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Drawing Class

Andrews Academy offers a variety of art classes for students to explore. One of these is the Basic Art/Drawing class, available during the first semester. This course is taught by Mr. Zech Ray, a local artist and AA alumnus from the class of 2008.

One of the key projects in this course is titled "Aspects of Realistic Drawing." Students are invited to explore one of three important aspects of realistic drawing:

1. Negative Space – This technique involves drawing everything except the subject, focusing on the shapes and spaces around it. By outlining these surrounding areas—often as silhouettes—students can better understand the complexity and contours of the actual subject. 

2. Proportions of the Head and Hands – In this option, students study basic human anatomy by sketching the proportions of the head and hands. Exercises include identifying the approximate placement of key features such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.

3. Light and Shadow – This approach introduces more complex concepts by having students identify which areas of a subject are lit and which are in shadow. Starting with simple light vs. dark areas, students then develop the image by deepening shadows and refining highlights to add depth and realism.

This project encourages students to develop their observational skills and artistic techniques, giving them a solid foundation in the principles of realistic drawing.

Students with CSAs in the morning that are NOT because of college classes should plan to attend. Attendance will be taken accordingly.

Please make sure that we have the phone number that you would like to have contacted. For school closings due to weather, we also send an email, put the announcement on our Facebook and Instagram pages, and alert local TV stations (WSBT, WNDU, ABC57).

To receive a text notification instead of a call (text works best), please text “ALERT” to 22300. Please make sure that you have given us the number that you would like to be texted on as well. Email ginam@andrews.edu with any changes. Thank you!

Important Attendance Policy Updates

ATTENDANCE EVALUATION

Each student begins each semester with an attendance record of zero points. All absences and tardies are assigned a weight of 1 point. The FACTS system includes separate attendance codes, allowing for clear categorization and reporting:

• A (Absence) 

• AE (Excused Absence)

• T (Tardy)

• TE (Excused Tardy)

The AS attendance code is assigned a weight of 0 and is used to mark school-related absences (e.g., for approved school trips or activities). These absences do not count against the student’s attendance record.

Students are allowed one long tour per semester.

PROCEDURES

Each school day, the student who was absent or tardy without excuse is notified of the record in FACTS, the student information system. Parents and students both receive email notifications. If the student believes the record to be incorrect, or has any question about the record, it is that student’s responsibility to contact the school office or attendance officer or submit to the school office a written excuse from a parent/guardian within 3 school days to remove those points. Excuses received between the 4th and 5th days will result in the partial removal of points. 

Correction received after five days generally will not be accepted. In instances where a student is absent for several consecutive days, such as for an extended illness, two school days are allotted following the last absence to submit an excuse.

A student is responsible for all course work missed while absent with or without excuse.

Absence Policy
• After 5 unexcused absences per class: Student receives a warning email.
• After 8 unexcused absences per class: Student receives a demerit.
• After 10 unexcused absences per class: A meeting is scheduled with the student, parents, and attendance officer or another administrator.
• After 10 combined excused and unexcused absences per class: Student receives a warning email noting the risk of withdrawal from the class.
• After 15 combined excused and unexcused absences per class: A meeting with the registrar is required, and the student may be withdrawn from the class and lose all credit subject to that class, pending a review by the Student Affairs Committee.

Tardy Policy
• After 5 unexcused tardies per class: Student receives a warning email.
• After 10 unexcused tardies per class: Student receives a demerit.
• After 10 total excused and unexcused tardies per class: Student meets with the attendance officer or administrator.

Demerit Review Policy
Demerits related to attendance may be re-evaluated at the end of the semester if the student maintains no unexcused absences or tardies from the date the demerit was issued onward.

A student is eligible to hold an organizational office or leadership position as long as they maintain an attendance score below 7 unexcused absences. A student is also eligible to participate in co-curricular, overnight trips and tours if the attendance score is below 7 unexcused absences. A student is placed on citizenship probation when the attendance score reaches 7 unexcused absences. 

Major off-campus school activities include, but are not limited to, overnight trips and tours (see section on Student Citizenship-Citizenship Probation). When a student’s attendance score reaches 7 unexcused absences, the student is placed on citizenship probation. Further unexcused absences could lead to future in-school suspensions. Repeated attendance issues will be referred to the Student Affairs Committee to determine if the student should continue in the Academy and, if so, under what conditions. If these conditions are not successfully adhered to, the student’s enrollment may be discontinued at the time of infractions, at the end of a given semester, or at the end of the school year.

Students who miss five (5) consecutive school days due to illness must provide written documentation from a certified medical professional corroborating the necessity of that absence.

- From the Sourcebook (pg. 67-68)

For any attendance questions that you would like to ask by email, please direct them to aaattendance@andrews.edu.
 

Thank you!

Mrs. Dionne Robinson
Guidance Counselor/Attendance Officer
Andrews Academy
269-471-3453

School Communications

The E-Sanjo and other communications from the school, including classroom teacher communications, use the email address(es) that you (and your parents) have recorded in FACTS when you registered for Andrews Academy. We will also use students' AU email address. Some have been wondering why they are not receiving their school communications to a certain email. If you wish to have communications sent to a specific email address, please send the change to ginam@andrews.edu. Thank you!

Freshman Class Fundraiser

Support the freshman class by ordering a delicious homemade meal: Pupusas with curtido & salsa roja, Mexican rice, black beans, and tres leches cake. 

Pupusas freeze well, so you can order for future meals also!

Order from a freshman or via the order form below. Payments are by cash or check made out to Andrews Academy.

