Abby Ackerman
Abby Ackerman
Abby Ackerman
The familiar sounds of daily campus life at Mount Pisgah Academy in Candler, N.C., were joined by the steady rhythm of demolition on April 20, 2026, as renovations began on the school’s gymnasium.
Within days, the old boiler room was gone, ceiling tiles had been removed, and windows had been taken out. What had long seemed permanent was already giving way to something new, marking the beginning of a transformation expected to shape campus life for years to come.
The project was launched a few days earlier, on April 17, when students, staff, and community members gathered for a renovation ceremony filled with anticipation. Leslie Louis, Carolina Conference president; Brad Cauley, vice president for administration; and Rick Russell, vice president for finance, shared words of encouragement and vision, reminding those gathered that the project is about more than a building. It is an investment in students and the experiences that help shape them.
A memorable moment followed as students and staff stepped forward with sledgehammers and took turns breaking through the inner lobby wall, which has stood for years and will soon be removed. Each swing symbolized progress, possibility, and the beginning of a new chapter for Mount Pisgah Academy.
For generations, the gymnasium has served as more than a place for sports. It has been a center for connection and community — a place for varsity basketball and volleyball games, team practices, weekly recreation, Fall Festival activities, alumni reunions, banquets, music festivals, graduation ceremonies, and many milestones in students’ lives.
The renovation will allow those experiences to continue in an updated and more versatile space. Plans include new flooring, a new roof, built-in retractable bleachers, and renovated bathrooms. A redesigned entrance will add a classroom, training room, and office, creating a more functional and welcoming space for students, guests, and the wider school community.
With an anticipated completion date in winter 2026, the project represents a long-term investment in the future of Mount Pisgah Academy. While demolition marks the end of one chapter, it also lays the foundation for a renewed space designed to support the activities, events, and everyday moments that make campus life meaningful.
As walls come down and new spaces begin to take shape, the purpose of the gymnasium remains the same: to be a place where community is built, memories are made, and students grow.
School leaders invite the Mount Pisgah Academy community to pray for the safety of everyone involved, steady progress on the project, and God’s continued blessing on the space. They look forward with faith and anticipation to all that will take place within the renovated gymnasium for generations to come.
Carolina | June 2026
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