Fulton Science Academy Private School’s first 11 years (2012 – 2023) have been a journey of unparalleled success. In eleven years, the school’s enrollment number has grown from 101 students to 962 students, making it the fastest-growing private school in the region. As of our 11th year, FSA has a very strong student body and a rigorous academic program allowing the school to rank in the top 1% in all grade levels and subjects among all schools taking nationally normed NWEA MAP tests.

We are also delighted to have been recognized by the United States Department of Education as a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School and designated a National School of Character in 2022. Today, FSA is also known for its nurturing environment, daily character education programs, collaborative community, strong college preparation program, and highly successful academic and athletic teams.

We consider these accomplishments only the beginning of many greater achievements for our students. With these thoughts, we have conducted extensive SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analyses and discussion sessions with our stakeholders to develop a strategic roadmap for the next five years of our growth to fulfill the school’s mission and vision successfully. In light of our mission and vision, our five-year strategic plan includes four primary goals:

• Enhancing our interdisciplinary education
• Fostering a strong research and innovation culture
• Advancing community outreach and partnerships efforts
• Developing an exceptional fine arts program
• Planning and carrying out campus enhancements, facility expansion, and future growth

GOAL 1 - ENHANCING OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION

At Fulton Science Academy, we believe in the importance of a quality interdisciplinary education that helps students develop critical thinking skills, understand different perspectives, appreciate diversity, and make real-world connections. Accordingly, interdisciplinary content, approaches, strategies, activities, and events are encouraged and supported both within the classroom and through extracurricular activities. We believe that by enhancing our interdisciplinary efforts, we can better prepare our students for life and career success. Therefore, we aim to strengthen our interdisciplinary program. FSA commits to implementing the following strategies to reach this goal:

• Creating a full-time STEAM and interdisciplinary education coordinator position
• Creating an interdisciplinary education committee
• Providing ongoing training and support to equip teachers with the information and resources necessary to embed interdisciplinary learning into the school culture
• Reviewing and revisiting each curriculum to ensure quality interdisciplinary content and infusing quarterly cross-curricular projects/case studies where students problem solve issues through the lens of specific academic courses
• Coordinating activities and events that support cross-curricular learning, such as STEAM day and STEAM night
• Bolstering and promoting extracurricular activities that support interdisciplinary work, such as academic teams and passion projects
• Enhancing and creating courses that focus directly on cross-curricular activities:
• Developing a cross-curricular, collaborative approach to elementary STEAM courses through a variety of projects and activities
• Creating a middle school Creative Problem Solving class as an anchor course to integrate and support all subject areas
• Adding high school level electives that are interdisciplinary in nature and pairing AP courses that are cross-curricular with each other so students take them in conjunction with one another
• Effectively utilizing partnerships and outside resources that support interdisciplinary learning

GOAL 2 - FOSTERING A STRONG RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CULTURE

Fulton Science Academy has a successful student body with enormous potential. FSA's rigorous academic environment, along with students' academic and intellectual capacities, make it an ideal place for conducting and publishing high-level research. Research is essential for students because it helps them develop crucial analytical and problem-solving skills, encourages them to think outside the box, and teaches them how to use evidence to support their points of view. We are confident that by fostering a strong research and innovation culture at our school, we can help our students become successful scientists, researchers, intellectuals, and innovators. FSA commits to implementing the following strategies to reach this goal:

• Creating a full-time research and innovation director position
• Establishing an innovation center to support student research and projects
• Creating a research portal offering necessary guidance and information as well as an inventory of student research
• Providing students with access to peer-reviewed research journals and articles
• Publishing a semesterly peer-reviewed and student-led student journal, Scripta
• Presenting annual AP Capstone student research projects
• Bolstering and promoting student passion projects
• Providing school sponsored and outside research grant information and application forms to support student research and projects
• Sharing outside opportunities for students to present their research, including but not limited to:
  Georgia Academy of Science
  National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools
• Organizing school-wide activities and events that promote student research
  Annual student research conference
  Annual student research and project fair
  Annual science fair
  Annual research expeditions
• Establishing local, national, and international partnerships to support student research and projects, including internship and mentorship opportunities

GOAL 3 - ADVANCING COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIP EFFORTS

The famous saying from Japanese Author Ryunosuke Satoro - "Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean" - clearly communicates FSA's philosophy of outreach and partnership. Traditionally, the sense of community has always been a strong aspect of Fulton Science Academy, with many parents, alumni, and even former faculty members volunteering and helping our school through many activities, projects, competitions, and events. Expanding our outreach and partnership efforts to a wider scope of communities will provide further opportunities for FSA students to serve the local community while giving the broader communities a chance to support our school’s mission and vision. Therefore, we aim to work towards advancing our outreach and partnership efforts. FSA commits to implementing the following strategies to reach this goal:

