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Sharing Our Alumni Stories: PCA Graduate Selected For Internship At Vanderbilt
While many of us may have enjoyed our summer relaxing on the beach, PCA Alumus Jackson Pearce, Class of 2014, spent his days inside a medical laboratory. Jackson (pictured, student on the right) recently shared the details of his impressive summer internship at Vanderbilt. We want to share his story with you.
"This summer I had the amazing opportunity to work in a lab at Vanderbilt. I was there for 9 weeks and worked in the Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease. The internship was called the Undergraduate Clinical Research Internship Program and included an immersive research project, weekly enrichment sessions, and rounding in the hospital. I worked in Mark de Caestecker's lab, which focuses on the role of retinoic acid in improving repair after acute kidney injury. Specifically, I was working on the macrophage response to retinoic acid activation and deactivation. The title of my final project was "Systemic vs. Local Effects of Retinoic Acid Signaling in
Regulating Macrophage-
Dependent Response after
Acute Kidney Injury". I worked with mice everyday, performing surgeries, collecting blood, harvesting tissue, and running laboratory tests.
I presented my findings and final poster at the end of the summer conference and was thrilled to receive an award as one of the top 6 research posters. At this point, I am in the process of applying to medical school and hope to matriculate next fall!"
You'll see Jackson's award winning research poster below. Jackson is currently a senior at Furman University where he has received awards for both leadership and academic performance. We are incredibly proud of Jackson and the PCA Legacy!
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Official Launch Of New High School Uniforms
The hallways and classrooms looked a little more uniform today with the launch of our new high school look!
Students came across as being very professional in the new uniforms.. raising our standard of appearance as we strive to do all things with excellence.
We understand that some of the uniform pieces remain on backorder, so your high school student is encouraged to wear whatever pieces he or she currently has.
This will be a wonderful way to showcase our school unity and to promote PCA throughout the community.
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New Spirit Store Items Available Online!
If you're a fan, a friend, or a student.. you'll find the best Fighting Eagles apparel and accessories at PCA's Online Spirit Store!
Plus, there are two new additions to the store selection! Check out this new ladies shirt (pictured) that will keep you cool, comfortable and stylish while cheering on your favorite PCA team. It's $20 and is available in Adult Small through Adult X-Large.
You'll also find a new toy football in our online store that your kids will love!
Prefer to shop in person? The Spirit Store will be open this Friday from 2 pm to 3:15 pm in the hallway near the gym. Get everything you need to cheer on our Varsity Eagles Football team at the first home game of the season this Friday night!
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You're Invited To Our PTF Meeting: This Wednesday
Join us for the first
Parent Teacher Fellowship meeting of the school year on Wednesday, August 30th at 1:30 pm in the Annex. All families of K-12 students are invited.. there will be information pertinent to all ages. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about what's happening at PCA and get involved!
You'll get the latest update on our Genevieve fundraiser, plus find out details about
our Box Tops collections, grocery store rewards, the Book Fair, Room Mom responsibilities, and more!
Can't make it? If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like more information on how to stay involved, simply email ptf@palmettochristianacademy.org.
Need childcare? Childcare will be provided during the PTF meeting for your convenience, but you must sign up by emailing ptf@palmettochristianacademy.org before
Tuesday, August 29th at noon to let us know that your child will participate.
In the meantime, you can help bless our teachers by signing up to provide
snacks for the teacher and staff work rooms. Please consider donating treats in one or more areas when possible. Our teachers and staff will greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness!
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Open Invitation To Moms In Prayer
What if you could change the world -- not just for today but for generations to come? The PCA chapter of Moms in Prayer International gathers women together to pray for our children, our staff and our school.
Join us every Monday morning at 8 am in the Worship Center. Be a part of a community of supportive like-minded parents. Questions? Contact
Jennifer Davidson at jdavidson2001@icloud.com.
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Play Golf For A Great Cause!
We are excited to announce the 6th Annual PCA Golf Tournament will take place on Saturday, September 16th at Wild Dunes Harbor Course. You are invited to support PCA athletics by sponsoring or participating in the tournament. It's a great day of fun and fellowship that you don't want to miss!
Plus, there's more great news! We have a great selection of items up for grabs in our annual auction. You'll find everything from a twilight yacht cruise to private surf lessons to Channel 2 News Meterologist for the day. Items are being added daily, so check back often. View what's available and begin bidding now at
pcaboosterclub.com. If you have questions or would like to donate an auction item, contact Dewey Caulder at dewey.caulder@familycirclecup.com
or Ken Evans at mailkenevans@gmail.com
to get listed.
