The District Board of Trustees of Lake-Sumter State College has approved a building plan for Phase 1 of Pinecrest Lakes Middle/High School to be built on the South Lake Campus in Clermont.
Earlier this year, Lake-Sumter State College and Pinecrest Academy, Inc. announced their public-private partnership to expand the education pipeline in STEM-focused careers to a unique K-16 model in Lake County.
Pinecrest Lakes Middle/High School, a tuition-free public charter school, currently operates on a limited footprint on LSSC’s South Lake campus. With approval from the LSSC District Board of Trustees, Pinecrest Lakes plans to begin construction on their first dedicated building in October.
“Our unique partnership with Pinecrest creates an opportunity for Lake County students to have an immersive secondary education experience that focuses on postsecondary and career success,” said Dr. Stanley Sidor, president of Lake-Sumter State College. “LSSC continues to identify ways that we can expand our reach to deliver on our mission of preparing students for today’s evolving workforce. I am confident that this partnership will have a significant and positive effect on the lives of participating students and their families throughout our community.”
“Pinecrest Academy is committed to providing the best educational choice for the parents of Lake County,” said Carlos Alvarez, chair of the Pinecrest Academy Board. “We are excited about this next step and look forward to our continued partnership with Lake-Sumter State College.”
Pinecrest Lakes students, who already benefit from a college and career focused education environment, will have the opportunity to earn college credit through dual enrollment at Lake-Sumter State College. These students will graduate high school prepared for college and a career, with vital communications and critical thinking skills as well as real-world training and experiences that LSSC will provide through the partnership.
“Our goal with this partnership is to provide students with a robust STEM-focused education in K-12 that offers a pipeline to enrollment and degree completion at Lake-Sumter State College,” said Tim Morris, chair of the LSSC District Board of Trustees. “These students will then enter our local workforce highly prepared for a wide array of career opportunities.”
“Pinecrest Lakes is very excited to start the construction of our beautiful middle high school on the Lake-Sumter State College South Lake Campus,” says Christy Alcalde, principal of Pinecrest Lakes Academy. “The construction of our facility on a state college campus will bring a one-of-a-kind K-16 program to Lake County students. This partnership will provide our students with a unique high school-college program that will prepare these young adolescents for a seamless college/university transition after graduation.”