NEWS AND UPDATES

Katelyn Afshar '14 and mom Lisa Afshar spoke to Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers about the dangers of texting and driving after attending an event with the Jonas Brothers at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter.  The famous pop band supports Allstate’s X the TXT pledge campaign, which is aimed at keeping teens and their families from texting while driving.  Read the full story on TCPalm.com.

Under the direction of Director of Fine Arts Marcus Rabb, The Pine School Jazz Ensemble will entertain the crowd at the Palm City Fall Fest on October 16.  Read more about the performance on TCPalm.com.

The Pine School kicked off its 41st year with opening assemblies on its Stuart and Hobe Sound campuses on August 23, as reported by TCPalm.com.

Seventh grader Emily Rynasko, a budding star in local and national theatres alike, scored a hit with "The Little Yellow Diary," a one-woman, one-act play performed at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre on August 27, 28, and 29.  Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers previewed the spectacular production in their print and online editions.

The Pine School's first Spring Mixed Doubles Tennis Tournament raised funds for the Booster Club in May and landed athletic director Nathan Washer, tournament chair Lisa Afshar, Dr. John Afshar, and Seacoast National Bank executive vice president Tom Hall in Luminaries over the summer. 

Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers covered The Pine School's second commencement exercises May 28, snapping photographs of the 21 graduates of the Class of 2010.  Frank Patterson, dean of Florida State University's College of Motion Picture Arts, addressed the graduates.  View photos of the event on TCPalm.com.

Congressman Rooney recognized Erin Tufano '13, Austin Blumenthal '12, and Sara Roberts '10 with Congressional Awards recently.  Erin and Austin won bronze medals and Sara was awarded a silver/bronze medal.  Myrthe Doedens '11 was recognized as one of the top five student artists in the district's art competition.  Read more about the awards ceremony on TCPalm.com.

Professional cyclist Kristin Sanders spoke to Middle and Upper School females on Girls and Women in Sports Day and raved about the experience on her blog.  "I hope that the girls left inspired and motivated by my experiences," Sanders wrote, "because the girls of The Pine School definitely inspired me with their enthusiasm."

Senior Emma Akrawi was recently selected to the Florida High School Athletic Association's 2010 Academic All-State Team.  She is one of just 24 Florida high school seniors to receive the honor.  Emma played varsity volleyball and lacrosse all four years and lettered in swimming her freshman year.  She has also earned numerous awards for her musical talent and is the president of The Pine School's Student Government Association.  Emma, who will head to Yale in the fall to study biology and music, is now a candidate for the top Florida Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.  Read more about Emma's prestigious honor here.

Sixth graders recently hosted their families and friends at a Spanish cafe that allowed them to practice their language skills in a practical, fun setting.  Read TCPalm.com's coverage of the cafe experience here.

Third graders at The Pine School recently wrote and illustrated books as part of the Rotary Club of Stuart’s Literacy Month programs.  Read all about it on TCPalm.com.

The Elliott Museum will play host to Synectics, The Pine School's end-of-the-year-art show, from April 30-May 9, and the local arts community has taken notice.  Marilyn Bauer, entertainment editor for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, featured the show and selected pieces of artwork on her blog.

The Conservation Fund, a national organization that partnered with the junior class to clean up Hobe Sound's Banner Lake on Service Learning Day in March, recently posted stories about the juniors' work on their Web site, Facebook, and Twitter.  Read their account of Service Learning Day and view pictures on the Conservation Fund site.

Senior Emma Akrawi graced the cover of Luminaries after being nominated as a Woman of Distinction by the Stuart chapter of Soroptomist International, the world's largest women's service club.  Emma was nominated in the Rising Star category for her significant service to the community.  Read about Emma's honor as well as the other nominees here.

Seventh graders Cole Posey and Tim de Marcken were recently selected by their peers to become members of the Boy Scouts' National Honor Society, The Order of the Arrow.  Cole and Tim will officially receive their coveted sashes in May.  Read more about their honor in The Stuart News.

Third grader Lacie Greenwald recently skied to the silver medal in her age division at the 2010 Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships in Winter Park, Colo.  Read more about Lacie's success on TCPalm.com.

The Pine School celebrated "Iditarod Day" on March 30, the culmination of a middle school elective focused on the famous Alaskan trail sled dog race.  Early Learning and Pre-Kindergarten students traveled from the Stuart campus to Hobe Sound to join eighth graders, Iditarod students, and their teacher, Pat Stuart, for a celebration of learning.  Read TCPalm.com for more information.

Ryan Jordan, current dean of students at one of the nation's premier independent schools, Connecticut's Pomfret School, will join The Pine School in July as its new Academic Dean for the Middle and Upper School.  He will serve as the boys' varsity basketball coach and introduce Latin as an elective for all seventh graders.  "Ryan will bring a hands-on, collaborative style of leadership," said Phyllis Parker, Assistant Head of School.  "He's a hard-working, principled young administrator who will lead by example and help TPS maintain its high standards."  The Stuart News covered Ryan's hire on March 29.

The Pine School's Athletic Department hosted a self-defense class for 16 Upper School females on March 20, teaching them general safety tips and martial arts techniques to prepare them for their increasingly independent lives.  Read TCPalm.com's coverage of the class here.

Digital Domain Holdings Chairman and CEO John Textor and Pine School headmaster Stephen M. Mandell announced a new partnership between the two entities at a school assembly on March 22.  Art teacher Christopher Kretzer and visiting professors from Digital Domain will teach a Digital Storytelling class, to be held during the 2010-11 year, and summer internships will be available at Digital Domain for Pine School students and families.  Plans for a digital animation summer program are underway for 2011.  Read The Stuart News' coverage of the new partnership here.

