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Jun 01

Georgia-Cumberland Academy Launches “Forward Together” Campaign with Groundbreaking

Nancy Gerard

Greg Gerard (left), retired GCA principal; Susan Jenkins, GCA business manager; Amy Cirigliano, GCA parent; Amiel Lewis, Student Association president; Serge Gariepy, GCA principal; Gary Rustad, Georgia-Cumberland Conference president; Ed Wright, former Conference president; Gordon Bietz, former Conference president; Louis Licht, GCA alumni president; Ashleigh Walton, GCA alumna and architect; Astrid Walton, GCA board member; and Kurt Allen, Conference vice president for finance, break ground on GCA’s “Forward Together” initiative. The groundbreaking on April 6, 2024, kicks off new improvements to facilities and services including dormitories, music building, and other academic spaces.

Cameron Reel

Architectural illustration of a renovated dormitory at GCA: Renovations will include updated dorm rooms, expanded and updated bathrooms, laundry rooms, and an expanded lobby, all aimed at providing a welcoming and well-functioning space for students.

 

 

November 1961: “The Georgia- Cumberland Conference has officially started the most ambitious project in its history. Groundbreaking of the first major building for the new boarding academy marked the commencement of construction …. Groundbreaking symbolizes the effort of a people to dig into the earth, to lay foundations, to raise superstructures, forming buildings that spell progress and success. This beautiful site and useful plot of dedicated ground appears to have been marked by God for this noble purpose.” -Oscar L. Heinrich, Southern Union Conference church development service director.

For nearly 60 years, Georgia-Cumberland Academy (GCA) has provided Adventist education for young people of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, the Southern Union, and across the world. Boarding students have been the dominant student demographic through the years, and the dormitory experience has been celebrated as a very positive aspect of the GCA experience. Its “noble purpose” is still being fulfilled.

Students, staff, and friends of GCA gathered again on April 6, 2024, much like the group in 1961 of which the late Oscar Heinrich wrote, to symbolically mark the beginning of a new season of progress for the Academy. Three Georgia-Cumberland Conference presidents were in attendance and inspired those gathered with their thoughts on why the “Forward Together” campaign is important to the future of the Conference and the school.

Some might ask, “Why invest in enhancing the facilities of a school?” We believe that welcoming, safe, comfortable, and well-functioning dormitories are key to attracting families and students, and will play a major role in the future success of Georgia-Cumberland Academy. High quality facilities speak to the value of what happens in those spaces, and the value of each young person who studies, lives, and plays in those spaces. More importantly, in an age where there are so many influences that pull young people away from God, why wouldn’t we do everything we can to attract every possible young person into a safe, spiritual environment for their high school years?

Serge Gariepy, GCA principal, emphasizes the importance of enhancing GCA facilities: “An investment in school facilities is an investment in the quality of education and the well-being of our students. Together we can ensure they have an environment needed to thrive and grow into the leaders of tomorrow.”

In addition to dormitory improvements, the “Forward Together” campaign will address facility needs that include a renovation of the music building; an updated chemistry/physics lab; and renovated space to address mental health, career counseling, and nursing services. Along with capital needs that are being addressed, the comprehensive fundraising campaign will also seek to expand endowments and scholarships, and enhance academic and extracurricular programs. These initiatives will help Georgia- Cumberland Academy better serve the needs of young people and their families, now and in the decades to come.

The future of Georgia-Cumberland Academy is bright, and the school looks forward to partnering with the church community, students, and alumni in their commitment of moving forward together.

Georgia-Cumberland | June 2024

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