All proceeds from the tournament go to support PCA athletics as well as academic scholarships. We encourage you to sponsor and/or play in this year's tournament. Be a part of the tradition!
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Meet Our Newest Faculty Members
We are blessed to have several new faculty members that have joined us for the new school year. Each week in our Eagle Edition newsletter, we'll be highlighting those teachers so you can get to know them better!
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Kelsey Quinn - Kindergarten
My name is Kelsey Quinn and I teach Kindergarten here at PCA! This is my first year at PCA as well as the first year in my teaching career! I am beyond thrilled to start my teaching journey in this wonderful uplifting environment and cannot wait to see what The Lord has in store. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in May of 2017 and got married the following June. My husband and I moved to South Carolina a few weeks after the wedding and are settling down in Charleston. We are starting our new lives together in this community and love that we have the opportunity to invest in such an authentic atmosphere. Go Eagles!
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Billie Ann Blalock - 5th Grade Language Arts
My name is Billie Ann Blalock, and I am so excited to call PCA home! My husband Scott and I have been married for five years, and we have a 17 month old spirited daughter named Sharlette. I am originally from North Augusta, South Carolina, but I moved to Charleston in 2009 after graduating from the University of South Carolina. I have enjoyed teaching 4th grade for seven years at Drayton Hall Elementary School, an Apple Distinguished School. I am passionate about integrating technology into classrooms appropriately to make learning more personalized and powerful.
In my free time I enjoy volunteering and spending time with my family. Since 2005 I have volunteered with Palmetto Girl's State, a rigorous week-long program that inspires young women to hone their leadership capabilities. This past year I also started serving as a 5th grade small group leader at Seacoast Church, and I've committed to staying with these young ladies until graduation. The PCA family has already made me feel so welcome, and I look forward to getting to know everyone!
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Dedicate A Birthday Book To The PCA Library!
Celebrate your child's birthday and grow our library. Did you know that you can order books to donate to the PCA Library in honor of your child's birthday? It's a wonderful program and easy to do. Order today and encourage a love of reading in all of our students!
Kindergarten-5th grade books will be presented in the first chapel of each month. 6th-12th grade books will be presented in class. Please purchase well in advance to allow time for the books to be purchased and processed. Late orders will be presented at the next month's chapel.
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Reminder To Order September Lunches
Remember to order September lunches for your student! Chef Bob will have the September menu online and ready for ordering by tomorrow morning.
Simply go to Renweb to purchase hot lunches for your student.
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Show Us Your Eclipse Pictures!
We all marveled at the spectacular sight of a total solar eclipse. And let's be honest, some of us marveled at how hilarious we looked in our eclipse viewing glasses.
We know you captured some greats shots of your children and your family enjoying this amazing experience.
So share them with us! PCA Yearbook Advisor Sarah Kornegay is asking for your best photos to include in the 2017-2018 yearbook! Got some great pics? Simply email them to skornegay@palmettochristianacademy.org. We can't wait to see them!
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Admissions News: Enrollment Update
The summer was a busy time in the Admissions Office!
On the first day of school, not only did we welcome back 90% of our returning students, but also 46 new families and 82 new students, ranging in grades K5 - 12!
We are thrilled to have these wonderful, new families at PCA and we are looking forward to everyone getting to know them.
If you are aware of a family who may be looking for a new school for their children, please encourage them to contact our Director of Admissions, Lisa Shimakonis, to learn more about the PCA experience. Contact her at lisas@palmettochristianacademy.org
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Preschool Press: Welcome to The First Day of School!
Excitement was in the air as our preschool students enjoyed their first day of school! Students arrived with bright eyes and eager minds. They enjoyed learning their new routines with teachers.
Some time on the playground and an introduction to music class were included in their first day as well.
PCA Preschool was pleased to welcome
155 students into its classrooms r
anging from 1
8-month-olds to 4-year-olds.
Our half day Preschool program runs from 9 am to 1 pm.
Each year is designed as a stepping stone to build on skills and abilities.
Today was a great start to the new school year for our precious preschoolers!
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Varsity Football Team Travels To Myrtle Beach
The Eagles battled to a 49-14 loss in Myrtle Beach this past Friday.
