Mission

The mission of The Pine School is to promote academic excellence within a challenging, supportive, and moral environment that fosters the development of mind, body, and spirit.

Philosophy

The Pine School is a college preparatory nonsectarian day school that serves students from age three through 12th Grade. The Pine School provides a strong traditional core curriculum while striving to instill high achievement and a lifelong love for learning. The school’s objective is to develop each student’s intellectual, physical, and creative talents in a supportive and moral environment. Students are encouraged to promote service above self and are inspired to develop a sense of commitment and involvement within their community.

In the Lower School, small class sizes and a challenging curriculum enable the student to learn important academic skills in a nurturing and caring environment. The children become knowledgeable in computer technology and world language. The multifaceted fine arts and physical education programs are an integral part of the curriculum.

Expanding on the strong foundation of the Lower School programs, the Middle School offers a rigorous academic curriculum that promotes intellectual discipline, self-discovery and creative thinking. Strong emphasis continues to be placed on the fine arts, computer technology, world language and athletics. Middle School students are encouraged to be self-reliant, critical thinkers who are civically responsible.

Within the Upper School, students are challenged to achieve academically, to exercise leadership, to participate in co-curricular activities that enhance their understanding of their own talents, to share their gifts with others, and to position themselves for success at the college or university level.

In addition to academic requirements, graduation requirements include 120 hours of service learning and a project that demonstrates environmental stewardship.  Internships, opportunities for multicultural exchanges, encounters with entrepreneurs and critical thinkers, and seminars with artists and scientists advance the philosophy of the Upper School in connecting students with a wider world and preparing them for leadership positions.

The Pine School seeks to nurture an awareness of ethics and values and encourages  the “5 R’s”: Respect, Restraint, Responsibility, Resourcefulness and Response to the community. Students are taught that excellence is a way of life and that success is the product of effort, good habits and self-motivation.

School Profile

The Pine School is an independent college preparatory school that offers an academically rigorous program to students from ages three through 12th grade. In keeping with the independent school philosophy, arts and athletics are integrated into the program of all students, who are supported in their pursuit of excellence through an Academic Center.

An average enrollment of 500 includes students of all faiths.  The student body is culturally, racially and ethnically diverse.  With a student/faculty ratio of 9 to 1, The Pine School offers students a chance to fulfill their individual potential in a safe and supportive environment.  The school prides itself on its pursuit of excellence and its attention to the development of the mind, body and spirit of every student.

Faculty members are recruited nationally and internationally to carry out a curriculum designed to meet the needs of students in the 21st century.

History

The Pine School was founded in 1969 under the leadership of Mr. Harold Potsdam.  He encouraged friends and neighbors to “put our heads together and see what life we will make for our children.”

In 1975 the school changed its name to St. Michael’s School and became affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese.  In 1994, that affiliation ended and the school became St. Michael’s Independent School.  In 2006, the school returned to its original name of The Pine School to honor its roots and to reflect its status as an independent school that welcomes students of all faiths.

The Campuses

The Pine School is located on a beautiful eleven-acre campus in a residential neighborhood of Stuart.  Tall pines add grace to a campus whose scale promotes a feeling of safety, comfort, and connection with nature.  The campus includes the Jayne Reitman Early Childhood Center, the Lower School, the Computer Lab, and athletic fields.  Classrooms are equipped with computers and Smart Board technology.  A separate building provides space for art and music classes and workshops.  The Ashley Carroll Student Center houses the gym and a stage and performance space.

In 2007, the Middle School and Upper School moved to a new campus in Hobe Sound.  The 142 acre campus is one of the richest ecological areas in Martin County.  The entire campus serves as an environmental studies classroom. The state of the art campus includes classrooms equipped with computers and Smart Board technology, a multi-media center, athletic fields, art and performing arts areas, science labs, a gym, and a dining hall.