• Creating a full-time outreach and partnership director position
• Maintaining an inventory of outreach and partnership efforts and evaluating the success of those initiatives
• Providing students with additional opportunities by building partnerships in the areas of:
  Service learning
  Internship
  Mentorship
  Student research
  International opportunities
  STEAM education
  College and career readiness
• Developing a strong alumni program
• Developing a comprehensive approach to build relationships with the greater community, including but not limited to:
  Businesses / Non-Profits / Organizations / Institutions
  K-12 Schools
  Colleges
  Chambers of commerce
  Sister schools
  Associations
• Securing grants and sponsorships supporting academics, athletics, and fine arts
• Capitalizing on and expanding the Project Petal initiative

GOAL 4- DEVELOPING A TOP-NOTCH FINE ARTS PROGRAM

Fulton Science Academy believes that quality fine arts education programs are essential to the overall development of its students as they prepare for life and career. This is because, through fine arts education, students can develop creative and critical thinking skills, gain self- confidence, foster communication abilities, understand aesthetic values, better comprehend and appreciate diverse cultures, and have a means of self-expression that can benefit both their physical development and mental health. Accordingly, we strive to provide a quality fine arts education integrated into all aspects of the school environment. We recognize that we have room for improvement in this endeavor; therefore, it is our goal to work toward developing an exceptional fine arts program. FSA commits to implementing the following strategies to reach this goal:

• Creating a full-time fine arts director position and hiring additional fine arts personnel
• Completing the design and financing of the fourth phase of campus enhancements to have a state-of-the-art fine arts center
• Forming a diverse and comprehensive fine arts committee
• Organizing regular art activities and events, such as an annual art fair, art nights, art speakers, art and music competitions, art field trips, music concerts, drama performances, and art exhibits
• Enhancing art offerings by incorporating a variety of mediums and increasing the number of fine arts clubs and courses
• Partnering with other schools, colleges, art institutions, and organizations to enhance our programs and offer mentorship and internship opportunities for our students
• Supporting fine arts teachers with professional development learning opportunities in the arts
• Supporting talented students with the preparation of professional-quality art portfolios

GOAL 5- PLANNING AND CARRYING OUT CAMPUS ENHANCEMENTS, FACILITY EXPANSION, AND FUTURE GROWTH

In 2012, Fulton Science Academy began its operation in a 40,000-sq.-ft. converted warehouse. Within three years, the school purchased an 18-acre parcel of land and built a brand-new 72,000 sq. ft. facility—which included science and technology labs, art and music classrooms, a media center, a cafetorium, a gym, and a playground—as part of our campus master plan. In 2020, we added 35k sq ft to the facility, including a high school hangout, courtyard space, additional art classrooms, additional science and technology labs, and 35 spacious new classrooms. Educational research suggests that better school facilities can increase student and community engagement leading to higher academic performance and improved student well-
being. Therefore, we are working on completing three more phases to enhance our campus and better meet our students' needs. FSA commits to implementing the following strategies to reach this goal:

• Creating a full-time advancement director position and a team to support campus improvements, facility enhancements and plan for our continued and future growth
• Completing the third phase of campus development, which includes:
• • Turf athletic field with a 100-meter track (The field will be available for use during both recesses and sporting events.)
  • Stadium bleacher seating for games and tournaments
  • Field house with dressing rooms, restrooms, concessions, a weight room, an athletic office, athletic storage rooms, and a press box.
  • Observatory on the third floor of the field house as part of our growing astronomy program
  • Four tennis courts with adjacent bleacher seating (Four tennis courts are required to be able to host tennis tournaments.)
  • Greenhouse for student research and projects
  • Cross country running trail
  • Two music classrooms
  • Self-contained video filming room within the media center (After the opening of the fine arts center, to be converted to a study room)
  • Dressing rooms behind the current cafeteria stage
  • Improved cafetorium stage lighting, sound system, curtain system, and electrical.
  • A large innovation center equipped with necessary tools, equipment, and materials for student research and projects
  • An additional exit and entrance road next to the field to ease the arrival and dismissal of students and improve traffic flow
  • Additional parking spaces
  • Entrance and exit gates
  • Improved landscaping
• Completing the design and financing of the fourth phase of campus enhancements to build a state-of-the-art fine arts center that includes an auditorium, stage, art gallery, film and video production studio, art studios, performance art studios, music studio, chorus room, band room, orchestra room, stage production and costume design studio, practice rooms for individual students, small groups, and private lessons, and storage for equipment, costumes, stage sets, and instruments
• Identifying opportunities to open a second campus as part of FSA's growth in the region.
• Determining the needs for the fifth and final phase of campus to include
• • Adding a third floor to the existing building to increase course offerings, provide more classrooms, and create needed space to support students and teachers
  • The possibility of closing in the retention pond to create more useable land for a parking deck and additional facility needs