The Eagles offense matched scores until late in the first half. DA'Von Stuckey threw a 55 yard TD pass to Stephen Hickman on a trick play and Chad Shimakonis added a 2 point conversion pass to Cole Silvester.
In the next series, Shimakonis scrambled for a 65 yard TD run with a nice block from Stuckey.
"I couldn't be more proud to be associated with this team", said head football coach Chris Shimakonis. "The score is not indicative of the hard work these players and coaching staff have put in over the summer. Most players are playing both offense and defense and it takes all 11 players giving it their "all" for 4 quarters. Toughness, tradition, pride, and love of playing a challenging game with your best friends, motivates these players. They never quit.These seniors have meant so much to PCA over the years and they are playing for each other. They will never give up on this year or in life. I'm sure of that."
Make plans to come out to support the Eagles this Friday night as we take on John Paul II for our first home game of the season at Park West Field.
Kick-off is 7:30 pm.
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Former Eagles Player Will Bring His Team To Charleston To Face The Citadel Bulldogs
PCA graduate JT Waters (Class of 2014) will be coming home to play college football this weekend! The former Eagles quarterback now plays for Newberry College and will be playing against The Citadel at Johnson-Hagood stadium this Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm. Come out and support JT as he uses his God-given talents on the collegiate level!
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PCA Eagles Fly On First Meet Of The Season
The opening meet of the 2017 season for the PCA Eagles kicked off at the Swimsational Invitational where the Eagles hosted thirteen teams with 255 swimmers from around the state. The Eagles had a strong debut meet for the 2017 Season,finishing 1st in our division on the men's side while the girls finished 6th. Overall, the team earned 24 State Qualifying Times during this opening meet.
On the men's side, Sam Biggerstaff led the way with an overall 1st Place Points finish with strong performances in both the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke. Brad Chaney and Will Vandergrift followed closely behind as they tied for an overall 3rd Place Points finish with Chaney's 1st place finish in the 50 & 100 freestyle and Vandergrift's 1st place finish in the 500 freestyle and 2nd place finish in the 200 Individual Medley. The Men's Relay Team of Will Vandergrift, Joseph Buceti, Brad Chaney and Sam Biggerstaff also enjoyed a 1st place finish in the Medley Relay. The Men's Relay Team of Brad Chaney, Will Vandergrift, James Miles and Sam Biggerstaff finished 2nd in the 200 Free Relay. There were some breakout swims by Ocean Dybowski, Simeon McCleod, and Cole Seitz. Newcomer, Evans Baker, swam an impressive 50 freestyle race missing the state qualifying time by less than 2 seconds.
The Lady Eagles were led by Katie Grace Vandergrift as she finished with an overall 7th Place Points finish with strong races in both the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke. Emi Morgan had some great swims with a 5th place finish in the 100 freestyle and a 4th place finish in the 100 breaststroke. Newcomer, Anderson Blair, had an outstanding 1st place finish in the 50 freestyle. Other breakout swims include Abby Buckingham, Ami Friedl and Paisley Dybowski's 50 freestyle individual races.
The Eagles have 39 swimmers on our roster this year, our largest swim team ever. New members include Ocean Dybowski, Andrew Propes, Anderson Blair, Abby Buckingham, Ashley DeWeese. Evans Baker, Annabelle Cox, Angelina Xiong, Seven Overcash, Evan Nelson, Ethan Gawryluk, Gavin Wease, Pax Parrish, Lexi Walker, Peter Graf, Mae Cave, and Addie Cave.
The Eagles' next competition will be on Saturday, September 16th at the Pinewood Prep Invitational where the top 22 swimmers have been invited to race. #Amphibious
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Varsity Volleyball Team Beats First Baptist
The PCA Varsity volleyball team had an extremely successful week! The Lady Eagles defeated AAA First Baptist 3-1 on the road Thursday while the JV girls played well but lost to the Hurricanes in 2 close sets. On Saturday, the Varsity girls traveled to Walterboro for the PRTC Classic Tournament. PCA finished first in their pool and then came in second overall out of 20 teams! Great job ladies!
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Cheer Squad Brings Home The Trophies!
Congratulations to our PCA Cheerleaders! The squad performed with excellence at Lander University at a recent cheer competition.. bringing home several top awards!
