Photo by Vivian Heard

CUMMING—Pinecrest Academy held a time capsule event Friday, March 22, to celebrate the academy’s 30th anniversary.  

The event kicked off with the monthly all-school Mass led by Father Matthew Kaderabek, LC, the pre-K to eighth-grade chaplain. The all-school Mass invites the lower school, middle school and high school students to all gather. Family and friends were invited as well.  

Each school was asked to place a timely and timeless item into the capsule. Students in each school were asked to choose items that would represent them best.  

The lower school chose the novel “Esperanza Rising” as their timely item. The fifth grade students love the novel and wrote their own script for a musical version of the story, said Emily Roman, director of campus ministry. “Esperanza Rising” is a historical fiction for young adult readers, by Mexican American author Pam Muñoz Ryan. 

For its timeless item, the lower school chose a shirt from the annual CEO (Christ’s Example for Others) Retreat event. The event is a special and memorable day for fifth graders, Roman said.  

The middle school chose a Stanley tumbler as their timely item because it is a popular cup that is a very desired item among the students. They also chose a rosary for their timeless item because it “represents a significant time in the life of middle school students when they start to understand their faith and life path and get closer to God,” Roman said. 

For their timely item, the high school chose a picture of the Tins for Tarpley food drive count that features Dr. John Tarpley. He motivated and helped the students keep count, which led to the success of the canned food drive. The high school broke its previous record of 3,817 items by bringing in 7,144.  

The high school chose two timeless items for the time capsule, a 2024 Senior Mission Trip Cross and a pro-life flag from their Washington D.C. pilgrimage. These trips are landmarks of the high school experience at Pinecrest Academy, and “express the full capacity of our mission to form Christian leaders who will transform society,” Roman said.  

The lower, middle and high school collectively chose to place the new Paladin Prayer Book in the time capsule as a timely and timeless item. The book contains prayers recited daily on campus and established traditions.  

At the end of Mass, middle school chaplain Father Terrance Allen, LC, blessed and sprinkled holy water on the time capsule.  

Head of School Jake Rodgers said he was inspired and affirmed by the thoughtfulness of each item chosen by the schools because they reflected the mission of the academy.  

“The timely items represent a moment in history, but the timeless items represent the timeless mission to help students bring about their God-given potential,” he said.  

Every major anniversary, the school celebrates with an event, said Vivian Heard, director of communications and public relations. The academy celebrated a groundbreaking for a new lower school building on its 25th anniversary.  

In addition to the time capsule event, the independent school has kept a “Thirty for 30” list, which are 30 things the academy wants to achieve around campus all in its anniversary year. From reconstruction to events, the list focuses on enhancing the academy physically and spiritually.  

“The 30 initiatives list is an inspiring way to commemorate what the academy can do in just one year,” Rodgers said. “If we can do it all in one, imagine what we can do in 30 years.”  

Pinecrest Academy has so far completed 14 initiatives off the Thirty for 30 list, which includes the student-made time capsule.