News

List of 10 news stories.

  • Stephane Rivard '15

    Stephane Rivard '15 graduated from medical school and found out on March 15, 2024 that he matched for his residency in Athens, GA, at the UGA-AU Internal Medicine program at St. Mary’s hospital.

    Stephane’s wife, Abby (Labiche) Rivard is also a 2015 graduate of Pinecrest Academy. The couple was married in July 2022.
  • Pinecrest Academy to Debut Robotics Team

    Pinecrest Academy is excited to announce plans to debut a Pinecrest Academy Robotics Team! School leaders will host an informational session on March 22 for parents of current 4th-12th grade students, where advisers, Mary Claire Klooster and Juan Bustamante, will be introduced.  The team will present the school’s vision for the program before opening registration for a Spring Robotics Club and Fall Robotics Team.

    Additionally, Mr. Mayville will be partnering with the Pinecrest Robotics Team by hosting a Spring Break Coding Camp, where campers will be using Ozaria, a game-based learning platform, to teach Python!  This camp is open to all current 3rd-9th graders who want to learn one of the world's most practical and popular programming languages used by many companies and organizations.  Space is limited to 20 campers.
  • Pinecrest Earns Two Honors in Best of Forsyth

    Pinecrest Academy has won "Best Private School"  in the Best of Forsyth contest hosted by local newspaper, the Forsyth County News. This was Pinecrest’s tenth consecutive win, and the school was honored as a “10 in a Row” organization at the Best of Forsyth Banquet on Tuesday evening, January 30, 2024.

    Additionally, Pinecrest Academy Head of School, Jake Rodgers, was named "Best Administrator" for 2024. This is a tremendous honor, as Forsyth County has 42 public schools and 18 private schools. The public schools are much larger than Pinecrest Academy, with the potential for greater voter pools, and Mr. Rodgers was among 20 nominees for "Best Administrator."
  • Pinecrest Academy Students Earn Top PSAT Scores

    Pinecrest Academy ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders earned top scores out of all United States and international test takers of the October 2023 PSAT. This test was the first digitally administered test by the College Board and is a qualifier for the National Merit Scholarship Program and other scholarships.

    The highest possible score on the PSAT is 1520, with 760 being the highest possible score for both Reading/Writing and Mathematics.

    Pinecrest Academy eleventh graders scored 1121 overall, while the average score for all test takers was 998. Pinecrest tenth graders scored 1055, while the average score for all test takers was 923. Pinecrest ninth graders scored 919, while the average score for all test takers was 873.

    The Reading/Writing portion of the PSAT produced the following scores:

    Pinecrest 11th Graders - 577
    All Test Takers in 11th Grade - 504

    Pinecrest 10th Graders - 537
    All Test Takers in 10th Grade - 465

    Pinecrest 9th Graders - 919
    All Test Takers in 9th Grade - 873

    The Mathematics portion of the PSAT produced the following scores:

    Pinecrest 11th Graders - 544
    All Test Takers in 11th Grade - 494

    Pinecrest 10th Graders - 518
    All Test Takers in 10th Grade - 458

    Pinecrest 9th Graders - 446
    All Test Takers in 9th Grade - 433

    “I'm not surprised that our students have scored above average, as we've got some pretty amazing students here at Pinecrest,” commented Amy Bowman, Pinecrest Academy High School Principal. “I'm proud of them for all of their hard work!”

    The College Board also announced in October 2023 that Pinecrest Academy had been named to the Advanced Placement® Program (AP®) School Honor Roll, earning Platinum distinction. Additionally, the Class of 2023 earned a 100% acceptance rate into the University of Georgia, with previous graduating classes earning acceptance rates consistently above UGA’s annual average acceptance rate.
  • Pinecrest Academy Earns AP® School Honor Roll Awards


    Pinecrest Academy has been named to the Advanced Placement® Program (AP®) School Honor Roll, earning Platinum distinction. The AP® School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results for students while broadening access. Schools can earn this recognition annually based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness. The AP® School Honor Roll offers four levels of distinction: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

    Pinecrest had 87% of seniors who took at least one AP exam during high school, 78% of seniors scoring a three or higher on at least one AP exam, and 74% of seniors who took five or more AP exams! This data is based on 22 AP courses that were offered during the 2022-2023 school year. Twenty-one sections were taught by 12 high school teachers at Pinecrest.

    “AP represents an opportunity for students to stand out to colleges, earn college credit and placement, and potentially boost their grade point averages,” said Trevor Packer, head of the AP program. “The schools have shown that they can expand access to these college-level courses and still drive high performance – they represent the best of our AP program.”

