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The Best School You've Never Heard Of
The classical Christian school, now in its eighth year, meets in the Sunday school rooms of the Vineyard Church, that steeply roofed building next door to Littlewood Elementary School. Despite the fact that not a single sign on the street indicates its presence, the school is literally bursting at the seams with a waiting list for nearly every level, K4 through 12th grade.
“I think it is one of Gainesville’s best-kept secrets,” said Jenn Gotro, the new Dean of Women at the school. “We not only have a great academic education, but we also help the parents build the character of the child.”
What began in fall 2000 is unique, using a classical education curriculum, which means students take courses in Logic, Latin, Rhetoric and Debate as well as the traditional core classes. These classes are set up as a University Model School, which is where students attend their classes on certain days of the week.
“I think the structure works so well because everyone is involved,” said senior Diana Hart, who has attended Cornerstone for three years. “The parents know what’s going on, the teachers communicate well, the students aren’t trying to manipulate the system.”
The beauty of Cornerstone is that parents are intimately involved in almost every detail of their child’s school life, which includes many extracurricular activities, including sports, art, music, chess, drama, speech and debate, and robotics.
“In what other school could you be the lead in the play, be on the varsity sports teams, be on the robotics team, and the debate team, and a member of the choir all at once?” said senior Jeff Jones, who has attended Cornerstone since its inception.
Cornerstone students rank in the top 3 percent of schools in the nation on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, score 24 points higher on the ACT and 126 points higher on the SAT on average than the national average.
“One hundred percent of graduates who have tested from Cornerstone have earned the Bright Futures Scholarships and have gone on to college,” said Gotro.
Last year, the robotics team took first place in national and international competition. The varsity soccer, volleyball, and girls’ basketball teams also won conference titles.
Unfortunately, all of this intelligence and talent needs a place to happen, and that is where Cornerstone falls short.
It currently rents its day-to-day facilities from the Vineyard, but it rents sanctuaries from area churches for special ceremonies, and borrows or rents fields and gyms for its various sports activities. Every check written for rent takes away from Cornerstone’s ultimate goal of its own home.
“The Academy is seeking 20-30 acres of land and/or an existing facility to renovate in order to expand its time-tested methods for training young people in both character and academics,” said Principal Leigh Glover. “With a waiting list for every grade, we’d like to meet the needs of families in greater number.”
For more information contact Cornerstone Academy, Jenn Gotro, 3536 N.W. 8th Ave., Gainesville, 32605, (352) 378-9339