About

History

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  • 1955

    Church Founded
    Father Frank Pisani arrived in July and envisioned a church school. A kindergarten was begun in September 1955 with 25 students and one teacher. 

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  • 1956

    The opening of the HCES educational building on Miccosukee Road.
  • 1957

    A 4-year old nursery school was added.
  • 1974

    Under the direction of the Rev. William C. Harris, a new education wing with classrooms was built so the school could grow to minister to older children.

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  • 1974-1979

    Expansion
    The school expanded to offer PK through 5th grade.

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  • 1975

    Rev. George D. Kontos took over as rector of the church.
  • Fall 1977

    Dr. Paul “Ham” Fuller was hired to be the head of school.
  • Fall 1981

    The beginning of the  “Alpha” program, and grades six, seven and eight extended the program into middle school.
  • 1983

    Ham Fuller left his position to go into the seminary and Mrs. Jane Mooney assumed leadership of the school as its first Headmistress.

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  • Spring 1986

    New Changes
    Due to low enrollment, the middle school closed at the end of the 1985-86 school year.
     

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  • 1993-1994

    Barbara Hodges, who had been teaching at the school, was named the interim head of school and subsequently invited to be the Head of School.
  • May 1994

    A survey was sent to current families to measure their level of support for expanding to a middle school.
  • 1995-1996

    The Board of Trustees decide to reinstate the Middle School and to relocate and build a new campus to secure the future growth of HCES.
  • April 1996

    An agreement signed to purchase land on Fleischmann Road 1996. The school and church purchased an excess of 40 acres of land on nearby Fleischmann road, with an option to purchase up to 100 acres over time.

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  • Fall 1996

    Miccosukee
    The 6th Grade Class begins the school year in portables on Miccosukee.

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  • 1997

    The new classroom building (known as Smith Hall) on Fleischmann Road housed sixth and seventh grades. Our iconic bell tower, connected by a columned walkway, and a field house were also completed.
  • Spring 1999

    Class of 1999 was the first graduating class from the Fleischmann campus.
  • Spring 2000

    Grades 3-5 move to the new campus as additional buildings were completed.
  • Spring 2002

    Entire campus located on Fleischmann for start of 2002-03 school year. in 2002, the entire school body moved to our beautiful, new campus.
  • Fall 2005

    Holy Comforter Church relocated to Fleischmann Road and the new building was consecrated.

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  • May 2007

    Student Center
    The Student Center opened with a gym and Art and Music studios.

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  • May 2007

    The last land acreage was purchased to bring the campus to 85 total acres.
  • 2009

    Dr. Barbara Hodges resigned as head of school to become the Director of the Florida Council of Independent Schools in Tampa.
  • 2010-2011

    Mrs. Nancy Wood, a former head of school in Jacksonville, became the school’s Interim Head for one year.
  • July 2011

    After a national search, Peter Klekamp became our Head of School.

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  • 2011

    Technology
    The iEducate™ program, a technology initiative, is formed to create a roadmap for 21st-century learning.

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  • February 2011

    Six tennis courts were dedicated and the newly paved side road opened.
  • August 2012

    The Knight-STEM Building opens.
  • February 2013 - 2015

    The iEducate™ program was named an Apple Distinguished Program. The school held the designation through 2015.
  • 2013

    Middle School moved from the traditional Science Fair model to a 5th grade & 7th grade STEM Fair.
  • 2013

    The 1:1 technology initiative is officially launched, in which each student in 1st through 8th grades has their own device.

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  • 2015-2016

    Celebration
    HCES  celebrated 60 years of educational excellence in the Tallahassee community.

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  • 2015

    The Media Center was remodeled and the MakerSpace, a room specifically designed as a new creative learning environment for all students, opens.
  • 2015

    A comprehensive Master Plan was completed which outlined a multi-phase campus growth project.
  • 2016

    The first HCES Middle School Astronaut Challenge Team was established and swept the State Championships at the first ever Middle School Astronaut Challenge held at Kennedy Space Center.
  • 2016

    The 1st STEAM Fair was held where 5th and 7th-grade students turned the traditional science fair into an interactive, hands-on STEAM experiment.
  • 2017

    HCES is Nationally Recognized as a leader in the field of education by the Secretary of Education of the United States.

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  • 2018

    HCES broke ground on The Commons Performing Arts Center and Cafe, and the building is slated to be opened in Fall 2019.