Meet Ben Weber ’23

Posted by Pine Crest School on June 12, 2023 at 4:03 PM

Joining the Pine Crest community in sixth grade, Ben Weber ’23 took advantage of what Middle and Upper School had to offer. He served as a positive force in and out of the classroom through his intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm, and hardworking nature.

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Topics: Innovation, Upper School, Science, STEM, outdoor learning, 2023

Meet Madison Huang ’23

Posted by Pine Crest School on June 12, 2023 at 1:56 PM

Madison Huang ’23 joined Pine Crest School as a freshman after attending science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) camp one summer. 

“I was able to work in the Zimmerman Family iLab, with different teachers,” she said. “The opportunities and resources that were available made me want to be a student here.”

STEM continued capturing Madison’s attention as an Upper School student. As a freshman, she applied to join the three-year social entrepreneurship program. 

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Topics: Innovation, Upper School, Student Life, Alumni, Entrepreneurship, STEM, 2023

Why Play and Exploration are Key for Young Students to Learn

Posted by Pine Crest School on February 27, 2023 at 1:53 PM

By Debra Jacoby, J.D.
Pine Crest Lower School Computer Science/Educational Technology

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Topics: Lower School, Innovation, Design Thinking

Outdoor Learning at Pine Crest School: A Fresh Approach

Posted by Pine Crest School on August 3, 2022 at 11:20 AM

Outdoor learning is expanding on Pine Crest School’s Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale campuses allowing students and faculty to enjoy the countless benefits and lasting impact of outdoor education and play. 

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Topics: Lower School, Innovation, Academics, Science, STEM, 2022, outdoor learning

Transforming Tomorrow: Pine Crest Moves Forward with Strategic Renovation and Construction Projects

Posted by Pine Crest School on May 24, 2022 at 10:09 AM

In 2019, Pine Crest faculty, staff, and administrators created and finalized the School’s strategic plan to be executed over the course of the following five years under the leadership of President Dr. Dana Markham ’18H.

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Topics: Innovation, Student Life, Fine Arts, Middle School, Academics, Robotics, Giving, Pine Crest Fund, Computer Science, STEM, Future Ready, 2022

Learning Human-Centered Design in Pine Crest Middle School

Posted by Pine Crest School on March 12, 2021 at 11:12 AM

by Ivy Pisani, Innovation Instructor

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Topics: Innovation, Middle School, Design Thinking, Computer Science, STEM, Social and Emotional Learning, 2021

Joe Kelley: Retiring After 22 Years of Service to Pine Crest School

Posted by Pine Crest School on August 14, 2020 at 10:07 AM

Longtime educator Joe Kelley has retired after 43 years of teaching, 22 of which he spent at Pine Crest School.

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Topics: Innovation, Faculty, Science, STEM, 2020

Jared Browarnik ’12 and Brandon Halim ’14: Opening Roads at TheTake.AI

Posted by Pine Crest School on June 12, 2020 at 2:00 PM

by Daniel Hennelly ’21, Ilana Hutzler ’20, Karene Hermon ’21, and Jade Klacko ’21

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Topics: Innovation, Upper School, Alumni, 2019

Pine Crest School is Recognized as a 2021 Green School of Excellence

Posted by Pine Crest School on April 22, 2020 at 8:26 AM

For the ninth consecutive year, Pine Crest School's Boca Raton campus has been recognized by the Green Schools Recognition Program (GSRP) as a Green School of Excellence.

This exciting achievement comes as a result of a collaborative effort of faculty, staff, students, and administrators to develop leadership and provide a nurturing learning community that prepares students to meet the global challenges of the future.

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Topics: Innovation, Future Ready

Giving Students The EDGE

Posted by Pine Crest School on August 1, 2019 at 9:23 AM

By Danielle Weisfisch ’20

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Topics: Innovation, Student Life, 2019, Academics, Student Leadership, Entrepreneurship

Disrupting Traditional City Scaffolding with Urban Umbrella: Andrés Ulises Cortés ’92

Posted by Pine Crest School on July 10, 2019 at 4:18 PM

Walk along a New York City sidewalk for long enough and you may discover a delicious slice of pizza, a one-of-a-kind retail flagship store, dozens of high-rise buildings — and miles and miles of scaffolding, also known as sidewalk sheds.

 

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Topics: Innovation, Alumni, 2019, Pine Crest School, Entrepreneurship

Why Pine Crest School Students Create Digital Portfolios

Posted by Pine Crest School on March 19, 2019 at 12:03 PM

By Danielle Weisfisch ’20

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Topics: Innovation, Student Life, Admission, Pre-kindergarten, Middle School, Academics, Giving, Pine Crest Fund, Computer Science, Social and Emotional Learning

Top Tools for Techy Tots: Computer Science & Robotics in the Pre-Primary Classroom

Posted by Pine Crest School on March 7, 2019 at 4:53 PM

Today’s pre-primary aged students are presented with a variety of different tech tools, many of which we use at Pine Crest School.

