Pinecrest Academy (Georgia)

Pinecrest Academy is a private, Roman Catholic PreK3-12 school in Cumming, Georgia.^[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 direction of the controversial congregation, the Legionaries of Christ, founded Pinecrest Academy as an Catholic, private elementary school. With a first year 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, 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 by 68 acres (280,000 m²).

In 2007, the school graduated the first high school class. The facilities now 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 Guadalupe Chapel. Other developments which occurred that year 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. 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]

Controversy

Controversy surrounds the school, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), with several priests being suspiciously removed, reports of over zealous influence into religious vocations, and the admittance of only students with affluent families to further the school's goals.^[5]

See also

• List of private schools in Atlanta
• National Catholic Educational Association

Notes and references

External links

• School Website
• Map

Archdiocese of Atlanta
Ordinaries	Bishop Francis Edward Hyland Archbishops Paul John Hallinan Thomas Andrew Donnellan Eugene Antonio Marino James Patterson Lyke John Francis Donoghue Wilton Daniel Gregory Auxiliary Bishops Joseph Bernardin Luis Rafael Zarama David Talley
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the King
Education	High Schools Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, Roswell Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Atlanta (including Sandy Springs) Marist School, Brookhaven Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School, Athens Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School, Fayetteville Pinecrest Academy, Cumming St. Pius X Catholic High School
Catholicism portal