New Students Bring Diversity, Talent and Congestion
By Dennis Suh '98
There has been much record breaking activity this past year in the
GA admissions office: the school now boasts the highest student count ever
in GA history with 1,086 students. In Upper School alone there are 460
students, an increase of six students from last year's total of 454. The
class of 2001 broke an admissions record with 38 new faces, while the rest
of Upper School has eight, three, and five new students in grades 10, 11,
12 respectively. That brings the total to 54 new students (the record 60)
and 181 in the Upper School.
Can changes be expected in the way school operates now that there
are so many more students? Mr. Garvan says there should be slight changes
in the daily life, but very close to no change in the ways classes are
conducted. The school has hired more faculty to accommodate the
overwhelming number of students. Therefore, there won't be many changes in
class size and the school still maintains a student to teacher ratio of
13:1. However, Mr. Garvan says that the record number of students will be
felt in different ways: crowded hallways, longer lunch lines, less parking
spaces, and the biggest change of all will be felt in assembly where every
seat is expected to be filled leaving some people standing. The assembly
accommodates 500 people: 460 students and 40 advisors fill up the seats,
but where will Mr. Garvan and Mr. Connor sit in assembly? Mr. Garvan adds
that none of this will break the flow of the GA spirit and community.
Another aspect that the student growth brings to the school is more
diversity. There is a greater influx of Indians and Asians entering the
school and that makes the school more diverse in most grades. Also, the
school has attracted students from across the Atlantic, reaching out to
Bosnia and Italy. The background of where students are from originate in
such places as Canada, Poland, Mexico and the 90 surrounding communities of
GA.
While the increased number of students does present some problems
for the school community, overall, the wide variety and diversified
backgrounds of these students will add flavor and life to the school.