    Pinecrest Academy was also awarded the AP Access Award. Schools on the AP® School Honor Roll may also earn this award, which honors schools that demonstrate a clear and effective commitment to equitable access to advanced coursework.
  • Class of 2023 Achieves 100% Acceptance into UGA

    Pinecrest Academy's Class of 2023 has achieved 100% acceptance into The University of Georgia! Out of the 32-member class, 17 seniors applied to UGA, and all 17 have been accepted.

    Pinecrest seniors have enjoyed a higher than average acceptance into UGA for years:
    • The Class of 2022 achieved an 86% acceptance rate into UGA, when the average acceptance into the university was roughly 42%.
    • The Class of 2021 earned an 86% acceptance rate when UGA’s overall rate was about 40%.
    • The Class of 2020 achieved a 63.2% acceptance rate, as compared to the overall UGA rate of 46%.
  • Third Grade Class Takes First Place in Math Challenge

    Ms. Brotheridge's third grade class took part in a 10-week math challenge called Springboard by Splashlearn. The 15-member class earned the number one spot in the State of Georgia out of over 9,000 participants. In fact, these students held the number one spot in Georgia the entire 10 weeks of the contest. The team also came in at number 10 nationwide, with over 143,000 classes participating.

    SplashLearn creates learning experiences that motivate young learners to achieve mastery of math skills. It provides interactive math practice for K-5 students, benefiting over 40 million learners globally. SpringBoard is the annual nationwide contest designed to help students master their current grade-level skills. During the 10-week contest, students earn points by answering problems and mastering math skills.

    “My third graders clearly used the virtues of perseverance and self-discipline in order to stick with something for this long, while producing excellent results,” commented Tiffany Brotheridge, Pinecrest Academy third grade teacher. “We did not win the top prize, a $1,000 Amazon gift card, but that didn't stop my students from doing their best each day to stay number one in Georgia. I am extremely proud of them!”

    As a reward for their number one ranking at the close of the 10-week contest, every student in Ms. Brotheridge’s class won a quarterly subscription to SplashLearn, which includes 8,000+ math games, worksheets and books, live classes with expert teachers, and exclusive SplashSummer access.
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  • Student Scores Gold on National Latin Exam

    Jean Marie Herbert scored summa cum laude for the second time on the National Latin Exam (NLE). This ”Gold” achievement is awarded to the top scorers. The standardized test is given annually in all 50 states and around the world, and awards are given based on the national average.

    Jean Marie, a sophomore, is in Latin 2 this year, and takes the class online through GAVS. She plans to continue with Latin 3 next year at Pinecrest, under the instruction of Dr. Joseph Baxley.

    According to the NLE website, the philosophy of the National Latin Exam is predicated on providing every Latin student the opportunity to experience a sense of personal accomplishment and success in his or her study of the Latin language and culture. The exam is not meant to be a competition, but rather, an opportunity for students to receive reinforcement and recognition for their accomplishments in the classroom.

    Jean Marie hopes to spark more interest in Latin and is working to renew the National Latin Honor Society at Pinecrest.  We are so proud of Jean Marie and her great accomplishment!
  • Patrick O’Rourke ‘19 Makes Pitching History at Berry

    Patrick O’Rourke ‘19 has been a key player on the Berry College Baseball team, earning a stellar pitching record over the last four seasons for the Vikings.

    As a senior, Patrick has had the fewest walks allowed in the conference by a starting pitcher, with only five given during the 2023 season. He leads the team in wins and strikeouts, and his record is 7-1 so far.

    Patrick’s family was on-hand on April 28, 2023 to witness his strong pitching performance that helped the Vikings to a 6-3 win over Hendrix (Conway, Arkansas), in the first game of the Southern Athletic Association Opening Round of the playoffs.

    In the second round of the SAA tournament in Birmingham, Alabama on May 4, Patrick pitched a two-hit, complete game shutout against Centre College (Kentucky), capping off possibly his last game in college baseball of his career, leading the Berry Vikings to a 10-0 win! Patrick’s family cheered him on through graduation weekend, as the Vikings continued tournament play. Patrick was selected to the SAA All-Tournament Conference Team over the weekend.

    Two years ago, Patrick pitched a Perfect Game, a first in Berry College history. There have been only 23 perfect games in MLB history, so this is an amazing accomplishment!

    Patrick graduated with a double major in accounting and finance and begins his career with a new job in June.
  • Ryan Clever ’22 Subs for Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

    Ryan Clever ’22 finished his first year at Rice University in April 2023. He is pursuing a Flute Performance degree at the Shepherd School of Music. Ryan is a sub for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Symphony Orchestra after successful auditions in Fall '22. In December, he performed with the ASO at one of their Christmas concerts.  Pictured is Ryan with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra flute section.