Amana Academy West Atlanta held a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 18, to mark the establishment of its campus at the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta’s Camp Timber Ridge. The special ceremony was held in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and was attended by Cobb County Commission Chairwoman, Lisa Cupid, members of the media, board members for Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, representatives from the philanthropic community and board members for Amana Academy, Inc.
Amana Academy West is a replication of Amana Academy North Fulton, a highly successful public charter school in Fulton County that empowers students to achieve exceptional academic results while building the skills to become critical-thinking change-makers with intercultural understanding. Amana Academy, Inc., the Charter Management Organization that manages both schools, partnered with Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta to establish Amana’s second campus at Camp Timber Ridge. The state-authorized public charter school opened its doors on Aug. 8 to 220 culturally diverse students in grades K-3. The school plans to add a grade each year until it reaches 8th grade.
In looking for a home for its second campus, Amana sought a location reflecting the organization’s mission to prepare students to be 21st-century changemakers and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) leaders. With its emphasis on STEM programming, outdoor education & adventure, real-world skills, and entrepreneurship, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta proved an ideal partner. In turn, Girl Scouts was looking for a way to thoughtfully turn a little-used area of its sprawling 270-acre campus into a space reflecting the growing interests of their campers. The 270-acre campus includes a canopy of native Georgia trees and is surrounded by trails, a lake, and other natural habitats. Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta will continue to use Camp Timber Ridge as a summer camp and year-round weekend program facility.
