Congratulations to Jeff Rowland, head baseball coach, who earned his 600th career win earlier this week when he helped lead the Golden Bears to victory over KIPP Academy. Go Bears!

After wins at the school and regional level, Sophia Meszaros '28 was recently named runner-up in the Georgia Poetry Out Loud state competition. Way to go, Sophia!

Thank you to the HIES Parents' Association for celebrating our faculty and staff by providing them with some delicious treats during lunch on Thursday, March 12! We are always grateful for the support of our wonderful parent community. 

Bravo to the Upper School chorus for leading a beautiful and sacred Evensong this week at Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church, an evening prayer service that combines scripture, hymns and sacred music to offer reflection and worship at the close of the day.

Happy Pi Day! Mu Alpha Theta, the Upper School math honor society, helped students celebrate Pi Day on Friday, March 13 (3.13), by giving out slices of pie to students who could recite the most digits of pi. 

Students in the first-third grades enjoyed a special author visit in the Hardwick Family Media Center on Monday, March 10, where they gathered with excitement to meet the creators behind a beloved children’s book. Children's author Margaret Renkl and illustrator Billy Renkl spoke about their book "The Weedy Garden," which is filled with fine art illustrations and encourages young readers to develop a love for nature, gardening and the small wonders found outdoors. Their visit inspired the Lower School science department to join in the fun by planting mini gardens of their own!

On Thursday, March 12, our parent, grandparent and alumni community came together to support The Golden Bear Annual Fund and our incredible faculty and staff! We are so grateful for the generosity of our community. Every gift will help support the educators, mentors and role models who show up for our students each and every day. Our students joined in the celebration as well, sharing a few quick words of gratitude for the faculty and staff members who have made a difference in their lives.

Thanks to your support, we reached our one-day giving goal and are excited to announce the faculty and staff members who will each receive a $500 gift card to support their professional development: Evan Bassett and Leigh Ann Northcutt! If you'd still like to make a gift to The Golden Bear Annual Fund to support our faculty and staff and the life of our school, you can still do so here. Thank you for going Above & Beyond for HIES!

On Tuesday, March 10, Upper School students with an interest in business participated in a College Counseling program designed to introduce them to potential majors and career pathways in the field. The day featured a visit from Dr. Julie Petherbridge, dean of Mercer University’s School of Business, who spoke about the concept of "intrapreneurship," employees acting as entrepreneurs and innovators within their organization, and shared insights on the importance of strong communication skills and building a professional network. Students then put their communication and teamwork skills to the test on Georgia Tech’s ropes course before touring the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech, where they gained a firsthand look at collegiate business education and the opportunities it offers.

Please join us in congratulating our girls and boys varsity basketball teams on outstanding seasons that concluded this week in Macon, where both teams competed in the GHSA State Championship and finished as State Runners-Up.

The girls faced Hebron Christian in a hard-fought championship game, coming up just short with a 46–42 final score. They close the season with an impressive 24–7 record in the first year under head coach Nathan Teymer, an exciting start that sets a strong foundation for the future of the program. The boys team, led by head coach Mario Mays, battled Darlington School in a tough game that came down to the final moments, ultimately falling 53–50. The Bears finish the season with an outstanding 26–4 record.

We are incredibly proud of the dedication, talent and perseverance shown by our players and coaches throughout the season as they continued to build on the exceptional legacy of HIES basketball. Our seniors will conclude their careers with multiple region championships, state titles and countless memorable moments that have helped shape the program. Go Bears!

From Monday, Feb. 23, to Thursday, Feb. 26, students in the Primary School enjoyed Storytelling Week! The celebration began with PK3 and PK4 visiting the Center for Puppetry Arts to see "Pete the Cat." K-Prep partnered with tenth-grade Honors English students to write short stories, while PK3 had its annual "My Favorite Things" photo shoot. Kindergarten explored storytelling through shadow puppets, while PK4 students raced to sequence mixed-up fairytales, and learned how music brings stories to life during a reading of "The Remarkable Farkle McBride" with live music by members of the Fine Arts faculty. The week wrapped up with a visit from Chetter Galloway of Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia, a service trip to deliver book donations to Children Read Atlanta and with students dressing up as their favorite book characters. It was a wonderful week of learning, creativity and literacy!

A big HI-Five to our fourth-grade actors! On Friday, Feb. 27, each of our fourth-grade homerooms performed in their annual 15-Minute Play Festival. It was an afternoon full of laughter as each group presented a hilarious scene from “Cotton Patch Gospel,” a heartfelt and hilarious retelling of the life of Jesus set in rural Georgia. We are so proud of each of the students for their hard work and confidence on the stage!