At Innovation Academy, health care students in Element Six have been busy this year. In a unique, project based learning course, students combined the worlds of narrative art and medical practice. Over two semesters, students studied fundamentals of Patient Care and Allied Health while reading personal essays from medical professionals and patients. They have written their own personal essays on a time in which they, or someone they love, needed medical care. Students have also read and studied profile essays in which authors depicted medical professionals and patients in the midst of injury, care, and recovery. Their work is based on Anton Chekhov’s stories and sketches. In 1888, Chekhov laid out six elements of an effective story; he highlighted objectivity, brevity, and originality among others. For the sixth element, Chekhov named compassion. Through the years, close readers, medical professionals, medical schools, and English teachers far and wide have noted how closely these elements track the same best practices of nurses, doctors, and caregivers.
Champions Place, located in Roswell, is a groundbreaking residential facility designed for adults with disabilities. Through cutting-edge adaptive technology, purposeful architecture, and the presence of compassionate caregivers, it empowers residents to lead independent, fulfilled lives. Born from the dreams of parents supporting the Team Titans — a wheelchair sports team in Metro Atlanta — Champions Place brings a bold vision to life: a future where disabled adults thrive in a nurturing community.
For over two years, IA students have partnered with Champions Place. From fundraising for a sports wheelchair in 2024 to volunteering at scrimmages and visiting Champions Place, the students of IA pathways and clubs have lent a hand. This year students in Element Six, a combined Health Care and English course, and IA’s AVTF team have interviewed residents as well as Team Titan members for profile stories. These stories now live here.
This partnership is rooted in the memory and legacy of Garrett Couch, who was a founding member of Champions Place and a founding faculty member at Innovation Academy. Emma Mundahl, an IA senior, was in Mr. Couch’s math class during her freshman year. She fondly remembered Mr. Couch, saying “Being a teacher was his natural fit. Helping people was his gift. I saw this firsthand as a student at Innovation Academy. He was a great listener. He loved seeing the light bulbs go off in his students’ heads and helping those pieces to click. He was a source of inspiration and encouragement to each of his students, and we cared for him just as he cared for us.”
This year we are proud to support the Capital Campaign as Champions Place seeks to expand and open their doors to serve more residents. Your support of this campaign allows for stories like the ones you will find here. And for the stories yet to come.
