The Lovett School and The Westminster Schools are rivals on the sports fields, but collaborators when it comes to the classroom. The two schools have joined together to create a summer course to encourage students at both schools to take an active role in improving the quality of life in our city. Atlanta 2.0 (ATL 2.0) will allow students to engage with civic leaders, tour a broad spectrum of Atlanta neighborhoods, and examine an array current literature about contemporary urban life. Students will work to identify the problems in our city, research potential solutions to those problems, and ultimately propose said solutions to a panel of Atlanta’s leaders in government, business, education, law, medicine, and the arts.

Students submitted applications for the course in January and were required to respond to three essays and provide two references. When asked to explain her reasons for taking this course, one student responded, “I am fascinated by the ability to experience many different cultures within one great city. I think a diverse city is the perfect classroom; there are so many things to learn within a city that cannot be taught in a building. There’s no better way to explore problems than to see them in action, and then create solutions using information that can only be gained by integrating yourself with the people and places that are causing the actual problem….”

Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible for the class and promising candidates will be invited to interview in the coming weeks. Application decisions will be announced Friday, March 1. The three-week course begins in June. 

In this initial year of ATL 2.0, scholarships will cover tuition: there is no cost to the student. Upon successful completion of the course, Lovett students will receive a half credit in history and Westminster students will receive a half elective credit.