Mrs. Adams' eighth grade science class learned about insulation with a hands-on project earlier this month.  Students used a 12-oz. aluminum can and any other materials of their choice to make an insulator.  Check out The Stuart News' picture of Sarah Sharfi testing her insulator's water temperature here.

Classes were suspended for all Upper School students on March 16 as ninth through twelfth graders ventured out into the community for Service Learning Day.  Seniors participated in a beach clean-up, juniors removed invasive plants from an area in Banner Lake, sophomores spent a day with children at Hobe Sound Elementary School, and freshmen completed an environmental project at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.  Read The Stuart News' coverage here.  Photos from the day can be viewed on TCPalm.com and on pbpost.com.

In yet another coup for The Pine School's Fine Arts Department, Jennifer Jones, co-owner and executive director of the StarStruck Performing Arts Center, has signed on to teach a course tentatively titled "Introduction to Performance" in the fall. Read Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers' coverage of Jones' hiring here. For more information about the course and new additions to the visual and performing arts at TPS, check out TCPalm.com.

The Pine School Jazz Ensemble offered the Hobe Sound campus an impromptu outdoor performance on Feb. 23 during lunch, to the delight of Middle and Upper School students, faculty, and staff. The Stuart News ran a photo of the concert (which can be viewed online here) in its March 9 edition.

The Pine School's best young scientists placed in four events at the Southeast Florida Regional Science Olympiad Competition on Feb. 20. Senior Kim Kelly and sophomore A.J. VanSuetendael earned a second-place finish in the fossils competition, while junior Addison Gropp and sophomore Lauren Cary added another second-place result in the forensics challenge. Cary and senior Cody Lister came in third in the ornithology competition. Juniors Alec Renfroe and Hugo Sabournin earned a third-place prize in the Dynamic Planet contest. Read more about the team, which was coached by science teacher Rebecca Conway, here.

Digital Domain's new partnership with The Pine School, which the company's chairman John Textor says will be "a model for all our school programs," garnered the attention of WPTV NewsChannel 5 on Feb. 19 and Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers on Feb. 21. Beginning this fall, The Pine School will host instructors from the animation company as part of its arts curriculum. Read more about Digital Domain's programs in schools across our area here.

The Pine School's Knitting Club, led by co-advisors Ms. Lawton and Ms. Conway, recently donated hand-knitted baby items to Palm City's Angels of Love Charity. The charity in turn distributes those items to needy mothers in the community. Check out TCPalm.com's picture of the Knitting Club (featured in the Feb. 22 edition of Luminaries) here.

Sophomore Elizabeth Upton scored seven goals as she led the varsity girls' lacrosse team to victory over Jensen Beach High School on Feb. 16. The Stuart News took note of Upton's impressive performance, which kept the Knights' record perfect. Read all about it here.

Luminaries, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers' philanthropy magazine, recently interviewed Pine School parent Debbie Textor about the many charities she supports. Textor is a member of the Board of Trustees and mom to Christopher Textor '18 and Addison Textor '20. Read "5 Minutes with Debbie Textor" here.

Art students and faculty members recently crafted bowls for the Empty Bowls Project of Martin County, a non-profit organization that aims to end hunger. Proceeds from the sale of the beautiful bowls will go to the Treasure Coast Food Bank and St. Mary's Soup Kitchen. To read about The Pine School's efforts, visit the Empty Bowl Project's blog.

Archery, The Pine School's newest athletic offering, recently drew the attention of The Stuart News.  Read reporter Alex Tiegen's story here and watch streaming video of our students practicing on TCPalm.com.

The Pine School dedicated much of January and early February to a full-scale relief effort for victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Middle and Upper School students raised a whopping $5,000 that they donated to the American Red Cross. Students at the Lower School in Stuart contributed 350 pounds of food and medical supplies that are being transported to Haiti by Missionary Flights International, headquartered in Fort Pierce.  Read TCPalm.com's coverage here.

World-renowned pianist Haochen Zhang performed for Lower School students at the Ashley Carroll Student Center on Feb. 8. In 2009, Zhang was the youngest participant at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, which the Chicago Tribune hailed as the "most prestigious classical piano contest in the world."  Check out Stuart News photographer Alex Boerner's coverage of Zhang's visit here.

Sophomore Carleigh Beatus recently qualified to compete against the world’s best young equestrians at August’s American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Youth World Championships in Oklahoma City. Carleigh gave up 11 days of her winter break to compete in the Gold Coast Championships and the Gulf Coast Championships in Tampa, where her stellar performance propelled her to the world competition.  At the AQHA World Cup, Carleigh will compete in three separate events – equitation over fences, working hunter, and hunter hack. It’s a remarkable feat, given that it’s her first year competing on the AQHA circuit. Read TCPalm.com's coverage of Carleigh's achievement here.

A sculpture by American artist Betty Gold was unveiled at Gallery Night on Nov. 13, the gift of an unnamed donor who buys one of Gold's works every year and donates it to an educational institution. It will reside permanently near the front offices of the Hobe Sound campus. Read The Stuart News' coverage of the sculpture's installation here.

AP Studio Art and Art Club students used their talents to help the Treasure Coast Food Bank by decorating backpacks that were featured on the cover of the January 25 issue of Luminaries.  The backpacks, which were created under the direction of art teacher Maria Miele, will be auctioned off at the Food Bank's Fete du Vin Gala (affectionately known as the "Backpack Ball") on February 12. The Backpack program raises funds for children on free- and reduced-priced lunches who otherwise would have no food source on weekends and holiday breaks.  Read Luminaries' salute to Pine School students involved in this worthy project here.