Pinecrest Academy Named a 2014 Blue Ribbon School

                          
Pinecrest Academy
955 Peachtree Parkway
Cumming, GA 30041
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   Media Contact:           Vivian Heard
                                                                                                            vheard@pinecrestacademy.org
                                                                                                            (770) 888-4477
EMBARGOED UNTIL 1:30 PM ET on Sept. 30, 2014
U.S. Department of Education
Press Office: (202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov
 
Pinecrest Academy Named a 2014 Blue Ribbon School
The Private PreK-12 Catholic School is One of Just 337 Schools in Nation to Receive Honor
 
Cumming, GA (September 30, 2014) -- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today recognized 337 schools, including Pinecrest Academy in Cumming, GA, as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2014, based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
 
Secretary Duncan made this announcement live via the Department's USTREAM channel http://www.ustream.tv/channel/education-department at 1:30 pm and was viewed by recognized principals, teachers, and students assembled across the country.
 
The Department will honor 287 public and 50 private schools, including Pinecrest, at a recognition ceremony November 10-11, 2014, in Washington, D.C. Pinecrest President, Fr. Robert Presutti, LC, , and fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Eleanor Millspaugh, will attend the ceremony to receive the Blue Ribbon award on behalf of the Lower, Middle and High Schools at Pinecrest.
 
In its 32-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed this coveted award on 7,900 of America’s schools. This year, Pinecrest Academy is among less than one percent of the 132,183 schools in the nation to receive this honor, and one of just 50 private schools to be recognized. Additionally, Pinecrest is the only recognized PreK-12 school in the State of Georgia.
 
“These great schools are fulfilling the promise of American education—that all students, no matter their name or zip code, can flourish when schools provide safe, creative, and challenging learning environments,” Secretary Duncan said. “National Blue Ribbon Schools are models of consistent excellence and a resource for other schools and districts. We celebrate them for their tireless effort and boundless creativity in reaching and teaching every student.”
 
“We are  honored and humbled to be among the less than one percent of schools across the nation to receive the distinction of 2014 School of Excellence,” said Fr. Robert Presutti, LC, Pinecrest Academy President. “I attribute this achievement to the unwavering pursuit of excellence in education among our administration and faculty, all of whom, over our twenty-one year history, have given selflessly to each and every student who has been educated here at Pinecrest.”
 
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students either achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap.
 
All schools are recognized in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:
 

• Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Student subgroup performance and high school graduation rates are also at the highest levels.

 

• Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years. Student subgroup performance and high school graduation rates for each subgroup are at high levels.

 
Pinecrest Academy falls under the category of "Exemplary High Performing Schools."  Specifically, for the 2013-2014 award year, the Department strengthened the focus of both categories’ performance criteria around subgroups within a school and improving graduation rates for all students. Pinecrest Academy has maintained a one hundred percent graduation rate since its first graduating class in 2007.
 
“To be recognized as a school of academic distinction across all grades in a Prekindergarten through 12th grade school is a tremendous achievement,” commented Pinecrest Academy Head of School Paul Parker.  “We are extremely proud of both our students and their teachers. At Pinecrest, we've always known what a special place we have the privilege of educating children within, but it is great to have this accomplishment recognized by the Department of Education as well!” 
 
The Department invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education official in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools. A total of 420 schools nationwide may be nominated, with allocations determined by the numbers of K-12 students and schools in each jurisdiction. The U.S. Secretary of Education invites nominated schools to submit an application for possible recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School.
 
NOTE TO EDITORS: Photographs and brief descriptions of the 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools are available at http://www.ed.gov/nationalblueribbonschools.
 
About Pinecrest Academy
Pinecrest Academy is a PreK3 through 12th grade, college preparatory Catholic school, located in Cumming, Georgia, a northern suburb of Atlanta. The school provides an atmosphere of academic rigor and critical thinking, while offering personalized attention in a Christ-centered environment of faith and reason. Pinecrest prepares students to become committed Christian leaders, eager to transform a global society. This mission is accomplished in a gender specific environment on a co-ed campus. Following the educational philosophy of the Legionaries of Christ, Pinecrest implements Integral Formation to develop the spiritual, intellectual, human, and apostolic dimensions of the whole person. Students are challenged to identify and use their gifts in service to others. Recognizing the parent as the primary educator of the child, the school’s mission embraces the entire family. Pinecrest provides a safe, moral, and spiritual environment which leads to positive peer groups and joyful, caring and confident students. Pinecrest serves the Archdiocese of Atlanta, local parishes, and local Christian and civic communities. The school also serves international students, their families, and others who embrace its educational philosophy. For more information, visit www.pinecrestacademy.org or call 770-888-4477.
 
 
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