Pine Mountain Settlement School
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Pine Mountain Settlement School is located on Pine Mountain in Harlan County, Kentucky. The settlement school focuses on Appalachian and environmental education.
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[edit] History
[edit] Founding
Pine Moutain Settlement School was the dream of Katherine Pettit, an educator who had previously co-founded the Hindman Settlement School in Knott County, Kentucky. Pettit and Ethel DeLong Zande co-founded Pine Mountain Settlement School in 1913. The school was designed by Mary Rockwell Hook, a prominent Kansas City architect.[1]
Kentucky philanthropist William Creech, Sr., who said that he had "heart and cravin' that our people may grow better"[2] donated 700 acres for the establishment of the school.[3]
[edit] Uses
Pine Mountain Settlement School grew out of the settlement movement, which established institutions such as Hull House.[1] The school has served many purposes in since its founding nearly a century ago.
- From 1913 to 1930, Pine Mountain served as a boarding school for children of elementary and middle school age.[4]
- In 1930, Pine Mountain became a boarding high school, encouraging vocational and artistic development as well as academics.[4]
- In 1949, Pine Mountain and the county educational system began to jointly operate an elementary school.[4]
- In the 1970s, Pine Mountain began to focus its efforts on environmental education.[4]
In addition to operating as an educational institution, Pine Mountain Settlement School has served its community in other ways. For example, during Pine Mountain's time as a high school, it sponsored Work Experience Training, which gave men job training and helped them find employment. Pine Mountain has also operated as a farm, health clinic, and a supporter of local music and crafts. Today, in addition to cultural and environmental education, Pine Mountain Settlement School offers assistance to local low-performing students.[3]
[edit] Relationship with Alpha Sigma Tau
Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority adopted Pine Mountain Settlement School as its national philanthropy in 1945.
Members of alumnae and collegiate chapters and colonies of Alpha Sigma Tau raise money annually for Pine Mountain Settlement School. The Sorority supports Pine Mountain Settlement School through the Alpha Sigma Tau National Foundation, Inc.
[edit] Charitable contributions
The first pledge classes of Alpha Sigma Tau sent much-needed school supplies. Today, the growing sorority is able to contribute much more, including a tractor, a fifteen-passenger van, a walk-in refrigerator, a heavy-duty washer and dryer, a commercial cooking range, furnaces, furnishings, renovations, and thousands of dollars per year.[3]
In addition to monetary donations, some chapters travel to Pine Mountain Settlement School and offer hands-on assistance (such as painting dorm rooms and building a community gym).[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Educators: Katherine Pettit. Women in Kentucky. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ An Old Man's Hopes. Beta Tau Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ a b c Pine Mountain Settlement School. Alpha Sigma Tau. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ a b c d History. Pine Mountain Settlement School. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ Pine Mountain Settlement School & AST. Alpha Lambda Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau at Radford University. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
