Despite all the construction dust that’s been flying at Pillow Academy this summer, parents and students can expect school to start on schedule Aug. 9.
So says Interim Headmaster Jay Watts.
Johnson Hall, the school’s elementary building, is being expanded and extensively renovated. The $1.5 million project is part of the private school’s ongoing $3.8 million capital campaign.
Work on the building is supposed to be complete by early August, according to Watts, but if it’s not, the school will utilize portable buildings already on site as temporary classrooms.
Watts was named the interim headmaster in the spring while the academy’s board considers a permanent replacement for Termie Land, who left for Madison-Ridgeland Academy. Watts is considered one of the candidates for the permanent position.
As of this month, the school has 782 students enrolled for the 2012-2013 academic year in grades 4K through 12. It has 105 teachers and staff. Tuition runs $5,900 per year.
During a recent presentation to the Greenwood Rotary Club, Watts cited the school’s track record of academic success. All 60 students in this past year’s graduating class, he said, are enrolling in college in the fall. Fifty-seven of the 60 received scholarships. The average ACT score of Pillow students is 23, he said.
He said the school’s mission statement is to educate the whole child in an environment of academic excellence and Christian values.
The Johnson Hall construction includes the addition of a new four-classroom wing plus the complete renovation of the existing building.
The changes in the elementary school are not just physical.
Students in the fourth and fifth grades will begin changing classes for each subject this year. Previously, students didn’t begin rotating to a different teacher for each subject until sixth grade.
“Our teachers are really excited about the students changing classes,” Watts said. “We have many teachers who are dedicated to teaching one subject, and we’re excited to implement this change.”
The curriculum is also being modified to improve students’ critical thinking skills at both the elementary and high-school levels, Watts said. This has been goal of the school’s for quite some time, he said.
Pillow employs two initiatives that are designed to ward off the influence of alcohol and drugs on students’ lives. Every eighth-grader is required to complete an alcohol-awareness course online before the end of the school year. In addition, every student in ninth through 12th grade is randomly drug-tested at some point during the school year.
Watts said there are some exciting surprises in the works for Pillow. He plans to release that information at a later time.
For more information on Pillow Academy, visit the school’s website at www.pillowacademy.com.
The school is open during the summer, and the public is welcome to stop by for a visit, Watts said.
• Contact Beth Thomas at 581-7233 or bthomas@gwcommonwealth.com
