Education
Wesleyan School Celebrates 25 Years in Peachtree Corners- Cleveland Family
Published
3 years agoon
Four families share their stories
Walking through the grounds of Wesleyan School, it feels more like stepping onto a college campus. For those unfamiliar with the school, it may be surprising to learn that Wesleyan is actually a K-12 private college-preparatory nondenominational Christian school with an enrollment of 1,171 students.
Chris Cleveland, who has served as Head of School for nearly 20 years, describes Wesleyan as many do — a family. The Wesleyan family is made up of teachers, community members and, of course, students and their families.
The Cleveland family
Chris Cleveland, Head of School, has been working at Wesleyan School for nearly 20 years. He first served as the middle school principal in 2002, then principal of the high school in 2004, and became the Assistant Headmaster for Advancement in 2010. When Zach Young retired in 2014, the board appointed Cleveland to the position of Head of School.
In addition to being a loyal employee of Wesleyan and core part of the fabric of the community, Cleveland is also a Wesleyan parent. Living with his wife and family in a home that the school owns on nearby Spalding Terrace allows him to walk to work every day via an idyllic path through the woods, and his children have also been able to walk to school.
His two sons are both Evergreens, with his oldest currently attending Georgia Tech and his youngest just beginning his senior year at Wesleyan.
Cleveland has thrived in his role. He says that administration is the hardest, and yet most rewarding, aspect of working in schools that he has ever experienced.
“I love working in a team setting, I love having a leadership team to work with and to problem solve with, but it’s also incredibly rewarding when you see a vision come to reality and when you see the lives of students that are changed,” said Cleveland.
Overseeing a K-12 school has also provided a unique opportunity to be a part of kids’ lives from the time when they are first entering the school system to when they are ushered into the world as young adults. “Those things are incredibly life-giving from a leadership standpoint,” he said.
Part of his job is to oversee the hiring process with the help of board members. This is a very important part of Cleveland’s responsibility as he feels strongly that a school is only as good as the people who work there.
While students of all religions are welcome, as a Christ-centered college-preparatory school, Cleveland feels that it is imperative that all faculty members and teachers adhere to the same basic belief structure. The Wesleyan model requires that all employees are practicing Trinitarian Christians.
“When we describe ourselves as a Christian school, the reality is that a school can’t really be Christian, only a person can,” Cleveland explained. “We never want to be a place that is trying to shove the Bible down anybody’s throat. Our job is simply to live our lives as followers as Christ and we hope that that is appealing.”
Strong sense of family
Wesleyan’s mission is to be a Christian school of academic excellence, and that’s a vision that Cleveland feels is lived out every day. “The first single term that comes to my mind is community. There is such a strong sense of family and belonging here, and I think that that has generated a lot of loyalty to the school over the years, which we are incredibly thankful for.”
Above and beyond the experience of educating the minds of its students and providing opportunities for growth in athletics, arts and leadership, the school aims to provide a nurturing environment with a wide-reaching team of adults who work as a team and are dedicated to guiding each child through their formative school years.
“We love them right where they are. And we are going to give them our absolute best each day.”
Some of Cleveland’s favorite parts of the Wesleyan experience are, rather unsurprisingly, the moments when the community rallies together. That includes celebrations, such as the annual Hoedown on the quad which coincides with Homecoming, and also the hard times when a Wesleyan family might need support.
He recalled instances wherein students were diagnosed with cancer, and he witnessed other faculty, students and their families step up in the form of financial aid, prepared meals or acts of solidarity like shaving their heads and wearing commemorative shirts.
“To see our community really act as a family and rally around the families who are hurting or walking through difficult times, that is really encouraging,” said Cleveland. “We want to be good members and supporters of the community, but we also hope to be leaders.”
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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.
Education
Pinecrest Academy Named to 2024 AP School Honor Roll
Published
5 days agoon
October 8, 2024Pinecrest 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 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
Published
2 weeks agoon
September 30, 2024Wesleyan 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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Education
Cornerstone Christian Academy Expands with $4M Renovation
Published
2 months agoon
July 30, 2024Twenty-three years ago, Cornerstone Christian Academy started a Christ-centered school with eight students. With enrollment for the fall semester at 459 students and 68 faculty members, the school’s leadership decided it was time to make more space. When classes resume, the new renovation to the K-8 facility will be a welcomed addition.
“For the last four years, Cornerstone has participated in the AJC Top Workplace anonymous survey through Energage,” said Headmaster Colin Creel. “At the conclusion of the survey a couple of years ago, we received high-level results. The survey showed our staff loved working here, but desired more space, specifically in the middle school.”
Keeping up with growing needs
After careful planning, school officials decided to add additional science labs, student spaces and offices that would remedy the challenge. The renovation of 2,500 square feet and additional 5,500 square feet will cost approximately $4 million and is expected to be complete and fully usable by January, said Creel.
“The new science labs will only be used by sixth, seventh and eighth-grade classes,” he said. “Any unscheduled time is intentional so our science teachers will be able to set up and break down labs accordingly. To this point, they have never been afforded this luxury since every space was used each period.”
There will also be breakout rooms for one-on-one conferences with parents and students and a breakroom for teachers.
