GDS Magazine | 1 Our graduates have once again impressed us with more than 90% of our seniors earning acceptance into selective colleges and universities throughout the country. You will learn more about their matriculation and their leadership as you read through this edition of the GDS magazine. As the Triad leader in professional development for our faculty and staff, our teachers attended a wide array of professional learning workshops and seminars, many supported by our Parents’ Association grants. Brooks Sabbatical recipient, Karen Baldwin, shares her story of visiting China last summer and the incredible learning experience it provided her. Kristen Tuma and Bridget Gwinnett participated in a week-long program entitled Leadership Edge returning to offer a Winter Term leadership class for more than 20 of our Upper School students. Peter Williams helped to lead our re-accreditation committee this school year. This process takes place every five years to ensure we continue to meet or exceed expectations set by the Southern Association of Independent Schools and SACS/Advanced Ed. I’m happy to report we received an unanimous recommendation for re-accreditation. You can read more about the important work and goals that were established. You will enjoy the article describing the work that this year’s third grade spearheaded in creating the “Do Something Kind Today” movement across our campus. From giving presentations in each division to creating a marketing campaign for DSKT t-shirts, the class learned how to organize a movement, market it, and make effective presentations. As you read through the pages of this publication, I’m sure you will join me in seeing why I believe that our year has been filled with learning, engagement and fun in the most caring, trustworthy, and joyful community in the Triad. Warmly, Mark C Hale Head of School Dear GDS Community: It’s been another exciting year at GDS! We celebrated coach Freddy Johnson’s 1,000th win as the boys’ varsity basketball coach and Kim Burroughs’s 400th win as the coach of our girls’ varsity soccer team. Both are remarkable records earned by remarkable coaches. HEAD’S CORNER