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Education

How Wesleyan School Found Its Peachtree Corners Home

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Current aerial view of Wesleyan School. Photos courtesy of Wesleyan School.

Wesleyan School has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church on Mt. Vernon Highway. Now occupying 85 beautiful acres in the heart of Peachtree Corners, Wesleyan consists of approximately a dozen buildings, a beautifully manicured courtyard, and a plethora of sports fields, courts and stadiums.

The early years

Founded in 1963 by the name Wesleyan Day School, the institution began as a preschool dedicated to providing a nurturing, Christian environment for children. In the following 24 years, the school continued to expand its offerings, and by the time they began to offer high school classes in 1994, it was apparent that the school was rapidly outgrowing its home at the church. Thus, the search commenced to find a new location in earnest.

From 1988 until her retirement, the school had been under the leadership of Head of School Barbara Adler, a former Wesleyan parent, teacher and assistant head who envisioned Wesleyan’s future as a college-preparatory Christian school for children from kindergarten through 12th grade. To make this vision a reality, the organization would need to find a new home.

In January 1995, the school approached the leadership at the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church and proposed a radical idea: they would put all their efforts into finding a new home by January 1, 1996, or they would forget about the move entirely. The pressure was on.

Sandy Springs United Methodist Church

During this time real estate in the area was at a premium due to the impending Olympics and land was hard to come by. Additionally, there was the issue of zoning, as the majority of properties would need to go through an extensive rezoning process to be suitable for a school, which could jeopardize their tenuous timeline.

An aerial photo of the property that became Wesleyan School’s Peachtree Corners campus in 1996

Searching for new home

Local commercial real estate agent and Wesleyan parent Rob Binion joined the board in 1995 and began discussing the issue of finding a new home with Chairman Raymond Walker. Binion worked in Peachtree Corners and was regularly commuting to the area. One day while walking through a nearby parking lot, he ran into a friend of his, Dan Cowart.

Wesleyan School students signing the bricks that would be used to build Cleghorn Hall, the high school building (approximately 1996-1997)

Jim Cowart, Dan’s father, was a developer and philanthropist who is credited as the man who brought the vision of Peachtree Corners to life. He was responsible for establishing a number of neighborhoods in the late 1970s, including Chattahoochee Station, Spalding Corners, Peachtree Station, Revington, Linfield and Amberfield. Later, Dan continued that legacy by developing Riverfield and Wellington Lake.

In the mid 1990s, Dan had acquired a 53-acre undeveloped office park just off Spalding Drive. He had a vision: he wanted to build a school there. But without any students, teachers or concrete resources with which to make that a reality, it was only an idea. When Dan ran into Rob Binion in the parking lot that fateful day and the topic of finding a home for Wesleyan came up, the two began to seriously discuss the possibility of moving the school to Peachtree Corners.

“Back then, 25 or 30 years ago, they didn’t know where Peachtree Corners was,” Binion recalled discussing the idea with Wesleyan’s board. “I told Raymond Walker and he said ‘No, Rob, let’s not talk about it. That’s not going to happen.’”

However, despite his hesitation, the increasing pressure of their timeline began to worry Walker and the Wesleyan Board. As fate would have it, Walker’s son happened to play on the same football team as Cowart’s son, and Binion recalls that over the course of that August the two fathers would sit together and discuss this tract of land every week at practice. Eventually the idea began to solidify as a real possibility.

“Raymond was finally convinced that this was what God wanted Wesleyan to do,” said Binion.

“And so Wesleyan, the school over in Sandy Springs, had this plan about what we were going to do, and then God said no, you’re moving to Peachtree Corners and you’re going to make this work. We had no money, we had no idea how we were going to do it.”

Change in leadership

At the time, the board was also contending with the impending retirement of headmaster Barbara Adler, so they had to come up with a plan to make this move happen, find a replacement headmaster, establish some sort of facility at the new site and also convince all the parents that it would be worthwhile to commute to Peachtree Corners.

Zach Young, headmaster emeritus and headmaster of Wesleyan from 1996-2014.

Fortune struck when they hired Zach Young as headmaster. Young, a graduate of the University of Virginia and Harvard University and the former Vice President and Assistant Headmaster at The Westminster Schools, was a master of fundraising. “He said ‘Y’all are a great group of real estate brokers, you’ve shown that, but how are you going to pay for it and how are you going to run it?’ We all looked at him and said ‘Well, that’s what we would hire you to do,’” Binion said.

Zach Young in the summer of 1996 prior to school opening on September 3, 1996

The board brought him to Peachtree Corners to educate him on the area and show him all the development that was happening there. Young insightfully pointed out that this move would only be successful if the community bought into the school as much as the school bought into Peachtree Corners.

“He was convinced that it could happen, but he said, ‘It won’t happen unless God wants it to happen,’” Binion continued.

Rob Binion in 1996

With the hard work of the dedicated board, the leadership of headmaster Young — and by the grace of God — Wesleyan officially broke ground at its new home in Peachtree Corners 25 years ago in the fall of 1996. That year, 556 students attended classes in 15 modular classrooms, one soccer field and the Marchman Gymnasium, Wesleyan’s first building.

Current Head of School Chris Cleveland

Today, the school has developed into a beautiful campus with an enrollment of nearly 1,200 students. Current Head of School Chris Cleveland said that he hopes the school is a place that draws families and businesses to Peachtree Corners.

“It would be our desire that the Wesleyan School would be viewed as a business, a ministry that makes Peachtree Corners better, and that we are leaving Peachtree Corners better than it would be if we were not here,” he said. “We are all-in on the city of Peachtree Corners, it’s really a great place.

