Highlights from this Week’s Fly By

Welcome to the Fly By with Callyanne McCrea

School Theme for the Year

This year’s theme is Hope from Psalm 71:5:
“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.”

Key Reminders

• 2026-2027 School Calendar The 2026-2027 School Calendar was sent out in the Landing on Friday. Be sure to check it out before you book your flights.
• GGG Lunch The next Geneva Grandmothers Gathering Lunch is this Wednesday, February 11 at El Mirasol at 11:30. Grab your grandma and we’ll see you there.
• Ice Cream Sign Ups Volunteers are needed for Ice Cream Fridays in the Spring Semester. Please consider signing up to volunteer during lunch hours on Fridays to help with this GCL fundraiser. This is a great way to meet new people and build community! See the Landing for the link to sign-up.
• Winter Break In case you forgot, Mid-Winter Break is this Thursday – Monday. Enjoy these days off with your family and we’ll see you back on the following Tuesday.
• TEFA The TEFA application portal opened last Wednesday. Be sure to apply before the portal closes March 17th.

This Week in History

On February 12, 1959, the United States mint officially released the new penny reverse design with the Lincoln Memorial, marking the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. This new design replaced the two wheat stalks which honored America’s agricultural roots and had been in circulation since 1909. After 50 years, the US Mint issued four different pennies as part of the Lincoln bicentennial One Cent Program, which honored four phases of Lincoln’s life. His birth in Kentucky, Formative years in Indiana, his professional life in Illinois, and his presidency in Washington D.C. As of 2025, the federal government has stopped manufacturing new pennies but the roughly 250 billion pennies will remain in circulation for as long as possible. This was announced as a cost-saving measure and gives ‘penny-pinching’ a whole new meaning. A nickel for your thoughts just doesn’t roll off the tongue quite the same.

Did You Know?

Did you know that in 2013 The George family boys woke up early to shoot the first deer to hang at Medieval Feast? For many years, Mr. George, and his sons Guy (class of 2023) and Shawn (class of 2024) woke up early and shot a deer for the 4th grade festivities. And in 2015, the king’s entertainment included live mice coming out of the black bird pie. Though it was quite entertaining, Geneva decided no more mice were needed, even if it did make the king laugh. Medieval Feast has always been a creative endeavor that is a true memory maker each year.

Fun Faculty Fact

Admission Director, Ellen Yarbrough, is the fifth ‘Ellen’ in her family. Followed by her daughter Ellen Morgan and granddaughter Ellen Blaise. She went to 7 schools in three different states between Kindergarten and 12th grade. After college she lived in Carmel, California where she drove a Harley Davidson. Mrs. Yarbrough has visited El Salvador, Puerto Rico, India, and Guatemala where she brought the love of Jesus and helped build homes, churches, lead VBS, and even helped construct facilities on a prayer mountain. Mrs. Yarbrough plays pickleball every Wednesday night, along with Advancement Director Libby Lunsford. She has three kids who all attended Geneva, Morgan, Spencer, and Christian and has two grandchildren, Ellen Blaise and London Joy. Mrs. Yarbrough says, “Receiving a Geneva education has been a meaningful and truly life-shaping experience for all three of my children, but just as powerful—if not more so—has been the impact on our family of the imperfect yet beautiful community God has graciously woven together in this special place.”