Newspaper Page Text
Class of 2008 thrived at local school
Forty-two seniors to graduate
today from Pinecrest
By Lara Moore
Staff Writer
If service brings people
closer, the 42 seniors at
Pinecrest Academy won’t soon
forget their graduation.
The students are set to walk
the stage this afternoon with
achy backs, necks and triceps
after helping lay the founda
tions for two churches near the
Yucatan in rural Mexico.
Such outreach is one of
several traditions taking shape
at Pinecrest, a private Catholic
school in southern Forsyth
County. The class of 2008 is
the school’s second.
Most of the pain, said
Edward Mulholland, a teacher
that chaperoned the trip to
Mexico, came from mixing
mud and carting it by wheel¬
barrow in sweltering condi¬
tions.
Nancy Palmer, Pinecrest’s
marketing coordinator, said the
graduating class chose a mis¬
sion trip over a senior trip to
the Bahamas.
"They wanted their last act
together as a class to be of
From left, seniors
David Weigel, Jeff
Terry, Tom Zigtema
and Brian Guhde
listen intently as
Brenden Donahue
tells a story as they
wait for graduation
practice.
wide initiative classic Christie novel
By Frank Reddy
Staff Writer
To support literacy, a Forsyth
County group is encouraging
residents to crack the books this
summer for the inaugural
Forsyth Reads Together pro¬
gram.
Event volunteer Carla
Beasley said the Forsyth County
Certified Literate Community
wants residents, book clubs and
anybody curious to read Agatha
Christie’s “Murder on the Orient
Express” with other participants
across the county.
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service,” she said. ‘‘We think
that’s radical."
The senior trip reflects
their academic careers and
graduation ceremony.
While most high school
officials regard their highest
award or title as class valedic
torian, the highest achievement
for a Pinecrest senior is the
integer Award. Pinecrest also
names boys and girls valedic
torians and salutatorians.
The Integer Award is based
only partly on intellect. The
other three areas of develop
ment are human, spiritual and
apostolic. Service hours are
also a graduation requirement.
This year’s two Integer
Award winners are Lisa
DePalma and Christopher
Daniels,
Lisa DePalma, a senior,
said the service trip to the for
mer Mayan empire was “life
changing
“My favorite part of the trip
was the last night,” she said.
“We decided we were going to
try to finish everything and a
few men from the village were
helping us.
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“We felt it was a good book
that could be read by middle
schoolers, high schoolers and
adults,” Beasley said, adding
there will be many copies avail¬
able in both Spanish and audio
book at the Forsyth County
Public Library.
She said participants should
also feel free to pick up their
own copies at Barnes & Noble
in The Avenue Forsyth and
Humpus Bumpus books, both of
which will be promoting the
program.
The event kicks off June 12
at Cumming City Hall, where a
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From left, seniors including Letica Munguia, Kristen Oliver and Diana Llaveria excit¬
edly greet each other Friday afternoon as they prepare for graduation practice at
Pinecrest Academy,
“We had to carry over
3,000 cinderblocks. And all of
a sudden, all of the little boys
from the town came to help us
and the little girls from the
town came to help us. It was
amazing to see the unity God
party and dramatic readings of
the novel will be acted out.
There also will be refreshments
during the gathering, which
begins at 7:30 p.m.
Beasley said Forsyth County
Certified Literate Community is
encouraging merchants in the
area to promote the program.
Jittermugs on Hwy. 20 has
already started by offering a
special drink, “Murder on the
Orient Espresso.”
Leigh-Ann Havins,
Jittermugs owner/operator, said
she wanted to promote Forsyth
Reads Together because “read-
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Sunday. May 25.2008
gave them because of us giv¬
ing airselves.”
Fir Mulholland, “It was
verysymbolic because what
this ilass has done at Pinecrest
hasilso laid a foundation
becaise of the character of the
classand the size of the class.
“’hey forged excellence in
tradiion, and academics and
athleics. This class pushed the
enveope and they will be sore¬
ly mssed.”
"his year’s graduating class
mon than doubled the class of
200’, which had 15 seniors.
Schiol officials anticipate a
simiar size senior class in
2001
We’ve just seen constant,
steajy growth,” Palmer said.
“Behg named one of the top
50 Catholic high schools in the
ing is so critical in people’s
liveT
Tie event will culminate on
Aug, 12 with a spelling bee for
all ates. Beasley said the first
rourtl of words in the spelling
bee vill be selected from the
Chrktie novel, which may
“enc*urage even more readers
to geinvolved.
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nation in 2007 was a great
boost for a high school that’s
only one year old,” she said.
Senior trips aren’t the only
traditions Pinecrest high
schoolers are forging. Athletics
have impacted the school, too.
“We see all this high school
activity now of the football
games and all the activities
you would expect on a campus
that has a high school,” Palmer
said.
The 42 graduates this year
have been accepted to 64 col¬
leges and universities. They
received $3.5 million in
scholarships. Eight of the stu¬
dents will defer college to
volunteer for the church for
one year.
E-mail Lara Moore at
laramoore @ forsythnews. com.
“We’ve found people are
getting very excited about this,”
Beasley said. “It will be good
for the community.”
Beasley said organizers plan
to introduce a new book every
summer for the community to
read.
“We’ve made progress,” she
said. “We continue to look for
PAGE 5A
Integer awards
Pinecrest Academy’s
highest award given to
seniors is the Integer
award, which this year
went to Christopher
Daniels and Lisa
DePalma.
Daniels is a member of
the National Honor
Society, yearbook editor
and member of
Excalibur, the student
newspaper. Next year, he
will serve the church.
DePalma played varsity
basketball, volleyball and
was president of the
Spanish National Honor
Society. She also was
vice president of the
school’s National Honor
Society. Next year, she
will attend the University
of Georgia on full schol¬
arship.
Academic honors
The boys valedictorian is
Patrick DiRito and the
salut atorian is Kenneth
Sack.
The girls valedictorian is
Maria Guzman, while
Lisa DePalma is the salu
tatorian.
Commencement
Pinecrest Academy’s
graduation is set for 3 this
afternoon at the school,
955 Peachtree Parkway.
Contact: (770) 888-4477
or www.pinecrestacade
my.org.
ways to support literacy in
Forsyth County, and this is a
good way.”
The group is seeking volun¬
teers for next summer. For more
information about the program
or to sign up, go-online at
www.forsythreads.org.
E-mail Frank Reddy at
forsythnews.com.