Standout archer reflects on time at Pinnacle Classical Academy
When she needs to learn something new, Olivia Poston does best when she can dig in and get her hands dirty.
You can imagine her joy when she arrived at Pinnacle Classical Academy as a middle school student and was handed one self-guided project after another.
“That really helped me,” said Poston, now a member of Pinnacles Class of 2021. “You had to learn the material on your own, you had to be able to present it, but the assignment itself wasn’t a drag to do. You were still able to learn while doing something pretty enjoyable for a school assignment.”
Pinnacle will host its graduation ceremony 7 p.m. Saturday, May 29, at the Shelby charter school. The ceremony will be hosted outside and have room for families and spectators to spread out as needed.
As she prepares to walk across the school grounds for the final time, Poston described graduating as a bittersweet thing.
“I have grown up basically in Pinnacle. I have known the faculty and the students for most of my life. I am definitely still excited to go off to college to see what is in store,” she said.
In addition to her academic successes, Poston also leaves Pinnacle as one of the school's first scholarship athletes. She is one of four seniors with the archery program to earn a college scholarship. It’s a program Poston said she first got into thanks to a Disney movie.
“I just really loved Merida (from Disney’s Brave) and I thought that was cool so I said I wanted to do that,” she said. “I started practicing a little on my own.”
When the archery program started, Poston said she was quick to sign up. During her time with the program, she has been part of multiple state or national award-winning teams.
Olivia Poston graduates Pinnacle Classical Academy on Saturday.
To be able to see that team grow from a couple of kids with equipment like what you could get at Wal-Mart to what it is now, with a bunch of dedicated kids makes me really proud,” she said.
After she leaves Pinnacle, Poston will attend Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, where she will compete in archery and study biology. She hopes to one day become a veterinarian or a biologist for the National Parks Service.
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Originally published by The Shelby Star on May 24, 2021
Dustin George can be reached at 704-669-3337 or