Bulldog News

MDCA will be closed Friday, November 11.

It is our intention to reopen Monday, November 14. 

Please monitor your email and our social media channels for further updates. 

Stay safe!

Here is the latest update on our preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Ian.

• After reviewing the latest storm track and the time needed to secure the campus, school will be dismissed early today, September 27th. The preschool and elementary school will dismiss at noon and the secondary school at 12:15.  Lunch will be served for all students. 

• Extended care will be available until 4:30 for both preschool and K-8. All other students, unless participating in a planned activity with adult supervision, must leave campus at the 12:00/12:15 dismissal time.

• The campus will remain closed from Wednesday, September 28th, through Friday, September 30th. Please be prepared to start back Monday morning but do not return to campus until you have been notified that it is safe to do so. 

• All athletics and other extra-curricular activity changes will be communicated as information becomes available. 

• With the end of the grading period rapidly approaching, we will evaluate any extensions that may be needed once the storm has passed and we know the extent of our closure. We will communicate that information and plans to make up the missed days as soon as we are able to make a determination.

• Please make appropriate plans for your family and if you plan to evacuate, please let us know so we can take that information under consideration as we make decisions for reopening. You can simply email evacuation@mdcacademy.org.
   

Please join us in prayer for all of our families and our surrounding community over the next few days as we weather this storm together. We will continue to communicate any new information through email, our website, and social media.

Stay safe!

Mount Dora Christian Academy is excited to welcome Hollee Sadler as our new Varsity boys golf coach. 

Hollee started playing golf at the age of 15 and quickly fell in love with the game. In high school, she led her team to two district & regional titles and a runner-up finish at the TSSAA state tournament. Individually, she had a very successful high school golf career. Hollee was the recipient of multiple Player of the Year and MVP awards. Her success at the high school level paved the way for her to earn a golf scholarship to continue her education and golf career at Tennessee Tech University. During her time there, she broke several freshman scoring records, won a tournament her sophomore year, and had numerous top 10 finishes.  She received the Most Dedicated Player, Team Impact, and Team Captain awards during her tenure. 

After a bad shoulder injury her senior year, she medically retired from collegiate golf as a player but soon transitioned into a new role of assistant coach. She was able to help players with their mental toughness, golf techniques, and course management skills. She has also conducted several junior golf camps and given private golf lessons. 

Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Central Florida. Hollee says, “Having the opportunity to coach at MDCA is a huge honor. I’m excited to share my passion and experience for the game of golf with these young men, and I’m even more excited to help them grow as disciples of Jesus.”

Mount Dora Christian Academy and Children’s Home has named Charles Marcussen as Chief Financial Officer effective June 1, 2022. Marcussen succeeds Bob West, who passed in January 2022. 

Marcussen is a familiar face to our campus as his wife, Jennifer, is one of our VPK teachers. Together they have two daughters attending MDCA, Josie (13) and Millie (9).

A native of South Bend, IN, Marcussen attended Harding University, earning degrees in Accounting (1999) and in Management and Marketing (1998). He enjoys being a long-suffering fan of the Cleveland Browns, Guardians (Indians), and Cavaliers, as well as his hometown team, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to baseball on the radio, completing a set of Legos, seeing his kids excel in theatre and the arts, reading and learning about ancient history, and spending time every year on the beaches of Boca Grande.

For the past 20-plus years, Marcussen has served in various roles while progressing through the ranks in corporate and public accounting in both Little Rock, AR, and Orlando, FL. Prior to being named Chief Financial Officer at MDCA, Marcussen was a Managing Partner at MSH CPAs in Orlando. As the Director of Tax Engagements at MSH, he led a team of professionals to provide tax preparation services to both individuals and small to mid-size multistate partnerships and corporations across industries. His practice areas focus on providing CFO and consulting services to small businesses and individuals, tax preparation services, and assisting clients in estate and trust administration needs. 

Marcussen is an actively licensed Certified Public Accountant in Florida, a Charter Global Management Accountant (AICPA/CIMA), and a member of the AICPA and FICPA. He served on the FICPA's Elder Planning and Support Committee, the Valuation, Forensic Accounting & Litigation Services Committee, the International Taxation Committee, and the Federal Taxation Committee. These roles have allowed him to influence and shape the future of the CPA profession in the state of Florida.

Marcussen views his role at MDCA as an opportunity to invest in the students and community by building a legacy of transparent financial management and leadership. He believes his career path has guided him and prepared him for this position. He looks forward to leading in financial reporting, statutory compliance, strategic development, and developing best practices and controls. In short, he aims to provide MDCA's leadership with the information needed to fulfill our mission of "building on a legacy of faith and service."

Mount Dora Christian Academy is excited to announce Perry Petruccelli as the school’s Varsity head girl’s basketball coach. 

Petruccelli has worked at Mount Dora Christian Academy for the past five years. He is also an alum of MDCA, playing basketball for seven years in the program and graduating in 2010. Petruccelli is one of the school’s secondary math teachers but is multi-talented. He has been the varsity bowling coach, boys middle school basketball coach, and a junior class sponsor. Petruccelli was named Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2020 and recently married Amanda DiPrato on February 26th, 2022.

About this role, Petruccelli states, “The basketball program at MDCA has always been a huge part of my life and I’m incredibly excited to contribute to work in a program that values the development of not just the athletic abilities of our students but also their lives as Christ-centered athletes.”

Petruccelli replaces former head coach Reid Hillin who will be moving to Abilene, Texas to become a youth minister.