News Archive

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 70th annual National Merit® Scholarship Program. Pinecrest Academy senior, John Paul Schafer, is among those named as Semifinalists.

John Paul will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million, to be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition.

Over 1.3 million juniors entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

More than 15,000 Semifinalists are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists.

National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced beginning in April and concluding in July.

College Board announced that Pinecrest Academy, a private PreK3-12 Catholic School, 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.

Pinecrest had 89% of seniors who took 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 during the 2023-2024 school year, representing 30 sections taught by 12 high school teachers at the school.

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

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

“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.”

About College Board’s Advanced Placement® Program
College Board’s Advanced Placement® Program (AP®) enables students to pursue college-level studies—with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both—while still in high school. Through AP courses in 38 subjects, each culminating in a challenging exam, students learn to think critically, construct solid arguments, and see many sides of an issue—skills that prepare them for college and beyond.

About Pinecrest Academy
Pinecrest Academy is a private PreK3-12 Catholic school providing an atmosphere of academic excellence and critical thinking. Rooted in Catholic tradition and inspired by the goodness, beauty, and truth of the Christian worldview, our whole-person approach helps children discover and develop their God-given gifts. Pinecrest has been ranked the #2 Catholic High School in Georgia, the #12 Best Private High School in Georgia, and the #12 Best Private K-12 School in Georgia by Niche.com. Graduates gain acceptance into top colleges across the globe. The average class size is 15 students. Athletics and Fine Arts are part of a student’s experience. Students participate in service projects, supporting our mission to form Christian leaders who will transform society. Pinecrest serves Cumming, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton, Suwanee, and other North Atlanta areas.

Professors at the California Institute of Technology invited Pinecrest junior, Warren Tran, to visit their AI and Robotics Lab and their NASA Jet Lab in July. The professors interviewed Warren because he was the youngest student to pass all 10 A.I. and Machine Learning projects after studying the Cal-Tech programs for one year. Warren represented PA well, as he wore his Pinecrest uniform every day during his three-day visit to Caltech.

Competitions Planned with Teams from More Than 400 Schools Across the State

Pinecrest Academy, a private PreK3-12 Catholic School in Cumming, will debut a Robotics Club for the 2024-2025 school year. The club is already off to a promising start, as students participated in “spring training," eager for their first robotics competition season that begins in fall 2024.

During spring training, 19 students were introduced to key concepts related to computer programming, mechanical design, and teamwork. The club also assembled a team of coaches and parent volunteers, under the moderation of Mr. Carter Mayville, PreK3-8th Dean of Academics. Mrs. Mary Claire Klooster, a former computer science teacher at Pinecrest Academy, serves as coach.

"We've been floating around the idea of a competitive robotics team for a while now, but thanks to the help and support of some dedicated families and students, we're ready to provide our students with this new outlet for their innovative spirit and collaborative ingenuity,” explains Carter Mayville, PreK3-8th Grade Dean of Academics.

During the fall competition season, Pinecrest will field two teams. A 4th-6th grade team will participate in their first Lego League Challenge competition, and a 7th-9th grade team will participate in their first Tech Challenge competition.
Pinecrest students will interact with robotics teams from over 400 public and private schools across Georgia. They will also interact with industry professionals and experts on the field of oceanography, as they use STEM and collaboration skills to explore "life beneath the surface of the ocean,” which is the theme for this coming season's robot games and innovation projects.

“Robotics is not just about robots, gears and circuits, but rather about igniting curiosity, fostering new ideas, and growing through teamwork,” commented Dr. Blanca Snyder, PreK3-8th Grade Principal. “As we prepare to launch our inaugural competitive season, we are excited to see how faith inspires design thinking, further enriching and nurturing our Pinecrest students’ in all aspects of their integral formation!”

An award given at Pinecrest Academy's High School Awards Ceremony was the Viktor Frankl Award for the Most Outstanding World Youth Alliance Member. The winner for North America was Ashley Kutter.

The World Youth Alliance was founded by young people to be a global voice for human dignity. Speaking out against violence and human rights abuses worldwide, WYA members recognize the inviolable dignity of each person, from conception through natural death, and work to develop free and just societies.

The Viktor Frankl Award for the Most Outstanding World Youth Alliance Member is presented to exemplary WYA members who have made significant and vital contributions in upholding WYA's mission to promote the dignity of the human person in their communities. This prestigious award is presented to only one student per continent.
Ashley took WYA's college-level summer training course as a rising sophomore in high school and found the contents so impactful that she was inspired to bring the course to Pinecrest as a means of preparing other seniors for authentic Catholic leadership through a deeper understanding of human dignity.

This award was presented to Ashley by Mrs. Beth Howard, a member of Pinecrest’s Board of Trustees. Mrs. Howard worked at Pinecrest for 10 years before founding the Fiat Program for young women, which studies social justice from an authentically Catholic perspective at the United Nations in New York.

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 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 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."