Pine Mountain Settlement School
Encyclopedia
Pine Mountain Settlement School is located on Pine Mountain
in Harlan County
, Kentucky
. The settlement school
focuses on Appalachia
n and environmental education
.
, 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
.
Kentucky philanthropist
William Creech, Sr.
, who said that he had "heart and cravin' that our people may grow better" donated 700 acres (283.3 ha) for the establishment of the school.
, which established institutions such as Hull House
. The school has served many purposes in since its founding nearly a century ago.
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.
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.
Pine Mountain (ridge)
Pine Mountain is a ridge in the Appalachian Mountains running through Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. It extends about 125 miles from near Jellico, Tennessee, to a location near Elkhorn City, Kentucky. The highest point is 3,273 feet above sea level, east of Whitesburg, Kentucky...
in Harlan County
Harlan County, Kentucky
Harlan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1819. As of 2000, the population was 33,200. Its county seat is Harlan...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The settlement school
Settlement school
Settlement schools are social reform institutions established in rural Appalachia in the early 20th century with the purpose of educating mountain children and improving their isolated rural communities. Settlement schools have played an important role in preserving and promoting the cultural...
focuses on Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
n and environmental education
Environmental education
Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
.
Founding
Pine Mountain Settlement School was the dream of Katherine PettitKatherine Pettit
Katherine Rebecca Pettit was an American educator from Kentucky who contributed to the settlement school movement of the early 20th century.-Background:...
, an educator who had previously co-founded the Hindman Settlement School
Hindman Settlement School
Hindman Settlement School is a settlement school located in Hindman, Kentucky in Knott County. Established in 1902, it was the first rural settlement school in America.-Mission:...
in Knott County
Knott County, Kentucky
Knott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1884. As of 2000, the population was 17,649. Its county seat is Hindman. The county is named for James Proctor Knott, Governor of Kentucky . It is a prohibition or dry county. Notable inhabitants include U.S....
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Pettit and Ethel DeLong Zande co-founded Pine Mountain Settlement School in 1913. The school was designed by Mary Rockwell Hook
Mary Rockwell Hook
Mary Rockwell Hook was an American architect and a pioneer for women in architecture. She designed throughout the United States....
, a prominent Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
.
Kentucky philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
William Creech, Sr.
William Creech, Sr.
William Creech, Sr. was an American philanthropist. "Uncle" William Creech is remembered for his contributions to improve Harlan County, Kentucky.-Pine Mountain Settlement School:...
, who said that he had "heart and cravin' that our people may grow better" donated 700 acres (283.3 ha) for the establishment of the school.
Uses
Pine Mountain Settlement School grew out of the settlement movementSettlement movement
The settlement movement was a reformist social movement, beginning in the 1880s and peaking around the 1920s in England and the US, with a goal of getting the rich and poor in society to live more closely together in an interdependent community...
, which established institutions such as Hull House
Hull House
Hull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
. The school has served many purposes in since its founding nearly a century ago.
- From 1913 to 1930, Pine Mountain served as a boarding schoolBoarding schoolA boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for children of elementaryElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
and middle schoolMiddle schoolMiddle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
age. - In 1930, Pine Mountain became a boarding high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, encouraging vocationalVocational educationVocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
and artistic development as well as academics. - In 1949, Pine Mountain and the county educational system began to jointly operate an elementary school.
- In the 1970s, Pine Mountain began to focus its efforts on environmental educationEnvironmental educationEnvironmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
.
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.
Relationship with Alpha Sigma Tau
Alpha Sigma TauAlpha Sigma Tau
Alpha Sigma Tau is a national Panhellenic sorority founded on November 4, 1899, at Michigan State Normal College...
Sorority
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
adopted Pine Mountain Settlement School as its national philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
in 1945.
Members of alumnae
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
and collegiate
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
chapters and colonies
Colony (fraternity or sorority)
A colony is a probationary body of a national fraternity or sorority. A group wishing to become a member of a fraternity or sorority must first petition for status as a colony. If the colony prospers, the colony may later be chartered, thereby becoming a full chapter of the fraternity...
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.