BY ERIKA ANDERSON
Staff Writer
CUMMING--The excitement was evident at Pinecrest Academy Oct. 28 as
Archbishop John F. Donoghue dedicated the newly constructed school, bringing to
fulfillment five years of dreams and sacrifices for the school’s
supporters.
Parents, students, teachers and administrators of Pinecrest, along with
archdiocesan and Forsyth County officials, gathered in a multipurpose room to
celebrate the Mass of dedication for the school’s first permanent
facility.
Wearing red ribbons reading “tied in Christ,” the congregation
listened attentively as the archbishop in his homily encouraged them to visit
the school’s chapel.
“Before we learn one more thing, before we open one more book, before
we go to one more class, let us make a promise at this Mass,” Archbishop
Donoghue said. “Let us promise to come and visit Jesus in the chapel, to
read His holy words in the Gospel and to receive His Body in holy Communion as
often as we can.”
The archbishop then moved throughout the building, sprinkling holy water on
the walls of the school.
Following the Mass of dedication, the archbishop, along with Father John
Hopkins, LC, chairman of the Pinecrest Academy board; Dr. Brian Tierney,
headmaster; Msgr. Terry Young, pastor of the Church of St. Benedict, Duluth;
and Msgr. R. Donald Kiernan, pastor of All Saints Church, Dunwoody, which
hosted Pinecrest Academy from 1995 until the present building was completed,
were given scissors to cut a blue ribbon pulled across the altar.
Others present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Pat Topping,
president of the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce; John and Arlene Gannon,
founders of Pinecrest; Judy Guilfoil, dean of studies; Bruce Carlisle, chairman
of the building committee; and Sally Hanna and Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Tollett,
benefactors.
Archbishop Donoghue received a standing ovation as Father Hopkins expressed
his gratitude for the archbishop’s dedication to Pinecrest.
“I’d like to thank the archbishop, who, from the very beginning,
has given us so much support and has had the vision,” he said. “The
archbishop has been a real father to us, has looked after us, has given us
counsel, but most of all has been a friend, which has been so precious to
us.”
Father Hopkins also reminded the students that they are receiving an
excellent education, “I think one of the best educations you can
get.”
“I want you to make use of it every day. Don’t be afraid to be the
best and to be young men and women of character who know right from wrong. You
are so blessed at this school because you get to know Jesus Christ and make him
your best friend,” he said. “If you don’t get to know Jesus, you
are missing out on what Pinecrest is all about.”
Archbishop Donoghue then expressed his excitement for the “many good
things” happening at Pinecrest.
“When I arrived and saw the school for the first time, I was
flabbergasted,” he said. “I knew it would be good, but I didn’t
know it would be this good. It’s really marvelous.”
The modular buildings which now hold pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade
classes are the beginning of a master plan which will take eight years to
complete.
Pinecrest purchased the site at 955 Peachtree Parkway for approximately $1.6
million in 1997.
According to a conceptual master plan drawn by Collins, Cooper & Carusi
Architects, the 53-acre site in south Forsyth County will house an elementary
school for girls, an elementary school for boys, a girls high school and
chapel, a boys high school and chapel, a science building, theater/auditorium,
dining hall, elementary and high school gymnasium and administrative offices.
Each of the four schools is expected to serve 328 students.
The plan also includes a residence for priests and brothers of the
Legionaries of Christ, who will continue to provide spiritual direction for the
school community.
Pinecrest first opened its doors in 1993 in a former public school purchased
by Crabapple First Baptist Church. Five teachers taught 29 students in
pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Pinecrest remained there for two years
until the school moved into the activities building of All Saints Church.
Pinecrest now has an enrollment of 300 students.
Dean of Students Arlene Gannon and her husband, John, founded Pinecrest
along with 30 other families. She said that the new campus is a dream come
true.
“We keep pinching ourselves because we’ve had to be patient during
all this for five years. Through that patience, we’ve received a gift of a
school more than we ever dreamed of,” she said. “We can’t thank
God enough. We all feel so blessed.”
Gannon also credited her husband, who, she said, spent hundreds of hours
working on the details of the school.
“If there was anyone who made this work, it was my husband,” she
said. “He said yes to God and it is because of his ‘yes’ that we
are here today.”
Gannon also believes that the teachers, many of whom worked at Pinecrest
without pay for the first year, are the heart of the school.
“It is such a great place to come to work because people really believe
they’re making a difference in people’s lives,” she said.
“It’s work, but it’s joyful work.”
Tierney, who is in his first year as headmaster of Pinecrest, said he feels
blessed to have come to the school this year.
“This is the fun stage,” he said. “Arlene did all the hard
work and now I’m able to come in and join in the gracious beginning of the
school.”
“We have had a marvelous beginning. We couldn’t ask for
more,” he continued. “We have smiles on everyone’s faces.”
Both Gannon and Tierney expressed gratitude for the involvement of Pinecrest
parents.
“This has not been a one-person or three-family operation,” Gannon
said. “Every single parent recognized the need and they were so generous.
My hat is off to them because we keep asking them and they keep saying yes. I
think that is true of parents who send their kids to Catholic schools. They are
just committed to helping their children, especially in education.”
Laura Kelley, who works in development and has three children at Pinecrest,
said the parents are also realizing the beginning of a new era.
“It is incredible to see Pinecrest grow from a little seed to what it
has blossomed into,” she said. “This is a dream come true that we
have all been working toward for five years.”
Monica Ceron, the mother of two Pinecrest students, said she is thrilled
with the new campus.
“This is so exciting for us,” she said. “We love this school
and the way you see all the families really coming together and forming a
community. It’s wonderful.”
Gannon said although a lot of work has been completed, much more needs to be
done.
“It is very exciting, but it’s never going to be less work.
It’s always going to be more work,” she said. “When you’re
working for Christ, He’s always going to demand more of you.”
Though faculty and staff members, as well as parents and students, are
excited about the future expansion, Gannon said her goals are for the students.
“My hope is that there are leaders formed in this school who will truly
make a difference in society, that they know Christ personally and that they
take Him to other people and build up the kingdom of God,” she said.
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