During the 2006 - 2007 school year, approximately 330 students in grades 4 and 5 are served at Glennwood Academy. The student population is 49.5% White, 42.2% Black, 4.3% Multiracial, 2.5% Asian, and 1.5% Hispanic.
Thirty-four percent of the students are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals. Twenty-one students live outside the City Schools of Decatur school district and are enrolled as tuition students in the school. Because Glennwood Academy serves all City of Decatur students, bus transportation from all neighborhoods is provided. Glennwood is part of a state wide Safe Routes to School walking and biking program. Groups of students enjoy walking or riding their bikes to school under appropriate adult supervision.
Fifty-two faculty and staff members provide a comprehensive educational program for the students at Glennwood Academy. Staff members include classroom teachers, special education teachers, gifted teachers, instructional support teachers (focused on remedial reading and math support), paraprofessionals, a media specialist/technology specialist, a media clerk, Spanish teachers, itinerant art, music, and physical education teachers, a part time band teacher, a speech and language teacher, a part time school counselor, a part time school social worker, a part time nurse practitioner and health educator, lunchroom and maintenance personnel. A high percentage of veteran teachers (an average of 12 years-teaching
experience) work at the school. Eighty-three percent of the faculty has advanced degrees.
Glennwood Academy has 14 homeroom teaching unitsâ¹seven classes at the fourth grade level and seven classes at the fifth grade level. An average class size of 25 students with an inclusion model of instructional
delivery that creates teaching teams of 2-4 staff members during instructional periods helps create a very close relationship among parents, community, and school personnel, and allows staff to focus on the individuality of each student.
Glennwood Academy's school philosophy is aligned to the vision, mission and beliefs system of City Schools of Decatur. Through collaborative work in 2005, the faculty and staff of Glennwood developed and embraced a vision, a mission statement, and a student creed reflective of the school's philosophy. Members of the entire Glennwood learning community have opportunities to review and revise the statements.
Vision for Glennwood Academy
Glennwood Academy aspires to greatness, educating boys and girls who will have a profound impact on society and the world.
Mission Statement for Glennwood Academy
Glennwood 4/5 Academy is a caring community that:
- Connects new knowledge with prior experiences,
- Creates a deeper understanding of the world in which we live,
- Commits to compassionate relationships and meaningful service.
Glennwood Academy Creed
The Glennwood mascot is the Gator and students' behavior should reflect the student pledge.
I will do my best because academic and behavioral excellence is expected of me every day. I will:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Ready
BE A GATOR!
Partners in Education: Fidelity Bank, Georgia Power, National Concessions Management, Kroger, State Farm Insurance, Intown Ace Hardware
Instructional focus: International Baccalaureate Organization
Primary Years Programme
Glennwood Academy is one of four elementary schools in the City Schools of Decatur, Georgia. The school is in a spacious and convenient location situated on about 6 acres of land near downtown Decatur, Georgia that is 5 miles east of Atlanta, the state capital.
Glennwood is the oldest school in the City of Decatur and one of the four oldest in DeKalb County still in operation today. It opened in 1913 on property the city acquired from the heirs of Thomas Glenn. The site was on the outskirts of town, bordering an area known as "Glenn's Woods" (now Glennwood Estates). In the school's first years, older boys were given a choice of attending study hall or helping to clear brush as men felled trees on what was to become the playfield. From 1913 to 1915 the building served as Decatur's high school. In 1915 Glennwood, with an enrollment of 250 students, became Decatur's only elementary school, serving grades one through seven. The Glennwood PTA was founded that same year.
During Glennwood's first decades, students and teachers either walked or rode the trolley, which turned around at the end of its line across the street from the school. As times changed and parents began driving their children to school in the 1950s, a semicircular driveway was installed to ease traffic along Ponce De Leon Avenue. The school's library was established in the mid-1940s. In 1949 a new wing, housing more classrooms and an auditorium, was added on the west end of the building. The school got its first intercom system in 1951 - a novelty that thrilled students and teachers alike. In 1961, after raising money through suppers at the school, the PTA funded the addition of a playground blacktop.
The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) provides a one percent tax for funding improvements to the schools of Dekalb County. Under the authorizing legislation, the City of Decatur shares the revenue.
Under this program and with support from state capital improvement funds, and local school board funds, Glennwood experienced an extensive renovation in the 2002-2003 school year. Students and faculty moved to a temporary home in the Fifth Avenue School in the Oakhurst neighborhood. In August 2003, approximately 200 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade returned to a beautifully renovated and expanded Glennwood facility. Special care was given to preserve the historical integrity of the building while adding new classrooms, a new media center, air conditioning, and outfitting the entire building for extensive use of technology. A Design Review Team consisting of school system personnel, Glennwood staff, parents, and community members met regularly to offer input into every phase of the renovation process.
During the 2003-2004 school year, the City Schools of Decatur Board of Education engaged in an extensive strategic planning process for the school system that involved the entire city of Decatur community. The City Schools of Decatur Strategic Plan was developed and adopted in the spring of 2004. Implementation of the plan began immediately and included the reconfiguration of Decatur¹s elementary schools. The board of education established one early childhood learning center serving children from infants through four years (pre-kindergarten), three elementary schools serving students in kindergarten through third grade, and Glennwood Academy serving all fourth and fifth grade students in City Schools of Decatur.
Glennwood Academy opened its doors in the 2004-2005 school year as a newly configured school for all fourth and fifth grade students in City Schools of Decatur.
The following educators have served as principals during Glennwood¹s long and storied history:
1913-1927 Mrs. T. N. Fulton
1927-1944 Mrs. H. B. Carreker
1944-1945 Mrs. P. G. Sessions
1945-1956 Mrs. J. A. Campbell
1956-1964 Miss Vee Simmons
1964-1986 Miss Joyce Paris
1986-1994 Mrs. Marie "Betty" Matthews
1994-1996 Mrs. Faye Wilson
1996-1998 Dr. Ellis W. Mills
1998-2000 Dr. Debra Allen
2000-2004 Mrs. Jan Goodloe
2004-present Dr. Gloria Lee
School Colors:
Blue and gold
Motto:
"A Great Place to Learn "
