A Message from the Principal

Welcome to Pinecrest Center!

My name is Ben Schweer, and I am honored to introduce myself as the new principal of Pinecrest Center. I began my career in education in Burlington, IA, where I served for three years as a health education teacher and wrestling coach. For the past eight years, I have been an elementary physical education teacher and wrestling coach in Fort Dodge, where I also had the privilege of serving on both building and district leadership teams and participating in various other leadership roles.

This past year, I earned my Master’s degree in Education Leadership from Northwest Missouri State University, a milestone that has prepared me for this exciting next step in my career. I am truly thrilled to join the Pinecrest community and look forward to working collaboratively with students, staff, and families to foster a positive and enriching learning environment.

Here at Pinecrest Center our goal as a program is to understand the needs of the students, develop actionable support plans to meet those needs, and return students back to their home school. We currently serve students from Mason City, surrounding school districts, and also students who are residentially placed at Four Oaks.

Pinecrest is a small community where we look for all stakeholders – students, families, paraprofessionals, teachers, and staff to work together to ensure the success of all students. Student attendance and engagement at school is essential to this plan.

Have a great year!
-Ben Schweer