Joint Statement from Amana Academy West and Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

May 31, 2024

Nearly two years ago, Amana Academy and Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta entered into an innovative partnership to co-locate a replica charter school on an established Girl Scouts campsite at Timber Ridge. This synergistic collaboration was an experiment for both agencies, and these two years have been a wonderful learning experience for everyone involved.

As you may be aware, early into the relationship, we encountered challenges obtaining a land disturbance permit which would allow Amana Academy to install modular buildings at Hideaway Hills, which was the foundation of the plan for long-term growth and sustainability for the school.

After more than 18 months of the unresolved permitting, Amana began to investigate potential alternatives, and has recently extended an offer to purchase a new site to move its growing campus to during the 2024-25 school year.

Many moving parts are still underway, and the timeline for transitioning off of Camp Timber Ridge is still to be determined. Girl Scouts is being incredibly gracious with flexibility for remaining on campus during a portion of the next school year as construction can be finalized to obtain certificates of occupancy for the new site, which is approximately 15 minutes from Camp Timber Ridge in Smyrna city limits.

Original plans for the Girl Scouts and Amana partnership entailed a joint capital campaign in which both organizations would invest in future buildings to serve both agencies. Unfortunately, plans have evolved in ways that ultimately prevent this vision from coming into fruition.

While the move of Amana away from Camp Timber Ridge is a large step away from this original plan, both agencies remain committed to their shared missions of serving the youth of metro Atlanta to ensure a strong future for the next generation of learners, and we are excited to find new ways to partner in the future.