Education
Norcross Foundation of Excellence’s Annual Gala Furthers Mission
The annual gala raises funds to further student achievement, honors community contributors
Even though Gwinnett County taxes, along with state and federal funding, provide an adequate financial base for local schools, sometimes there’s not enough in the coffers to satisfy some extra needs that help make great schools exceptional.
That’s when organizations like the Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence (NHSFE) step up to help. Even though all schools have PTAs and other organizations to help fill funding gaps, NHSFE mainly focuses on bigger ticket items.
For example, NHSFE recently completed a three-year mission to ensure all Norcross High students were equipped with Chromebooks to assist with distance learning as well as in-person lessons.
“Gwinnett is such a huge school district that sometimes there’s a gap between what it can provide and the desires of the individual schools. There was a need to help ensure every student had that necessary tool and we were able to help make it happen,” said Amanda Credendino, Co-President of NHSFE.
To continue in those efforts, NHSFE will host its annual fundraising Gala on April 29 at Atlanta Tech Park. The event will run from 6:30 to 10 p.m. featuring food from Chef David and beverages from Peachtree Growler.
“How we raise a large amount of funds is through auction items,” said Credendino. “The different departments submit a request and we, as a foundation, work to deliver.”
What started as a backyard event in 2001 is now a major event that enriches student advancement. Purchasing band instruments and repurposing an old engineering room to make it usable for today’s needs are among the nonprofit’s accomplishments.
The new space has areas for large and small group presentations and collaborative working pods. There is modular furniture that is easy to move around and folds up for storage, Credendino added.
Another major component of the gala is recognizing outstanding members of the community. The NHSFE established the Hall of Fame to honor those who have made significant contributions to Norcross High School and the community. They will be inducted at the gala.
Jeff Holcombe
The son of a Navy veteran, Jeff Holcombe has lived in many places across the U.S. including Florida, Michigan and New York. He settled in Peachtree Corners in 2000 and found a home with friends, family, Peachtree Corners Baptist Church and a school he loves.
Holcombe developed a devotion for all things Norcross High School while his oldest sons Jeff Jr. and Brad attended and participated in the NHS Band and the Tennis and Swim Teams. Holcombe put that passion for NHS into action as the Blue Devil Marching Band Pit Captain for five years and the PA announcer for the band halftime performances for 16 seasons, along with announcing the Gwinnett County Marching Band Exhibition hosted by Norcross. He has also served as the part-time PA announcer for the Blue Devils Basketball teams for Showcase Events and select home dates over the last 10 seasons.
Holcombe’s biggest contribution and joy have been serving under the Friday night lights as the voice of the Norcross Blue Devils Football team for the past 15 years. During the Blue Devils’ State Championship runs, he has had the privilege of announcing The Norcross Blue Devil Marching Band at The Georgia Dome, the Georgia State Stadium and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In 2018, Norcross honored Holcombe as their selection for the Dave Hunter Award for outstanding community service in Gwinnett County athletics.
Tracy O’Leary
Tracy O’Leary and her husband Pat have enjoyed living in Peachtree Corners for 28 years. With their three children — Michael (30), Colin (28) and Maggie (22) — they celebrated over 20 years of “first days” in the Norcross Cluster schools. Living in a community that has given so much to her family, O’Leary has been passionate about and humbled to give back.
O’Leary began serving at Simpson Elementary School as a volunteer in the Media Center, and she served in various positions on the PTA board including Treasurer, VP and Chair for the Simpson Singers 5th grade production. She followed her children to Pinckneyville Middle School and continued to serve in executive and committee positions on the PTSA.
When her youngest started high school at Norcross, she realized that the need for parent volunteers at the high school level was much greater than in the lower schools, and she made it her goal to give as much as possible in the areas where she was needed most.
She joined the board of the Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence in 2014, serving as Treasurer (for three years), Co-President, Liaison to the After School Matters program and advisor to the Treasurer. In addition, O’Leary completes the foundation’s annual audit and required tax filings.
In addition to serving on the NHSFE board, O’Leary served four years as Norcross PTSA Membership chair and four years as President and Treasurer of the PHD Running Club (NHS cross country, track, and field booster club). Tracy uses her expertise as a CPA to complete audits for a number of Norcross cluster groups including Simpson PTA, Pinckneyville PTSA, Norcross HS PTSA, Paul Duke Stem PTSA, NHSFE and booster clubs for soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, orchestra, baseball, swim and dive, and cross country/track and field.
Corey Richardson
Corey Richardson has been teaching and coaching in the Norcross cluster for over 21 years. He began his teaching career at Summerour Middle School where he served for 1.5 years before he transferred to Norcross. For the past 19 years, he has been teaching Health and coaching at Norcross. Since 2006, he has served as the Health and Physical Education Department Chair.
Richardson has been coaching football at Norcross High School for 21 seasons. In that time, he has been a part of two state championships (2012 and 2013) and six region championships (2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2020). In 2012, Head Football Coach Keith Maloof promoted him to Assistant Head Football Coach. He has also coached baseball for three years and was the head Girls Golf Coach for eight years.
For tickets to the Norcross High Foundation for Excellence Gala, go to norcrosshighfoundation.org/gala/.
For more information about Norcross High Foundation for Excellence, go to norcrosshighfoundation.org/.
The 2024-2025 school year has brought exciting extracurricular additions to the International Charter Academy of Georgia (ICAGeorgia), with the launch of new cross country and track programs.
Intended for upper-elementary and middle school students in grades 4-6, the new programs were started by Coach Shawn Nix, who joined the ICAGeorgia staff this fall. She comes to the school with 17 years of teaching experience in the Gwinnett County School System and 13 years of coaching experience. She was named Gwinnett County Coach of the Year twice during her tenure there.
Nix said that her goal in creating the cross country and track programs at ICAGeorgia was to “give students an introduction to cross country, teach them the value of teamwork and cultivate the future generation of runners.”
“The parents are thrilled about the addition of the cross country program,” she added. “They’ve expressed their excitement to me, and they are at practice and meets supporting the athletes.”
Cross country
Twenty-three academy students signed up for cross country this year, excited to be part of the inaugural team.
The season began on September 3 with the school’s first meet at Legacy Park in Decatur, where students competed in the one-mile dash against 210 other athletes from Atlanta area-schools.
Three of the school’s young athlete’s placed, with one sixth grader taking third in the girls division; another sixth grade student placing 24th in the boys division and one fourth grader placing 16th in the boys division.
They recently wrapped up the season on November 13 with a meet held at Midtown High School.
Though the season was short — most meets had already closed their entries by late August, and one meet was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene — the ICAGeorgia team was able to get in two good competitions and a lot of practice sessions.
Track season
According to Coach Nix, some students that were interested in cross country weren’t able to sign up for the team in time, but they’ve said they will be coming out for track in the spring. She’s expecting at least 20 students to join the team.
Track season begins in February, and the opening meet is scheduled for March 8at Lanier High School in Sugar Hill.
Upcoming track meets will feature the following events: long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, disc throw, 3200m, 1600m, 800m, 400m and 4×100, 400 and 800m relays.
Future plans
Following the success of the new cross country and track programs, Coach Nix shared that ICAGeorgia plans to offer more after-school sports in the near future.
“The sports we add will be gauged by an interest survey, keeping in mind the facilities we have,” she said. “But we would love to add basketball and soccer.”
For more about ICAGeorgia, visit them at internationalcharteracademy.org.
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.
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.
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.
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 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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