Stories

Welcome Dr. McDonald

Join us in welcoming our new Executive Director, Dr. Mike McDonald! As many of you know, Dr. McDonald has been a long-time dedicated member of our PCS Community. He is the father of two alumni, Mary (2012) and Ben (2015) and his wife, Lauren, was school nurse at PCS for many years. He is the Vice President of Meeting God in Missions and has been taking members of the Warrior family on mission trips to the Dominican Republic since 2009. He has also coached our varsity girls’ basketball team for the past 11 seasons and has previously served on the PCS board.
 

Dr. McDonald earned a BA in Chemistry from WVU in 1985 and an MD from WVU in 1989. He founded Slippery Rock Family Medicine in 1992, built it up into a thriving clinic with 6 providers, and after 30 years as a Physician in the Butler Health System, finally retired from medicine 2 years ago. 
 

When asked why he chose this career path at PCS he stated, "To serve God and be part of what He is doing at PCS. I always wanted to do something that could make a difference. After retiring from medicine,
I have been praying for an opportunity to do something that I am passionate about and can make a difference in the lives of others. God has given me training, experience and skills, and the passion for PCS
to apply them here."  When asked why parents should send their kids to PCS, his response is “Families should consider PCS because we live in a world that is trying to tear down the family and destroy our kid’s self-image and values. Children as well as adults need someone to speak truth into their lives, to build them up and equip them to face the world and then win the battles that they are going to face every day. That’s what we do here. And we do it in a setting where kids get a great education and a fantastic overall school experience. One of the best decisions I ever made was to send my kids to PCS. Not just my kids, but my whole family has been transformed by our experience here.”
 

Dr. McDonald says he enjoys time with his family and taking care of his new grandson, Teddy. He also enjoys Bible study, fishing, and camping, and is an avid gardener. He strongly believes that PCS is a place where lives are transformed, not just the students, but the lives of the families and staff as well. He firmly believes that God is faithful and is looking forward to what God is going to do in and through PCS.
 

In this position, Dr. McDonald will oversee the business aspects of our school. These areas include Finances, Human Resources, Development and Strategic Planning. We are confident that he will use the skills he developed as a business owner and the passion he has for our
school to help lead PCS into the future.  
 

Meanwhile, the educational facets of PCS, such as the curriculum, will remain under Mrs. Szlembarski, who has been filling both the Principal and Head of School roles for the past several months.  The hiring of Dr. McDonald will allow Mrs. Szlembarski to, once again, focus her considerable skills on the duties as Principal.
 
Although the board interviewed multiple candidates for a traditional Head of School position, the combination of having a business-savvy Executive Director and a strong, education-focused Principal was recommended to us by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
as the best model for a school our size.  With Dr. McDonald and Mrs. Szlembarski in those respective roles, we are eager to see where the Lord takes PCS!
 
We ask for your continued prayers and support as we welcome Dr. McDonald into this new position in our PCS community.