Stepping foot on Woodward Academy territory surprises those not used to a big high school. Not only is the school itself huge, but it also carries around a big, bold presence outside the campus. The iconic Woodward red is hard to miss when driving on Virginia Avenue. It catches your eye, and, once you notice it, you can’t stop. Numerous businesses on Virginia Avenue feature the familiar red umbrellas marked “WA” in a fancy font. On nearby streets, you’ll also find directions to its campuses. These brandings signal that passersby are, in fact, in Woodward territory and represent the mutual support Tri-Cities and Woodward share.
Woodward is located in College Park, GA, and abuts the neighboring cities of Hapeville, GA, and East Point, GA, in what is commonly referred to as the Tri-Cities area. Each city has its own quirks and historic attractions.
While Woodward remains in College Park, students come from all over Georgia; some students live an hour away from the Upper School campus, others ten minutes, yet they all have the same endpoint. Woodward often reminds students that although they may not live nearby, the support for Tri-Cities is valuable and reciprocated back to the school. Community drives Woodward Academy, as the school’s efforts to support families, other schools and businesses in Tri-Cities are evident to community members.
Mr. Lee Conner, Woodward’s Vice President for Operations, works behind-the-scenes at Woodward. He is responsible for operations that don’t involve teaching students during the school year or finances, such as: transportation, facilities, dining services, technology, summer camps and more. He is firsthandly familiar with Woodward’s pursuit of involvement with the community.
“Woodward brings a lot of people to the area for events like sports events, special school events,” Mr. Conner said. “So when that happens, you know, the people in our community utilize the surrounding area, such as restaurants and other services when they’re here, so that brings in revenue to this area that would not otherwise be there if Woodward wasn’t here.”
Woodward is located in College Park, GA, and abuts the neighboring cities of Hapeville, GA, and East Point, GA, in what is commonly referred to as the Tri-Cities area. Each city has its own quirks and historic attractions.
While Woodward remains in College Park, students come from all over Georgia; some students live an hour away from the Upper School campus, others ten minutes, yet they all have the same endpoint. Woodward often reminds students that although they may not live nearby, the support for Tri-Cities is valuable and reciprocated back to the school. Community drives Woodward Academy, as the school’s efforts to support families, other schools and businesses in Tri-Cities are evident to community members.
Mr. Lee Conner, Woodward’s Vice President for Operations, works behind-the-scenes at Woodward. He is responsible for operations that don’t involve teaching students during the school year or finances, such as: transportation, facilities, dining services, technology, summer camps and more. He is firsthandly familiar with Woodward’s pursuit of involvement with the community.
“Woodward brings a lot of people to the area for events like sports events, special school events,” Mr. Conner said. “So when that happens, you know, the people in our community utilize the surrounding area, such as restaurants and other services when they’re here, so that brings in revenue to this area that would not otherwise be there if Woodward wasn’t here.”
Local Businesses
Local restaurants have used their proximity to Woodward as a stepping stone to growing their business. The most notable examples of these businesses are Drip-Thru and Manchester Arms, which have both experienced growth due to the Woodward students and families who buy and work there.
Drip-Thru
Woodward is no stranger to caffeine, as a good chunk of students and teachers indulge in coffee and energy drinks. Those who’ve taken an economics class know the basic principle of supply and demand. There is an overwhelming demand for coffee at Woodward and who’s there to fill in the supply? Drip-Thru. If you need coffee for a 55-minute lecture, or to get through the silence of students taking a test, you could risk the five-minute drive to Drip-Thru’s location on Virginia Avenue. For those that prefer a five-minute walk instead, Drip-Thru’s bar in the Tyler Brown Student Center is a convenient option.
Drip-Thru has been around since 2015, with one of the co-founders, Christy Deen currently working as the owner of the coffee shop. The first Drip-Thru is located in Stockbridge, with the second opening its doors to College Park in 2018. Drip-Thru’s decision to open a second location in College Park didn’t just appear out of the blue.
“It was a Woodward family that lived in Henry County that visited our Stockbridge location and encouraged us to check out College Park for a second drive-through location,” Christy said. “So that’s why we opened in 2018, it was encouragement from [a] Woodward family.”
During the 2024-2025 school year, Drip-Thru set up the kiosk inside the Tyler Brown Student Center. By providing the space for Drip-Thru, Woodward gains happy students excited to come to school early and fewer groggy kids whose slow pace causes them to be late for class. For Drip-Thru, the establishment gains a new audience outside of the usual adult coffee-fiends who show up during the morning rush.
