Pinecrest Academy (Georgia)

Pinecrest Academy
Address
955 Peachtree Parkway
Cumming, Georgia, (Forsyth County), 30041
United States
Coordinates 34°8′11″N 84°10′11″W / 34.13639°N 84.16972°WCoordinates: 34°8′11″N 84°10′11″W / 34.13639°N 84.16972°W
Information
Funding type Privately funded
Motto Semper Altius
(Always Higher)
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 1993
Opened 1993
Status Open
School code 110926
Principal Mr. Ed Lindekugel, Mrs. Denise Cress, Mrs. Madeliene Flanagan
Asst. Principal Mrs. Jocelyn Sotomayor
Head of school Mr. Paul Parker
Chaplain Fr. Matthew Kaderabek, LC
Grades PreK3-12
Gender co-educational campus with gender separate classes
Enrollment 807 (2015)
Language mainly English and teach all Children PK3-12 Spanish but in high school one has the option of taking Latin.
Campus Suburban
Campus size 68 acres (280,000 m2)
Color(s) Green and Gold         
Sports basketball, baseball, swimming, cheer leading, cross country, football, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, golf, and tennis
Mascot Paladin (Medieval Knight)
Team name Paladins
Accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools[1]
Average SAT scores 1769
Average ACT scores 25
Tuition $14,500, 9-12 $13,420, 6-8 $11,950 K-5
Affiliation Private
Website http://pinecrestacademy.org

Pinecrest Academy is a private, Roman Catholic PreK3-12 school in Cumming.[2] It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. Pinecrest Academy is a gender segregated school (grades 4-12), with separate classes, and curriculum for each gender.

Background

The Pinecrest Academy lower school was established in 1993 to serve the north Atlanta area. The high school was added in 2003, graduating its first students in May, 2007.[3]

In 1993, a group of Catholic businessmen, educators, and lay leaders, under the spiritual direction of the Legionaries of Christ, and the support and encouragement from the Archdiocese of Atlanta, founded Pinecrest Academy as an independent, private elementary school in North Atlanta. This farsighted community of parents, teachers, and supporters recognized a need for a unique center of learning and spiritual growth.

In its very first year, Pinecrest set a standard of academic excellence and spirituality which struck a responsive chord in parents who learned of its mission and experienced first hand the academic and spiritual growth of their children.

With an initial enrollment of 29 students, the school began in rented facilities in a former Fulton County elementary school in Crabapple, Georgia.

In 1995, Pinecrest moved to Dunwoody, Georgia where, by the beginning of its fourth year of existence, enrollment had increased to the facility's maximum capacity of 153 elementary school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. In March 1998, Pinecrest received accreditation status from The Georgia Accrediting Commission, Inc.

In August 1998, Pinecrest began its sixth year of growth on its own 53-acre (210,000 m2) campus in a six building, 15-classroom facility near the city of Cumming in south Forsyth County, where it currently resides.

In the fall of 2003, the high school opened and the campus expanded as well 68 acres (280,000 m2).

In the fall of 2006, two of Pinecrest's first students returned to Pinecrest Academy to teach Latin, Art and Catholic Formation.

In 2007, the school graduates the first high school class. The facilities include a lower school campus for Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grades, a middle school building for grades 6-8, a high school building for grades 9-12, high school gymnasium with cafeteria, lower school gym, lighted athletic field, cross country course, and two playgrounds.

In 2007, Pinecrest received a donation to build and compete their Our Lady of Guadelupe Chapel. This is the first free standing Legionary school chapel in the United States.

Other developments which occurred that year also include an amphitheatre, baseball field, and soccer/football fields.

The baseball field was completed in the Spring of 2007 and is considered the premier high school playing field in Forsyth County. The installation of the field was managed by Ed Mangan, Atlanta Braves Field Manager and NFL Super Bowl Field Manager, and includes two batting cages and brick dugouts. Future plans include additional seating and concession facilities.

When fully completed, the campus will feature separate buildings for lower, middle, and high schools, additional athletic fields, a commons building, fine arts, and media centers. The buildings will house computer and science labs, as well as chapels in each building to enhance studies and spiritual growth.

In April 2012 the then three-year-old school band composed of 6-12 grade students performed at Carnegie Hall in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The athletic department also purchased an inflatable tunnel and smoke machines so that the football team could run through it before games, enhancing school spirit.

A 2014 Blue Ribbon School, Pinecrest has been a School of Excellence, as named by the Cardinal Newman Society, for eight consecutive years.[4]

See also

Notes and references

  1. Institution Summary, AdvancED, Retrieved 2012-07-10
  2. "Contact Us." Pinecrest Academy. Retrieved on March 17, 2010.
  3. PCA. "Pinecrest Academy History". Retrieved 2007-05-11.
  4. Nation’s Top 50 Catholic High Schools Announced

External links