Glynn Academy

Glynn Academy (GA) is an American public high school in Brunswick, Georgia, United States, enrolling 1,900 students in grades 9–12. Along with Brunswick High School, it is one of two high schools in the Glynn County School System. Glynn Academy offers technical, academic, and Advanced Placement programs and is accredited by the Georgia Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school has consistently been ranked among the top public high schools in the United States by Newsweek. Chartered by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on February 1, 1788, Glynn Academy is the second oldest public high school outside of New England and the seventh oldest public high school in the United States; at its inception, the school embraced all grades of primary and secondary education. Because of an unsatisfactory courthouse, the county's superior and inferior courts often met at the school from 1825 to 1884. In 1889, the Annex Building was constructed, followed by the Prep Junior High School in 1909 (later annexed to the school as the Prep Building), and the Glynn Academy Building in 1923. The 1840 building itself is on the National Register of Historic Places and three other buildings (the Prep Building, 1905–09; the G. A. building, 1922; and the Annex, 1889) are contributing properties to the Brunswick Old Town Historic District. The school, in addition to serving sections of Brunswick, serves Brookman, Blythe Island, Sea Island, and St. Simons Island. It also serves sections of Country Club Estates and Dock Junction.

On February 1, 1788, Glynn Academy was created by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia making it the second oldest high school in Georgia. For more than a century the name "Glynn Academy" included all grades of public school from young learners to senior high school students. In 1888, one hundred years after its founding, Glynn Academy records show a graduating class consisting of four girls and two boys.

Built in 1840, the Old Glynn Academy Building was the first building on Hillsborough Square, the present location of the Glynn Academy campus; it is the oldest wooden schoolhouse in Georgia This building served as the only public school building in Brunswick for more than fifty years. but has since been remodeled. It is a contributing property to the Brunswick Old Town Historic District.

In the late 19th century, as the student population of Glynn Academy increased, the need arose for an additional facility to accommodate an expanding student body. Thus, the Prep Junior High School was constructed, serving as a bridge between elementary school and high school and serving sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The school was later annexed to Glynn Academy. Renovation of Prep Building was completed in early 2018. The Prep Building is the most recognizable building on the campus due to its massive stairs and columns, and the now closed off tunnel that connects it to the Glynn Academy building. This building holds most of the foreign languages classes as well as the visual arts and music classes. It is a contributing property to the Brunswick Old Town Historic District.

The Glynn Academy Building is the main administrative building on campus. At the end of World War I, a new school building was erected as a memorial to the men of Glynn County who had fought in war. Funds for it were raised through a bond election and the Glynn Academy Building was completed in September 1923. Renovations took place in 1999. In an effort to memorialize the structure, the architect of the building, Hendrik Wallin, drew inspiration from the Louvain Library in Belgium whose destruction by the Germans infuriated the Allied Forces. The Glynn Academy Building houses the Memorial Auditorium. It is a contributing property to the Brunswick Old Town Historic District.

The Sidney Lanier Building, a former primary school, was incorporated into Glynn Academy in the early 1970s. It was built in 1936 and named for the poet Sidney Lanier, who wrote a set of lyrical nature poems known as the "Hymns of the Marshes" describing the vast open salt marshes off the coast of Georgia. There is a historical marker in Brunswick commemorating the writing of “The Marshes of Glynn.” The Sidney Lanier Building houses primarily social studies classes. The Sidney Lanier Building had renovations during the 2018–2019 school year and is finished.

The Science Building was completed in 1963 and houses the literature and science classes. The school's library is also located in the Science Building. The Science Building is now the oldest (meaning least renovated) building on campus and is building #1. Renovations finished in the summer of 2020.

The "new" Gym was completed in 1983 to accommodate a growing student population. The Gym was designed by architect John Tuten, Glynn Academy Class of 1961. The Gym is affectionately known as "The Glass Palace." In November 2022, the Gym addition was completed which consists of a basketball court for classes, weight rooms, and office space for coaches. On December 3, 2022, the Gym basketball court was dedicated to Coach Theresa Adams.

The Glynn Academy Cafeteria serves as many as 2000 students and faculty daily. Construction of the new cafeteria building was completed by the end of the 2015–2016 school year. John Tuten was also the architect for this building.

The bell in front of the Glynn Academy Building is a near replica of the Liberty Bell in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is mounted on a red brick base and totals about 2,000 pounds. In 1897, the bell was cast in bronze by McShane Foundry in Baltimore, Maryland and was used in the clock tower of Brunswick City Hall until the 1930s. The Glynn Academy Student Council of 1968–1969 is credited with finding the Liberty Bell and assembling it on a plinth at the downtown campus. With the help of the Brunswick Fire Department and businessmen, parents and students, the bell was set during the 1969–1970 school year. The plaque at its base reads: "Erected by the Student Councils 1968–1969 and 1969–1970".