User:Cougar1970/sandbox/Piedmont Academy, Inc

Piedmont Academy Monticello, Georgia Established 1970 Member of the Georgia Independent Association Average Enrollment: 290

In December 1969, a group of local parents met at the Monticello Bobbin Company to discuss the possibility of forming a private, college preparatory school. Fifty-four families signed up 133 students for the proposed school. Many decisions had to be made for such a great undertaking and money, buildings, teachers, and a location were the main topics. B.G. and Gwen Malone deeded twelve acres of land on Highway 212 West to build the proposed school, now known as Piedmont Academy, Inc. – a private, non-profit, 501(c)3, non-sectarian school who’s charter now met all the requirements for a school. After visiting several schools in central Georgia, the first building proposed was of steel and on a concrete foundation to house all twelve grades as well as a kindergarten. The proposed cost was $50,000.00 and a loan was obtained in June from the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Eatonton with all fifty-four families co-signing the financial note. By July, the building shell was erected and all the family members and their children joined together to do the finish work. Luckily, there were all sorts of talents now involved and available to accomplish their goal. The finish work progressed with electrical work, plumbing, ceiling suspension, landscaping, painting, and interior trim. Since most of the parents had full-time jobs, the work had to be done at night and on weekends. Nearly all of the parents and many children contributed their time and talents to this project. By September 1970, the first building was completed and the school opened with 133 students, eleven teachers, a secretary, and a headmaster, Mr. Walter Cook. The tuition was $425.00 a year for each of the first three children in a family and any other children in the same family did not have to pay tuition. A flat building fee of $600.00 was required of each family. Many of the teachers worked for minimum salaries with no benefits to help the school get started. A Board of Directors was elected by the parents to manage the school. For recreation, a football program was started and the student athletes played in a cow pasture across the road from the school. In addition, a boys and girls basketball program was started. The first basketball court was an outdoor clay court behind the school. The school enrollment grew to 339 students and the school met all the requirements to be fully accredited by the standards of Georgia’s Department of Education. In 1972, a gymnasium was constructed for more classroom space and a gym/auditorium. In the early 1980’s a new library and lunchroom was added by Gene and Rita Kelly. This again required more money and a lot more work for the parents to construct and finish out the new additions. Many parent mothers did most of the painting and cleaning up the construction site. The basketball bleachers were built of plywood and the mothers worked endless hours performing the staining work on the gymnasium bleachers. The new building had seven additional classrooms, two bathrooms with showers for basketball players along with a band and music room. Behind the school, a football field with irrigation was constructed. Concrete bleachers and a field house were then added. In the late 1980’s the school was operating successfully even though it carried some debt. With financial support from several large contributions from enrolled families and alumni, the building loans were paid off completely. Through the years, the school has earned numerous state championships in academics and sports. In 2011, Piedmont Academy, along with one other GISA member school, chartered their Future Farmer’s of America program and incorporates elective classes in environmental and agriculture science. Besides a rigorous academic program, the school offers the following extra-curricular and club activities: 4-H, baseball, basketball, BETA, cheerleading, chorus, cross country football, FCA, golf, literary, NHS, one-act play, robotics, shotgun, soccer, softball, tennis, track, wrestling, Y-club, After initial accreditation in the early 1970’s, with a quality ranking, by the Georgia Accreditation Commission, the school became accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and AdvancEd in 2012. Today, the school averages 290 students enrolled each year in grades pre-school through twelfth grade and has 45 employees. The student-teacher ratio average is 12. Piedmont school maintains 23 acres of land and nine buildings valued at several million dollars. The school is one of the largest private employers in Jasper County, Georgia. Students come from seven counties including Jasper, Butts, Henry, Newton, Putnam, Rockdale, and Walton. The school operates two bus routes to Jackson (Butts County) and Covington (Newton County). Visit piedmontacademy.com for more information.