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Topics: Lower School, Innovation, Faculty, Pre-kindergarten, Innovation Institute, 2019, Robotics, Pine Crest School, Computer Science

Exploring Virtual Reality in Middle School

Posted by Pine Crest School on March 4, 2019 at 12:12 PM

Middle School at Pine Crest is home to new virtual reality (VR) equipment, which Pine Crest Computer Science and Technology faculty are using to teach students how to create their own virtual experiences and to influence others’ perspective.

“More content is being released and is increasingly available and accessible, and VR and augmented reality (AR) devices are becoming more effective,” said Mr. Sean Tibor, Pine Crest Computer Science and Technology Specialist. “By the time our Middle School students go to college, they will need to know how to use this equipment and feel comfortable using it.”

The terms “VR” and “AR” are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.

“The difference is that AR takes information around you and fuses the world you are in with additional data or information  — think Pokemon Go,” said Mr. Tibor. “VR is about immersion and perspective. It overlays virtual items or instances on top of the real world. The benefit of VR technology is that it can change our perspective from a few different axes: distance, time, scale, and the forthcoming, human perspective."

Delving into these axes, Mr. Tibor shared how using VR technology is not limited to one course or subject.  

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Topics: Innovation, Panther Pulse, Faculty, Middle School, Design Thinking, Innovation Institute, 2019, Academics

Building Teamwork and Imaginative Thinking through Competitive Robotics

Posted by Pine Crest School on March 4, 2019 at 11:02 AM

Pine Crest formed the School’s first-ever Lower and Middle School FIRSTⓇ LEGO LeagueⓇ (FLL) competitive teams four years ago, and since then, the Panthers have formed eight teams who have made their mark on the South Florida region.

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Topics: Lower School, Innovation, Student Life, Middle School, Innovation Institute, 2019, Academics, Robotics

Teaching Collaboration

Posted by Pine Crest School on February 15, 2019 at 11:12 AM

By Vicki Spitalnick, Innovation Specialist

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Topics: Innovation, Student Life, Admission, Middle School, Design Thinking, Innovation Institute, 2019

Five Tips To Building Resilience in Young Coders

Posted by Pine Crest School on January 16, 2019 at 9:50 AM

By Kelly Paredes, M.Ed., CIT
Computer Science and Educational Technology Specialist

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Topics: Lower School, Innovation, Faculty, Innovation Institute

Innovation Curriculum in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten at Pine Crest School

Posted by Pine Crest School on November 28, 2018 at 10:13 AM

At Pine Crest School innovation is part of the curriculum from day one. Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten students visit the Zimmerman Family iLab, or the Mintz Family iLab each month, and have computer science class twice a week.

Students are exposed to basic algorithmic thinking and logical reasoning through elementary coding classes. Students use applications on iPads, like Dash and Dot, Ozobot, Bee-Bot, and Codeable to learn to sequence and debug code. Students see their code come to life in the small robots that complement the applications they use.  

Digital portfolios are also part of their computer science and technology curriculum. Students upload samples of their assignments, or “artifacts,” to reflect on what they have learned. These portfolios will follow them throughout their academic careers at Pine Crest.

During their time in the iLabs, students are exposed to organic gardening and engineering challenges. They are exposed to the design thinking process showing students how to research, ideate, experiment, and reflect as to problem-solve and think creatively.  

Students are given design challenges exposing them to the engineering process and teaching them to manipulate materials and construction techniques appropriate for their age level. Additionally, students use Squishy Circuits to learn the basics of electricity and circuitry.

This innovative curriculum is designed for students to take risks and fail forward.

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Topics: 2018, Innovation, Admission, Pre-kindergarten, Design Thinking

Building Success by Merging Art and Innovation

Posted by Pine Crest School on November 28, 2018 at 9:52 AM

Building fun, customizable, affordable bicycles has been a way for Avery Pack, founder of Republic Bike and Pine Crest Class of 1996 alumnus, to encourage people to get moving.

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Topics: Innovation, Alumni, Fine Arts

Harnessing Collaboration and Innovation to Improve Athletic Performance

Posted by Pine Crest School on November 8, 2018 at 3:43 PM

Pine Crest School alumnus Daniel Fine ‘13 is laser-focused on revolutionizing athletic performance.  It was during a summer internship experience while he was studying at the University of Tampa that Daniel came up with an idea.

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Topics: Innovation, Upper School, Athletics, Alumni, Design Thinking