Giving
Next 50 Years Phase II
NEXT 50 YEARS WISH LIST
Next 50 Years Wish List: New Campus Priorities
Exciting campus improvements are on the horizon to further enhance the student experience and strengthen our facilities! You can help these become a reality. Our goal is to provide facilities that inspire each of our students to learn, grow and prepare for college and life with first-rate, passionate faculty and coaches leading them.
- The Bertelsmann Building is also slated for renovation, with plans to install new carpet and refinish the wood flooring stage in the Presentation Hall to create a more inviting space for performances and events.
- In the Lower School, Barrett Hall will be reconfigured, removing the stage to open the floor for expanded dining and community use.
- At the Baxley Pavillion and Middle School Field, the playing area will get brand new artificial turf, ensuring it remains a top-quality space for athletics.
- At the Tillman Center, food service will be upgraded for Middle and Upper School students and a covered patio will be added to provide a comfortable and welcoming space for students to gather.
- The Middle School gym will see important enhancements, including updated office space, improved ventilation, and renovated locker rooms.
- Growing the school’s endowment continues to be a priority. Endowment income helps to mitigate tuition increases each year.
These planned updates reflect our ongoing commitment to providing excellent facilities that support academics, athletics, the arts, and student life at every level.
In coordination with this campaign goal, Annual Excellence Fund efforts will continue to offset annual operating expenses, and the Georgia Tuition Tax Credit allows families to shift tax liability to the school in support of our need-based financial aid program.
In coordination with this campaign goal, Annual Excellence Fund efforts will continue to offset annual operating expenses, and the Georgia Tuition Tax Credit allows families to shift tax liability to the school in support of our need-based financial aid program.
ENDOWMENT
Gifts, one-time or multi-year, and estate gifts are vital to maintaining our exceptional independent learning opportunities and securing the future of Athens Academy. Our hope is to realize this money in current gifts and pledges as well as future estate gifts.
Endowment funds support our teachers with competitive compensation, provide opportunities for professional growth, increase need-based financial aid for qualified students, and help mitigate tuition increases for all. When completed, Athens Academy will have more than $25,000 per student in our endowment. This results in tremendous positive momentum for our present and future. Currently, Athens Academy’s endowment is valued at $17.7 M (as of July 2025).
Thank you for considering the future of Athens Academy and our students! Make a tangible difference with a gift, multi-year capital pledge, and/or estate gift. Please contact the Development Team or John Thorsen to speak further about matching your passions with Athens Academy’s people, program, and future.
John Thorsen, Head of School | Email | 706.549.9225
DeDe Guest, Director of Development | Email | 706.433.2415
Josh Alexander, Development Officer | Email | 706.433.2420
Cress and Spence Johnson, parents of Read ’25 and Wells ‘27
"Athens Academy is more than a school for our children – it’s a community. We view our support as investments in that community, and we make them with confidence that leadership and the Board of Trustees will be good stewards of those investments. The dividends are obvious every time we set foot on campus."
Athens Academy
Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. For over 50 years, Athens Academy has pursued its mission of Excellence with Honor through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership.