Teams are evaluated each day of camp on a different aspect of cheerleading. There are different color ribbons awarded depending on their performance. Ribbons are Gold Superior, Blue Superior, Red Excellent and White Outstanding. The squad received the following awards on evaluations:
Sideline Evaluation: Blue Superior
GameDay Cheer Evaluation: Gold Superior
Xtreme Routine Evaluation: Gold Superior
Final Day Championship:
1st Place: GameDay Cheer
2nd Place: Overall GameDay
They were also recognized as a Superior Squad, only given to four out of the 15 teams at camp, and they took home the TOP BANANA! This is a spirit award given to the team who had the most energy and stayed positive throughout the very long 15 hour days together. It is given out each night of camp, but the most spirited team of the week gets to take it home on final day!!
We also had individual cheer squad members who made their mark. Sarah Spivey is a 2017 UCA All-American Cheerleader! A huge shout out to the other girls who tried out for it too: Catherine Cave, Aspyn Dorsett, Brycelyn Fisher, Grace Nason and Claire Shelbourne. These girls were brave enough to try out in front of over 200 cheerleaders and coaches on the third day of camp - performing a jump of choice, the All-American cheer and Xtreme dance taught at camp.
Isabelle Nash is a 2017 UCA Pin It Forward Recipient. This is an award given out by the staff to someone they believe exemplify why America needs cheerleaders. They are a great role model, treat their team and other teams with respect, encourage those around them and make everyone feel a part of the team.
We are so proud of these girls!!!
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Cross Country Team Competes In Skyhawk Invitational
The PCA Cross-Country team competed in the Skyhawk Invitational at Hammond School this past Saturday. Freshman Gage Kennington was the top finisher for the boys and Sophomore Dalton Welch came in second for the Eagles. Other Varsity boys competitors were Gabe Moser, Davis Johnson, Mitchell Walters, and Ben Salem. 5th grader Morgan Walters competed in his first 5K race as a JV runner. For the girls, 7th Grader Anna Terry led the way followed by other varsity runners Allison Kammer, Reese Baker, Ella Banks, Trinity Rocha, Yannah Seaberry and Kendall Anderson. 5th Graders Addison Hewitt and Greta Anderson performed well in the JV girls meet. The Eagles will hit the trails again this coming Saturday at The Ponds in Summerville.
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Eagle Effort Equals Summer Success!
We all love that summer is relaxing and refreshing; it's a time to enjoy a slower pace. However, many of our students do not take time off from their athletic endeavors and have chosen to use a local opportunity to continue excelling in their passions. This summer some of our PCA Eagles trained regularly and relentlessly which resulted in receiving recognition on a state, regional, and national level.
Being part of The Mount Pleasant Track Club, a local group of over 300 athletes that participates in USATF Junior Olympic sanctioned Track & Field and Cross Country Events, several PCA students spent the beginning of April until the last week of July practicing three to four times a week in their events. Their commitment paid off this summer as the MPTC claimed its 14th consecutive state championship with 44 state champions, 11 state records, and 18 All Americans.
Listed below are the PCA students who traveled to Florida for a regional competition and, after ranking top five in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, were invited to compete in Lawrence, Kansas for the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic National Championships.
Congratulations to our Eagles for their state and regional rankings:
Lily Buceti (high jump, long jump)
Addie Cave (high jump, 1500m, javelin)
Catherine Cave (high jump, 400m, 400 meter hurdles, long jump)
Mae Cave (1500m, high jump)
Alex Corley (shot put, javelin, 4x400)
Lilly Corley (javelin, high jump)
Jack Davidson (javelin, high jump, long jump)
Tabitha Hewitt (800m, 1500m, javelin)
Addison Hewitt (high jump, 800m, 1500m)
Bo Jimenez (high jump, 100m)
Allison Kammer (800m, 1500m, high jump)
Lauren Pernell (100 and 400 meter hurdles, long jump, high jump)
Burket Yaun (800m, 1500m, javelin, 4x400)
Nationally ranking in the country were four of our students:
Alex Corley received All American recognition for 5th in the nation in shot put and 4th in the nation in javelin.
Lilly Corley earned 21st in the nation for high jump.
Jack Davidson competed in high jump where he earned 16th nationally and javelin, ranking 17th.
Burket Yaun also received All American ranking at 8th in the nation for javelin.
Burket Yaun and Alex Corley also were two of the four team members that ran the 4 x 400 meter relay. Their team took 17th in the nation.
Congratulations to our amazing athletes!!!
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Important Dates To Remember
- August 28 - First Day of Preschool
- September 4 - Labor Day (No School)
- September 14 - FCA Breakfast
- September 27 & 28 - Picture Days
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