Isadora is a writer, photographer, and designer living in Avondale Estates, GA. She has worked in print for the past decade and has been published in the Atlanta INtown, Oz Magazine, Atlanta Senior Life, and the Reporter Newspapers.

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Doing Good

Good Samaritan Gwinnett Receives State Authorization to Launch Access Academy 

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Professional woman standing in front of Good Samaritan Health Center signage

Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett (Good Samaritan Gwinnett) has received state authorization from the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (GNPEC) to officially launch Access Academy, a private, certificate-granting, low-cost postsecondary education program targeting students of low-income and/or minority households who aspire to pursue careers in healthcare but may lack the financial means to attend traditional college programs.   

Access Academy is designed to meet the needs of students from underserved communities, providing healthcare-specific training at a fraction of the cost, thanks to charitable donations and volunteer-based faculty support.

Healthcare worker sterilizing dentistry instruments
photo courtesy of Good Samaritan Gwinnett

Access Academy will initially offer a five-month medical assistant certification program. Graduates of the program will be able to enter the workforce without the burden of student loans, directly benefiting their household income and financial well-being.   

“We are thrilled to launch Access Academy and open the doors of opportunity for those who need it most,” said Shameka Allen, CEO of Good Samaritan Gwinnett. “Our mission has always been to support underserved communities, and now, with Access Academy, we can extend that impact by helping students earn their medical assistant certificates and get their start in healthcare.”  

A history of mentoring and education

Good Samaritan Gwinnett has a rich history of educating undergraduate and graduate students in health sciences. Since 2012, the organization has mentored nearly 450 graduate students pursuing medical and dental professional degrees. The cost of precepting just one midlevel student for an average of 168 hours amounts to $10,038, reflecting the organization’s dedication to training and education.  

Two female healthcare workers standing at their computers
photo courtesy of Good Samaritan Gwinnett

Greg Lang, chief financial officer of Good Samaritan Gwinnett, spearheaded the efforts to secure state authorization and launch Access Academy.   

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see Access Academy come to life after months of planning and preparation,” Lang said. “Access Academy is not just providing training — it’s offering hope, opportunity and the support needed to turn dreams into reality.”  

An ongoing mission

The launch of Access Academy is part of Good Samaritan Gwinnett’s ongoing mission to expand its reach and make healthcare more accessible, both by providing direct patient care and by equipping future healthcare professionals with the skills they need to succeed. Since Good Samaritan Gwinnett’s inception in 2005, more than 52,300 patients have entered the clinic more than 300,000 times. 

For more information about Access Academy, visit them at goodsamgwinnett.org/access-academy or email Greg Lang at Greg.Lang@goodsamgwinnett.org.   

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Education

Pinecrest Academy Named to 2024 AP School Honor Roll

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a school building and green lawn

Pinecrest Academy, a private preK3–12 Catholic school serving north metro Atlanta, has once again been named to the College Board’s 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 also 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.

“We are so honored to have received this AP Honor Roll Award, as we strive each year to provide every student with a college preparatory experience, which includes the successful completion of challenging AP courses,” commented Amy Bowman, Pinecrest Academy high school principal. “The Platinum designation from AP speaks to the excellence that our faculty strives for in delivering challenging content that prepares our students for college.”

The numbers

During the 2023-2024 school year, Pinecrest had 89% of seniors taking at least one AP exam during high school, 82% of seniors scoring a three or higher on at least one AP exam and 58% who took five or more AP exams. Twenty-one AP courses were offered, representing 30 sections taught by 12 high school teachers at the school.

“Our Class of 2024 earned a 100% acceptance into the college/university of their choice,” Bowman said. “Since the school’s first graduating class of 2007, Pinecrest’s high school has maintained a 100% graduation rate every year.”

AP School Honor Roll Award

AP Access Award

Pinecrest Academy was also awarded the AP Access Award this year. Schools on the AP School Honor Roll may earn the AP Access Award, which recognizes schools that demonstrate a clear and effective commitment to equitable access to advanced coursework. 

“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.”

For more information, visit pinecrestacademy.org.

For more about the Advanced Placement® Program, visit ap.collegeboard.org.

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Education

Nine Wesleyan School Seniors Recognized by National Merit Scholarship Corporation

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individual senior photos of nine students

Wesleyan School recently announced that the National Merit Scholarship Corporation has recognized nine of the school’s seniors.  

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition that recognizes exceptional academic promise demonstrated by a student’s outstanding performance on their junior year PSAT. 

Seniors Will Jamieson, Thomas Markley, Sara Marie Miller, Tecson Wu, and Caroline Yates were named National Merit Semifinalists, an honor that only 1 percent of seniors (approximately 16,000 total) nationwide receive based on their PSAT scores. These seniors will submit essays in the hopes of becoming finalists to earn scholarship money from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Finalists will be announced in February. 

Additionally, seniors Landon Clement, Audrey Cornell, Rachel Oh, and Ellie Simmons were named National Merit Commended students. Approximately 2 percent of seniors nationwide receive this recognition. 

About Wesleyan

Wesleyan School is a Christian, independent K-12 college preparatory school located in Peachtree Corners. At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, Wesleyan enrolled 1,207 students from throughout the metropolitan Atlanta area.

To learn more about the school, visit wesleyanschool.org.

For more information about the National Merit Scholarship, visit nationalmerit.org.

Photos

From top left: Landon Clement, Thomas Markley, Ellie Simmons, Audrey Cornell, Sara Marie Miller, Tecson Wu, Will Jamieson, Rachel Oh and Caroline Yates

Photos courtesy of Wesleyan School; photo credit: Rebekah Smith

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