“It [the kiosk in the Student Center] provides more marketing,” Christy said. “We thought if we opened here, we would take relief off of the drive-through, because… sometimes the line is in the street, but that actually did not happen, because this is a captive audience… And I could be wrong, but it only increased our drive-through as well. And then here, too. So it was a wonderful surprise.”
Through the collaboration, Woodward and Drip-Thru’s relationship has turned into a mutual one, where both are able to benefit from the other.
“We’ve donated our coffee grinds to the garden here at Woodward,” Christy said. “I think that just mutually, we do what we can to help the community and be available to students and faculty and the administration.”
Manchester Arms
Virginia Avenue is a globetrotter’s wonderland. The street is less than three miles from the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, has plenty of two-star hotels and diverse cuisine options. Want Chinese food? Ethiopian? How about a stop at a British Pub? If the latter interests you, then you’re probably already aware of Manchester Arms, a restaurant right on the corner of Virginia Avenue.
Manchester Arms was founded in 2005 and has been with the current owners, husband and wife Will and Kristi Evans (not to be confused with Drip-Thru’s Christy), since 2020. While Manchester Arms and Woodward don’t have an official partnership, they step in to scratch each other’s backs when necessary. The restaurant annually donates to the school, creating a bond between the alumni, faculty, parent community and students. These donations vary. For example, this past year, Woodward requested food and drink items, which Manchester Arms provided.
As the restaurant is right down the street from the Upper School, it’s easy for the Woodward community to stop by for a bite to eat. The massive Woodward community brings frequent customers to Manchester Arms. Sometimes, Woodward-goers use the restaurant for their own multiple purposes.
“They [those involved with Woodward] come here for all kinds of events,” Kristi said. “They just give us tons of business… by coming here for events, you know, hosting events here, having dinner here, coming here after school.”
Additionally, Manchester Arms frequently seeks out Woodward students for employment. Dozens of students take advantage of the close proximity, taking the opportunity to earn a quick buck while only driving less than a mile away from the school.
Outside of Manchester Arms and other restaurants on Virginia Avenue, you’ll spot the bright red umbrellas resting at the outdoor tables. These umbrellas are given to establishments if they ask for them. A free umbrella causes harm to no one, except maybe the umbrella market.
Overall, Manchester Arms’ engagement with Woodward is among many factors in its success.
“Woodward sort of puts this community on the map,” Kristi said. “I think having Woodward right behind us gives us a lot of credibility. It brings us a lot of business…So not only is it the support that they give us just because their people come here, it’s the whole fact that Woodward is here gives us a lot of credibility.”
Service Organizations
As Woodward strives to strengthen its involvement with the communities, service organizations and charities have received tons of focus. Blessings in a Backpack, Horizons, the Jesse Draper Boys and Girls Club and WA Grows are all organizations that directly benefit the Tri-Cities community, whilst teaching students about the importance of volunteering and caring for others.
Blessings in a Backpack
Blessings in a Backpack at Woodward fills small bags with food and snacks. From then on, these bags are given to local students at Asa Hilliard Elementary School, located in East Point, through a 15-year-long partnership. Some of these children rely on school for daily meals, and Blessings in a Backpack ensures that those children are still receiving their nutrition regardless of whether or not they’re in school.
Woodward provides funding for the program, adding it to their operating cost. That way, the program doesn’t ask for student donations. In exchange for service hours, student volunteers fill these bags up with numerous snacks, such as granola bars, breakfast foods and hot food items, like microwavable mac and cheese. During holidays, they’ll add in snack desserts or candies related to the season. Those who volunteer for the program make sure that no matter what, the bags contain filling and nutritious foods. Student volunteers then pack the bags up into bins and load them onto a vehicle, which students or advisers drive to Asa Hilliard.
Mrs. Jennifer Green, who is involved in most things service at Woodward, is a sponsor of the program. While the number of needed bags fluctuates yearly, one thing remains constant– the benefits of the program.
“I think obviously the students who are at the Asa Hilliard, who have been identified as being food insecure, they get the benefit of… a consistent bag of snacks,” Mrs. Green said. “I think the Woodward students that benefit from it, you know that come in and they help pack the bags, they learn about food insecurity and why it’s important to be involved with the local neighborhood.”
Any child who does not have to experience constant hunger due to Blessings in a Backpack is an accomplishment for the program. In this era of inflation and food insecurity, the program alleviates stress for affected families.
“I think it’s a good moment where we can kind of look inward and recognize the privilege that we have and the importance of giving back to others that may not have the kinds of privileges that we have,” Mrs. Green said. “The Tri-Cities neighborhood overall is a food desert …, a lot of the students who are at Tri Cities High School and the local elementary schools are on food programs and live in homes where their families do struggle with putting food on the table, particularly now when food costs are incredibly high.”
