the former Stapleton Academy building and grades six through twelve attended classes at the former Bartow Academy.

Recognizing the need to bring the school together, a drive was started to raise funds to build a new plant at a central location. Out of this cooperative effort, the new building and campus became a reality in March of 1977. The two campuses moved to the new plant on Saturday, March 26, and the classrooms were ready for school to open on Monday morning, March 28. Such a move was no small task, and to those of us who observed and were involved, it seemed a miracle of working together to accomplish the almost impossible.

The process of accreditation of our elementary and high school programs was begun with the Georgia Accrediting Commission in 1975. The school is fully accredited with quality by the G.A.C.

Athletics and Extra Curricular Other Activities
Thomas Jefferson Academy offers many different sports throughout the year. There are equal amount of sports for girls and boys. The sports they offer are football, basketball, Baseball, Golf, Softball, and Track.

Class A State Champions Girl's Basketball   1995

Boy's Track         2005, 2006

Baseball             1994, 1995, 2005

Football             1986, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2006

Softball              1981, 1982, 1983, 1994 The other extra-curricular activities Thomas Jefferson Academy offers are Jr. Beta Club, Beta Club, Yearbook Staff, F.C.A. (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), Drama Club, Key Club, and literary Competition.