5 days ago
40 students graduate from Pinnacle Classical Academy with over $6.2M in scholarships
SHELBY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Forty seniors graduated from Pinnacle Classical Academy May 31 at an outdoor commencement ceremony in the school's Lyceum.
Over 77% of the seniors received an associate's degree from Cleveland Community College along with their high school diploma. Fourteen seniors also received a certificate from Cleveland Community College, in areas as varied as biotechnology, business administration, collision repair and refinishing technology and fire protection technology.
Commencement speaker Hadley Heath Manning, executive vice president of the Steamboat Institute and a Shelby native, warned the graduates against the pitfalls of convenience, conformity and contempt. She encouraged the graduates to take time for 'inconvenient' relationships, to think independently and to show compassion toward others with whom they disagree.
'Twelve years ago, I stepped foot onto the campus of Pinnacle Classical Academy for the first time. I was six years old and had no idea how much of an impact this place would have on me,' class valedictorian Chesnee Stewart said in her address to her classmates. 'This school has helped to shape who I am and who I will become.'
Class salutatorian Madelyn Hicks paid tribute to 'teachers who were willing to help me understand subjects that I couldn't quite grasp.' Hicks said of her classmates, 'I truly believe that you will not find a closer knit group of people anywhere.'
'From our first steps through the halls of Pinnacle to the challenges and triumphs that shaped our high school journey, we've learned lessons that extend far beyond textbooks,' added Casey Greene, Student Government Association president. 'We've learned the value of integrity, the strength found in perseverance, and the importance of community — lessons that will guide us no matter where life leads next.'
The seniors were offered a combined $6,283,666 in multi-year merit scholarships.
Over 77% of the seniors plan to enter college this fall; they will matriculate at Anderson University, Appalachian State University, Belmont University, Cleveland Community College, Gardner-Webb University, Lenoir-Rhyne University, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Wilmington and Western Carolina University. One graduate will enter the United States Army, and another will serve as a missionary; others will enter the workforce.
Among the many scholarships received were the Tucker Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength Scholarship, a full tuition, room, and board scholarship awarded by Gardner-Webb University to William Brooks; the Golden LEAF Scholarship, awarded to Maggie Gomez-Huffman; and Lenoir-Rhyne University's full-tuition President Scholarship, awarded to Michael (Cody) Humphries.
'We are so proud of the 40 graduates of the class of 2025,' said Dr. Shelly Shope, the school's headmaster. 'Many of them entered Pinnacle Classical Academy as first graders when the school opened its doors in 2013. They truly embody the school's motto, 'Dare to Soar.''
A week before graduation, the school hosted its annual senior sunset dinner. The members of the class of 2025 selected James Laughlin, a high school English teacher, to address them as their senior speaker.
The evening before graduation, Pinnacle Classical Academy hosted its annual senior scholarship night, during which $65,590 in local scholarships were awarded to the class of 2025.
'We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of area residents who have helped make college more affordable for our students,' said Dr. Shope.
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