Horizons
Who runs all those concession stands? Horizons’ sponsors do! If you thought that money raised by concession stands and $20 out-of-uniform days during the school year is given to Woodward, you are mistaken. Instead, the money is raised in order to help fund Horizons’ Atlanta chapter, a non-profit summer program designed to prepare students in kindergarten all the way to 12th grade for the upcoming school year. For an annual registration fee of $50, families who are eligible for the Free and Reduced Price Lunch Program, and whose children would benefit from intensive academic support, are able to sign their children up for the summer.
Horizons ensures children in the program don’t lose all they’ve learned during the school year (AKA the summer slide) by giving out lessons in swimming, reading, math, cooking, dancing and art. When it comes to the program, everyone involved with the maintenance of Woodward is directly supporting Horizons. Some teachers, dining staff, housekeeping, security and facilities work to upkeep Woodward when its main students are out enjoying their summer.
Horizons uses multiple private schools and colleges to host its four to six-week program. However, Woodward’s facilities, especially the pool, make transportation easier as Horizons staff don’t have to drive children to a different location for activities.
With that context in mind, back to the concessions stand. If you peek inside concessions during a sporting event, you’ll stumble across Ms. Kristin Jackson, the site director for Horizons Atlanta at Woodward Academy, surrounded by students working for service hours. She has witnessed firsthand Woodward’s impact on Horizons’ students.
“I see a Horizons scholar on campus at least once a month,” Ms. Jackson said. “They love being here. They love our school and what it stands for. So I think just that feeling, embraced by Woodward and that connection to the campus that they wouldn’t have if they didn’t have the Horizons experience, they may feel differently about Woodward if they were just out of public school down the street and never stepped foot on our campus.”
Horizons, using Woodward’s location, is able to strengthen the community academically, as well as give Woodward students an opportunity to volunteer and learn to support others.
“It’s [continuity within the program] a huge benefit for the families and then our community in general,” Ms. Jackson said. “If kids are coming back to our schools here in Southwest Atlanta, [and] South Fulton stronger with more academic skills, this uplifts the school as well and then it also benefits Woodward students and families, because the volunteer experience is transformative for a lot of our kids.”
So, the next time a student, parent or faculty member complains about $20 out-of-uniform days or carnation costs, humbly shush them and remind them of the money’s purpose.
Jesse Draper Boys and Girls Club
Walker Avenue connoisseurs have likely noticed a building located right next to the Lower School with a playground filled with kids after school. Additionally, avid HelperHelper users might notice a frequent, almost daily volunteering opportunity for the Jesse Draper Boys and Girls Club (JDBGC) on the website. This is no coincidence; these two things are connected.
JDBGC is one of many chapters of Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta (BGCMA). The BGCMA aims to create a club environment for children by providing aftercare and childcare services during school breaks for families that may have a hard time affording childcare or that have caretakers that work non-traditional hours. The children participate in activities, such as arts and crafts and sports, with each having its own playground or playing field. The program aims to promote children’s success and development by helping them academically, guiding them towards healthy lifestyles, and providing opportunities to improve character and leadership.
JDBGC, the local chapter of BGCMA, was established in the early 1950s, aiming to provide childcare to communities living in the Tri-Cities. In 1995, Woodward decided to partner with the organization, starting an annual Walkathon in an effort to raise money for the program’s activities and centers. Since 1995, Woodward has consistently supported the JGBGC, raising around $376,119 for the chapter.
In addition to financial support, Woodward gives the JDBGC student volunteers by offering service hours to students who volunteer for the program after school. You can think of their partnership as a symbiotic relationship, like bees and flowers. Woodward provides dedicated student helpers, giving the JDBGC trustworthy volunteers who are able to entertain and tutor the program’s kids. In return, Woodward receives students who complete their service hours on time, gain experience in childcare and tutoring and potential job opportunities through the skills learned from the program.
Those interested in volunteering for the JDBGC must remember one thing– this isn’t some regular old after-school center. You can’t just waltz into the Club; you need to get through a facilitator first. Facilitators–such as Ms. Alexis Horder, an English teacher in the Upper School and a faculty adviser for WA Serves–bridge the gap between the JDBGC and Woodward. They check to make sure that you’re genuinely interested in working with the program.
Individual volunteers aren’t the only ones stepping through JDBGC’s doors. Sometimes, entire Woodward teams and groups participate in the program to give JDBGC kids an out-of-the-ordinary experience.