Enjoying Autumn Learning Outdoors

This fall has treated us to a stretch of beautiful, sunny days—warm and mostly dry—perfect for taking learning beyond the classroom walls. A number of classes have taken advantage of the weather by heading out to the park benches behind the school near the pine tree, turning outdoor spaces into places for thoughtful dialogue and discussion.

As seen in the photo, it's an inviting spot for students to connect and exchange ideas in a more relaxed setting.

A big thank you to the Andrews Academy Class of 2023 for their generous class gift of these benches—they’ve truly enriched our learning environment!

Senior Pictures & Ads for Yearbook

Senior pictures are needed for yearbook, class night, and the class composite to be hung in the AA Commons or Library. The yearbook team will need your senior and baby pictures by Friday, October 17, 2025. We encourage you to get your senior picture done ASAP. Photographers get busy in the late summer and fall, so you may want to book an appointment early. PLEASE PLAN AHEAD and get your picture done in a timely manner.

You do not have to go to a professional photographer for this picture, but please make sure you follow the picture requirements below. If not, the yearbook team may request that you send an alternative. For yearbook pictures, seniors should be looking at the camera rather than away from it.

Pictures for the yearbook and senior ads must adhere to the following requirements:

Baby Photos

By the same date (October 17), please submit a baby picture as well. The baby picture will be used by yearbook as well as for senior bulletin board and class night purposes. Please submit a high-resolution JPEG baby picture. If you cannot scan the picture, you may bring the baby picture to the yearbook team, and they will scan it for you.

Also, please plan ahead for senior yearbook ad nights on Monday and Tuesday, October 27 & 28, starting at 5:00 PM. At that time, you and your parents can purchase senior ads for the yearbook (see the messages to seniors in the back of previous yearbooks for examples). Watch for more information about signing up for ad night.

Please send photos and any questions to AAyearbook@andrews.edu. Note the student’s name in the subject line and indicate if the photos are for the senior/baby section OR the parent dedication.

Attention Students: If you would like Friday's boxed lunch, those who are signed up for the lunch program must order it each week by Wednesday at 2:00 PM. The sign-up sheet will be at lunch or in the main office.

Parents: To sign your student up for the lunch program or add funds to your student's account, you may use this link to pay online (you will need your child's AU ID number), or you may pay with cash or check at the Academy main office. The minimum payment for 20 lunches is $141.20, unless your student has been approved for reduced lunch.

Adventist Colleges Abroad is part of the Education Department of the North American Division. They provide opportunities for students to learn a second language on an Adventist campus abroad.

If you want to learn more about the languages you could learn and places you could go, please come to the information meeting this Tuesday, October 7, at 7 PM in the Newbold Auditorium at Andrews University.

For additional information, please contact badenas@andrews.edu.

• www.landsend.com

• Enter school name and city/state (or use Preferred School # 900150871).

• After selecting “Andrews Academy,” select “Shop for this School.”

Pizza & Parables

• Every Wednesday 6:30 - 7:30 PM 

• Pioneer Memorial Church Youth Chapel

• Sponsored by PMC

Important Attendance Information

• Pre-arranged Absences: Please be sure to fill out a pre-arranged absence card if you know in advance that you will be missing school due to a doctor/dentist/orthodontist appointment, trip, basketball tournament, driver's test, etc. These cards can be found in the main office or online. A parent's signature is required, then the office, and teacher(s) of the class(es) that you will miss.

• Class Schedule Adjustment (CSA) Requests: A CSA is available for students who have a study hall at the beginning or ending of the school day or will be working during a study hall during the school day. A CSA is required for students who leave the Academy to attend classes at Andrews University, who are going to work off campus, or who wish to begin the school day later or leave earlier on a regular basis. The CSA request form must be filled out and signed by everyone indicated on the form before the student stops attending their study hall. Students must adhere to CSA guidelines that are printed on the CSA application. Any violation may cause the CSA to be revoked. We will email students and parents when a CSA is approved.

• Other Absences: Parents, please call the main office (269-471-3138) or email aaattendance@andrews.edu if your student is going to be absent or tardy. These are the preferable methods. 

Please provide the reason why your child will not be attending school and how long you think they will be out.

Parents/Guardians are the only authorized individuals who can excuse a student's attendance. When emailing, parents must send correspondence from their email account to maintain the validity of the request. Please include the name of the student.

From the Sourcebook (pg. 68):

Students who miss five (5) consecutive school days due to illness must provide written documentation from a certified medical professional corroborating the necessity of that absence.

For any attendance questions that you would like to ask by email, please direct these questions to AAattendance@andrews.edu.

Mrs. Dionne Robinson

Guidance Counselor

dionner@andrews.edu

269-471-3453

If you have not done so already, please purchase the Multi-Factor Authentication Security Key for all AA students right away. This key is essential for your child to access all Google platforms (AU email, Google Classroom, etc.), as well as secure documents from Andrews University and Andrews Academy. Each student needs their own security key, which cannot be used by anyone else.

Security Key Link

AA Uniforms Available from Lands' End

Please review the Sourcebook (pgs 65-66) for more information regarding uniforms. 

• Only approved logoed uniform wear is allowed.

• A solid-color, long sleeved undershirt may be worn under the AA short-sleeved polo (no writing should be visible on the undershirt).

• Only AA logoed jackets are allowed to be worn in the building.

• The PE uniform (t-shirt or sweatshirt, shorts or sweats) can only be worn during PE class.

• If a student is wearing an AA logoed jacket, they should also have an AA logoed shirt underneath.