In 1934, tutor Dr. Mae McMillan founded Pine Crest School in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Five years later, when the school had amassed 100 students, they moved to a former hospital building to continue providing boarding students with education and dormitory spaces. Nearby land was later bought to construct an elementary school, and this land became Pine Crest School’s 49-acre Fort Lauderdale campus. With the school gaining recognition across South Florida and earning a well-respected spot on academic rankings, Pine Crest purchased a sister campus located in Boca Raton, which became a lower and middle school. This year, for the school’s 85th anniversary, students clad themselves in green and white and chant school cheers with more passion than ever.

To honor this milestone, community members have been invited to write a magazine celebrating the 85th anniversary. Mrs. Vallejo, Pine Crest’s Marketing Communications Manager, elaborated, “This is the third magazine I’ve worked on since I came to Pine Crest. I have a lot of students helping me this time around, which has been really great. I love being able to feature student work and giving students an opportunity to develop their portfolios, so I have a variety of students who have contributed work.”

Mrs. Vallejo has worked unceasingly to create an 85th anniversary magazine that features 85 alumni, all from varying graduating years and pursuing myriad careers, so that viewers can gain more insight into not only how Pine Crest has evolved, but also what the school has given to their students. 

The magazine features alumni in a variety of ways—from long stories to brief Q&A pieces—and even excerpts of articles from the past that consist of favorite memories.

“We just wanted to do an alumni focus because we think that, when we discuss the history of Pine Crest, our alumni are really the best beacons of what our school has done for people,” stated Mrs. Vallejo.

As can be seen today, Pine Crest has matured into a locally-beloved and nationally-admired academic institution. With constant remodeling to the school’s curriculum and refurbishments to the campus grounds, Pine Crest has revolutionized the modern school system and set a precedent for other schools across America.  Alumni and current students alike look forward to seeing monumental changes in the coming years.