“If teachers need to meet with students or if they have a parent-teacher conference, they’ll no longer be displaced,” Creel said. “Now there are four additional little, smaller rooms. One is going to be used for our counselor and the other three will be flex spaces.”
There will also be more administrative offices. Director of Operations Andrew McDonald’s office is currently inside a closet.
School administrators believe that with the new space, the school will be just right for its mission of partnering with parents to provide a quality academic education designed to develop students who will follow Christ, embrace biblical truth and live lives that glorify God.
“This addition is a great example of responding resoundingly to a specific need,” Creel said. “I desire to serve our students and teachers as much as humanly possible. I always choose to maximize the dollars spent on our teachers and students.”
“We enjoy our current student size, and do not desire to increase our student enrollment; rather, we always are looking for ways to enhance the student and teacher experience. One of the reasons why Cornerstone is so special is that the board and the administration listen to the needs of the community and respond accordingly,” he added.
Beyond the bricks and mortar
It’s obvious that teachers are the backbone of America’s schools, but the future of the profession has been in a precarious state in the last few decades. Many researchers believe the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated the decline.
According to its annual report, The State of Teaching, the EdWeek Research Center, the expertise and skill required to do the job well is often underestimated, while the ever-increasing demands of the job are not well understood or sometimes misrepresented.
Creel agrees.
“In the last few years, it has become harder and harder to keep and attract teachers. We’re always trying to figure out ways to get more qualified teachers to apply,” he said. “There’s an additional layer that makes it a little more challenging for us because it’s not just about great teaching, we also need people who love Christ and then love kids and not all teachers love kids.”
But Cornerstone is rising to the challenge. Creel said they meet it head-on and look for creative and effective ways to find and keep the best and brightest teachers in the area.
“In the last few years, we’ve been pretty aggressive about trying to make our pay scale as competitive with the public schools as possible,” he said. “We’re probably never going to be at the same level as public schools, but we try to offer additional benefits.”
Cornerstone matches retirement savings at an aggressive level, provides a step-up pay scale that rewards seniority and offers professional development opportunities.
“My life philosophy is I want our teachers to be inspired,” he said.
Over summer break, the school paid for teachers to get extra training in programs in Denver and California.
“We want them to become the best in their fields because I feel like when teachers are excited about what they’re doing, then the kids will be excited and parents will be happy,” said Creel.
The secret to Cornerstone’s success
“We try to make sure that our kids know the truth and we keep it pretty simple,” he said. “I think our culture is changing pretty rapidly and we want to continue to keep our kids grounded and we want to keep them encouraged.”
He explained that the mental health crisis affects every sector of the population – his students included.
He referenced a book called, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.
“It has data to support what we as educators know already that cell phones and smartphones, at a young age, are bad for kids’ self-esteem,” he said.
Although Cornerstone hasn’t been forced to use cell phone lock pouches like many schools across the country, it has a policy that phones are not to be in use during school hours. There have been no problems with compliance so far.
The Cornerstone “village”
Like many private schools and some public schools, Cornerstone asks parents to contribute volunteer hours.
“That’s going to look different for parents based on if they work full-time, but lots of different ways to get people plugged in,” Creel said. “Our parent-teacher fellowship does a great job.”
He recalled a former teacher who had taught in public schools for a while and when she came to Cornerstone, she’d tell people it was like Disney World – the happiest place on earth in part because of the parents’ willingness to participate.
“This is a special place and one of the hallmarks is that we have so many great parents that get involved,” he said. “They are supportive of our community. We have big events here out on the field, and you’ve got parents signing up to volunteer to help with whatever needs to be done. There’s always a core of people who want to come out and be a part of it.”
Creel added that there’s a kind of open-door policy where parents are invited to come to school throughout the year – not just for school functions, but to share birthday celebrations with their kid’s class or eat lunch with students in the cafeteria.
“We want the family to be a part of their children’s education – not just dropping them off. We’re not at daycare. We’re here to teach but be a part of that life experience,” Creel said.
That ethos so moving for Director of Operations Andrew McDonald that it inspired him to become an employee as well.
“My background is in operations and there was one year I was at a fundraising dinner, and I saw this little spot on the board that said, ‘operations director office’ and so I asked Colin, ‘What’s the plan for this position?’ And he said oh it’s years down the road’” said McDonald.
He and Creel worked out the details and soon McDonald was on board, where he’s been for the past three years.
“It’s great to ride into school with the kids in the morning and home in the evening,” he said. “Not a day doesn’t go by where they’re not excited about something that happened and want to share those great experiences that are foundational to their life kindergarten through eighth-grade education.”
Creel noted that 95% of a child’s moral development occurs between the ages of three and 13.
“That’s why we’re here, to help these kids have a foundation for where they go next; private school or public school, it’s usually about 50/50, that they stand out in a good way because they’re used to taking ownership of their education,” he said.
“They’ve been given leadership opportunities in middle school that you typically give to juniors and seniors in high school. They just stand out in a good way and that’s our goal: to prepare them for life so that they can be a light out in the world,” he explained.
For more information about Cornerstone Christian Academy, visit cornerstonecougars.org.
To read more about local education, click here.
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