“We had a lacrosse team who did a clinic there,” Ms. Horder said. “We had a robotics team who did clinics there. We had a theater group who did a month or two-month-long program that ended with the Jesse Draper kids putting on, like, a small bit of a musical, a performance…And then this year, the kids came over to watch a basketball game.”
Students, like Rowyn Turpening ’27, often choose to volunteer at programs such as the JDBGC to satisfy their 80-hour service requirement. However, Rowyn chose to stick around and regularly stay involved with the JDBGC due to the relationship she’s fostered with the kids, and to watch them grow over time.
“There’s also the social impact, seeing how these kids can go from being super shy, or you’ll see the kid that doesn’t really hang out with the other kids,” Rowyn said. “And when you start talking to them, then all the other kids want to start talking to them because you’re the cool older person.”
During her involvement with JDBGC, which she volunteered for weekly during her freshman and sophomore years, Rowyn gained a newfound appreciation for volunteering.
“Young people are the future, and we’re the ones that are really going to benefit from investing our time in our communities,” Rowyn said.
Commitment is a massive part of the program. People showing up allows the kids to know that they are supported and not alone.
“The more people that are on your team, studies show, the more successful you’re going to be,” Ms. Horder said. “So we’re just adding to the supporters and the positive relationships that those kids have.”
WA Grows
Food insecurity is a disease that infects numerous communities, targeting households who are forced to choose between necessities they can afford. According to the Atlanta Foodbank, 14.9% (1 in 7) of people in Georgia are food insecure. Although programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, were founded to provide food benefits to low-income households, 57.1% of food-insecure individuals are unable to receive them due to making 130% above the poverty line. One program at Woodward, WA Grows, aims to fight this growing disease.
WA Grows is a program tied to WA Serves, Woodward’s service leadership program. The program has only one enemy: food insecurity. WA Grows cultivates fruits and vegetables year-round in order to help feed families who may not be able to afford the regular price of food or receive food benefits. Once WA Grows harvests these crops, which amount to weighing almost 4,000 pounds yearly, they donate most of it through Family Life Ministries, which delivers and distributes the food to whoever needs it.
Family Life Ministries is a non-profit organization located in Hapeville that provides food, hygiene products and necessities to those primarily living in Tri-Cities who need them. Additionally, they support those who may need assistance in taking care of themselves, such as disabled people, homeless people, veterans and the elderly.
Starting from seeds, the program plants a variety of crops. Volunteers are able to grow plants they may not have even heard of; for example, they are currently growing a tomato species named “Pork Chop.” Not to be confused with the cut of meat, the Pork Chop tomato is a yellow and green striped beefsteak tomato, known for its sweet citrus flavor.
In order to maintain the flow and grow as many crops as it can, the program relies on the helpful hands of student volunteers. In fact, student volunteers contribute a significant amount of help to the garden. The program provides an additional bridge to the community by encouraging students, of all ages, to participate. After all, it takes a village to raise both a child and the WA garden. These volunteers work alongside honorably hardworking sponsors, such as Mrs. Melissa Lawhon, who has been working with WA Grows for eight years and has 30 years of gardening experience. Without them, the program would wilt away.
“We’ve… had kids from Horizons join us,” Mrs. Lawhon said. “We’ve had kids from the Girl Scout troop Middle [Lower] School [help us], along with providing service hours for Upper School students [who help in the garden]. So it connects all of our communities together… everybody can grow a tomato, and I can teach everybody that skill and open up possibilities where they didn’t realize there were possibilities.”
WA Grows has gained trust and admiration from Tri-Cities locals. A simple plant harvest can be enough to provide a stress-free food alternative to households. Their work has given a necessary boost to those who’ve struggled with not knowing if their families would be able to eat that day. WA Grows sponsors and volunteers are often reminded of who they’re fighting for.
“During the pandemic, we knew that families were benefiting from it, and even… long after that,” Mrs. Lawhon said. “So it is not unusual for people to be walking here in College Park and walking around the community, see us gardening, seeing the kids work, and actually walk up to the kids, or walk up to me and say, ‘Thank you for doing this. It really has made a difference for my family.’”
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At the end of the day, Woodward’s active support for the Tri-Cities has been nothing but beneficial on both sides. The Woodward administration has no plans to stop their relationships with the charities, organizations and businesses that surround or are involved with the school.
“We do try and be good stewards of the community,” Mr. Conner said. “We want to be good partners with the city of College Park. We’ve always strived to do that. So I think the future is bright for our continued partnership with the City of College Park.”
