Dr. Edward J. Lindekugel Named Headmaster of Pinecrest Academy

Dr. Edward J. Lindekugel has been named Headmaster of Pinecrest Academy, a private PreK3-12th grade Catholic school in Cumming, Georgia. He will continue in his role as High School Principal, while assuming responsibility as Headmaster for the Lower, Middle and High Schools.

Dr. Lindekugel joined Pinecrest Academy in the fall of 2008 and has worked as an administrator in both the Middle and High Schools since then, serving as High School Principal since 2011.

Dr. Lindekugel started his career in human resources at the Wyatt Company in 1993 and soon moved into telecommunications management and strategic planning as the Director of Operations of a telecommunications consulting firm in 1994.

In 1997, he followed a “calling” into education. He started as a middle school English teacher at St. Jude School in Rockville, Maryland, then taught World, U.S., Economics, and AP European History at Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, Maryland.

In 2001, he was named Principal at Our Lady of Lourdes in Bethesda, Maryland. At both Good Counsel and Our Lady of Lourdes, Dr. Lindekugel was involved with implementation and execution of numerous successful programs to benefit students, including several focused on improving instruction for students with learning differences.

In 2003, Dr. Lindekugel relocated to be near family in Maine, taking a position as a Middle School teacher at St. James School, and moved into administration as the Assistant Principal.

After learning about Pinecrest Academy’s four-pronged educational approach called Integral Formation, Dr. Lindekugel moved his family to Georgia, largely so his three boys could benefit from the unique educational paradigm. Both Integral Formation and the school’s stated purpose of “forming Christian leaders” was appealing and compatible with his own educational philosophy.

Integral formation involves development of four distinct areas of each person; intellectual, human, spiritual and apostolic. The foundation of intellectual formation is an understanding of why humans exist, which is pursued by maximizing the full development of each student’s individual intellectual potential.

Human formation is the development of one’s character. Tied directly to Christ, the exemplification of human formation is imitating the behavior and temperament of Jesus. With humility at the forefront, character traits such as integrity, respect, and perseverance, among the most critical aspects of human formation, are more easily able to be fostered.

Spiritual formation is the development of a friendship with Christ; not just a relationship but a friendship.

Finally, apostolic formation is the fulfillment of Christ’s command to love one another, which means giving others what they need. A simple smile, a generous donation, missionary outreach, and even words of encouragement are all manifestations of love.

During his eight-year tenure at Pinecrest, Dr. Lindekugel has been involved in many major school initiatives, including oversight of the planning and development of an award-winning band program, which now includes over 150 students. He also spearheaded the successful applications for nomination to the Cardinal Newman Society’s Top 50 Catholic High Schools, and the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence which Pinecrest was awarded in the fall of 2014.

Dr. Lindekugel earned his B.A. in History from the University of Maryland in 1991 and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland in 1993. In 1999, he earned an M.A.T. in Secondary Social Studies from Johns Hopkins University. He completed his EdD in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University in May of 2015.