Pine Mountain Settlement School as a Community Resource and Environmental Education Center.

Founded in 1913 as a boarding school for mountain children in Eastern Kentucky, Pine Mountain Settlement School’s mission has evolved to meet its communities’ needs. Pine Mountain’s mission--to enrich lives and connect people through Appalachian place-based education for all ages--emerges from over 100 years of serving the coalfields of Eastern Kentucky. The presentation will cover its early years as a school for students living on the remote north side of Pine Mountain and describe the rich and innovative history the school as it grew over the years culminating in its current standing as an environmental education and community center. We will also describe events that precipitated a drastic decline in the school’s community participation seen around the 90’s and the steps taken in recent years to heal these rifts and begin another period of growth for the school