Mrs. Moore works with the upper school as our College Writing Advisor. With a masters in religion and literature from Yale Divinity School and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Florida, Mrs. Moore has helped many students get accepted into their dream colleges with remarkable college essays. Mrs. Moore loves having one-on-one conversations with her students, who, as a part of preparing for college, are required to reflect on their interests and their high school careers thus far. While helping her students write college essays, she advises them to be authentic.

“Figure out what you love and love it hard,” she said. “Find that thing that’s exciting to you and lean in.”

Mrs. Moore believes that the convergence of the mission of ACA (to form knowledgeable, virtuous citizens) and what colleges want to see, meet at students being “awake”. She strives to help her students become awake to their dignity and responsibility. In our achievement-based culture, Mrs. Moore reminds her students that the purpose of college is to become the best version of oneself, not to receive prestige and accolades. 

Before moving to Atlanta, Mrs. Moore grew up hiking, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors in Tellico Plains, a town of 900 people in East Tennessee. While Mrs. Moore appreciates her sense of independence from growing up in such a small town, her high school education left her wanting. Throughout all of high school, Mrs. Moore was only assigned one book to read so she spent most of her time in the public library, which did not contain any Shakespeare.

Mrs. Moore received her bachelor’s from Carson-Newman University and her masters from Yale Divinity School. After graduating from Yale, she worked for a cultural center in Connecticut called Grace Farms where she built a bookstore. She oversaw the curation of the books and the literary programs. Christian Wiman, Mrs. Moore’s advisor at Yale and the editor of Poetry magazine for many years, knew Mrs. Moore wanted to teach. He recommended her to the Florida MFA program where he had recently visited and met many students, including Mr. McClactchey. After Mrs. Moore graduated from the University of Florida with her MFA, she then taught for the University of Florida and worked for the University Press of Florida. When Mr. McClatchey applied to be the American Literature teacher at ACA, Mrs. Moore was asked to do a teaching demo for 6th grade. Loving the students so much, she cried afterward.

“I was so moved. I found the students so bright, and I loved our conversation, their curiosity and imagination, and how polite, serious, and funny they were. I loved 6th grade. It was awesome.”

Mrs. Moore then took the job as the 6th grade literature and composition teacher.

Two years later, Mrs. Moore joined the college advising department when she gave birth to her daughter Penelope. Mrs. Moore loves to write and work with older students while still spending time with her daughter.

In February, Atlanta Classical’s administration and health services team invited students and families to participate in the first annual February Freeze challenge to limit social media and technology use as a school community. The middle school team created a House competition around these challenges, and many students, their parents, and ACA’s leadership team committed to accepting the challenge. 

At the beginning of the month, the team surveyed middle and high school students to learn how social media impacted their lives. The survey revealed that 31% of 6th-12th graders rated the value of social media in their lives at either a 1 or 2 out of 10. 40% said they used technology 3+ hours per day, and most reflected that they wished they used it less. Some of the quotes from the survey included: 

• “My phone is something I wish I could be freer from.” 
• “Technology is the best and worst thing in my life.” 
• “I find myself drawn to my phone and use it to escape reality.” 

As the month progressed, parents shared noticeable differences in their students as they limited technology:

• “My student started practicing the drums again.”
• “My student started reading again.”
• “My student hosted a party with his friends, and everyone put their phones away. They had such great conversations!” 

Many parents also noted that their children went to bed without any complaints. Overall, the February Freeze challenge has been a game-changer for many families, and the school looks forward to its second rendition of the challenge next year!

Will Creech, graduate of ACA’s class of 2022, is now pursuing his studies in business at Auburn University. At ACA, he participated in various activities such as Varsity Cross Country, Choir, Key Club, Hiking Club, International Club, and Film Appreciation Club. At Auburn, he is actively involved in his fraternity, Sigma Pi, and serves on various committees. Looking back, Will notes several ACA experiences that have impacted his growth academically and as a person.

Will credits his senior thesis advisor, Mr. Stone, as the person who impacted him most significantly during his time at ACA. After reading The Death of Ivan Ilyich, they discussed the significance of treating your family and friends well and how every action should serve those around you rather than yourself. Will also shared that the rigorous curriculum at ACA helped him in college. As a student with a classical education, he says he feels confident in thinking critically in his history, literature, and philosophy classes. He appreciates his ACA teachers’ strong emphasis on discussions and reading challenging texts. 

At one point, Will considered leaving ACA. During 10th grade, he was accepted into a private school and intended to leave ACA. However, both Mr. Nugent and Mr. Andrew gave him a call to discuss his decision, not to convince him to stay but rather to emphasize his special place and role at ACA. Through this process, Will realized how unique and special ACA was and decided to stay. 

“I’m 100% sure I made the right decision. My relationships with my friends and teachers from ACA are unmatched, and I wouldn’t give them up for anything,” Will shared.

Will advises current ACA students to build relationships with their teachers as much as possible, even after graduation. He believes that they are some of the brightest people students will ever meet, and they care deeply about their students.

Take a walk down the fourth and fifth-grade hallway, and you will pass a new hidden gem at ACA: the Faculty and Staff Lending Library. The inviting little bookshelf is filled with classics and modern books handpicked by Mr. Barfield, one of our fifth-grade teachers. This lending library is available for the ACA faculty and staff to take and leave books as they enjoy them and want to share with co-workers.

But how did this Lending Library come to be? Mr. Barfield shares that it all began with a conversation about one of the ACA’s 11th grade American Literature books he began reading on his own, All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren. He discussed the book’s beauty with Mr. Hawkins, which Mr. Holt overheard, and prompted him to recommend Gilead by Marilynne Robinson as Mr. Barfield’s next book. Later, Mr. Barfield found himself in a conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Andrew about how Robinson’s writing felt like “being wrapped in a warm hug.” Mr. Barfield realized that the conversations and community surrounding great books should extend beyond the classroom.  The Lending Library collection began with a few of Mr. Barfield’s favorite authors but has grown to house over 30 books. 

“I like the bookshelf because it reminds me to persevere with reading and to challenge myself,” Mr. Barfield said. ”I like the perspective that books offer. I think it’s important to remember the vast amount of knowledge available, our inability to read or understand all of it, and the virtue of appreciating what we can.”

Curious about Mr. Barfield’s Lending Library must-reads? Here are his top 5 titles:
1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
2. The Shining by Stephen King
3. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 
4. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
5. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

The Visual Art Scholars Program is about to finish its second class offering of the year, Photography, taught by Mrs. Egan. Mrs. Egan, ACA’s K-2 Art teacher, majored in photography in college and worked as a photographer for many years. She feels passionate about this class being included in ACA’s Visual Art Scholars program. “In today’s world, where almost everyone has a camera in their pockets or hands all the time, it is essential to understand the true art of photography,” Mrs. Egan said. “Students are learning to create rather than just take a photograph.” Thanks to the Sara Roby Foundation and their generous donation to ACA’s Art Department, Canon DSLR cameras have been purchased for the photography students. The students have learned how to operate the camera in manual mode and how to control exposure with shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. They have also studied the history and great masters of photography, from photojournalism to portraiture to still life, and have practiced taking their own photos. Furthermore, the students practiced multiple printing methods, including cyanotype and polaroid transfers. They even had the exciting opportunity to visit The Long Arc, a recent photography exhibition at The HIGH (pictured above).