What do Senate
chaplain Barry Black,
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actor Clifton Davis,
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and yours truly, have in common.
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Stay tuned to find out.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis
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and you're
watching Urban Report.
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Hello and
welcome to Urban Report.
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My guest today
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is the headmistress
of Pine Forge Academy,
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Nicole Hughes.
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Welcome to Urban Report, Nicole.
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Thank you for having
me. So happy to be here.
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Oh, it's so great to have you.
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You know, the
question and the tease was
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what do Barry Black,
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Clifton Davis,
and I, have in common.
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We all went to Pine Forge.
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Wow! Look at that.
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Pine, Pine Forge
was such a blessing.
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I was there, I
won't say what year.
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Probably not
longer after it opened
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and it just celebrated
its 70th anniversary, right?
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It did.
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I went there and my
dad was the dean of boys.
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So I lived in
the boy's dormitory.
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Oh, what an experience!
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That was, that was
quite an experience.
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The only girl
walking up the hill, right.
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But it was a
great, great experience.
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Tell us about Pine Forge.
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It has such a legacy,
tell us about Pine Forge.
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Pine Forge Academy
is an awesome school.
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It is the only
historically black
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Christian Seventh-day Adventist
boarding school of its kind
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in the entire nation.
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We service students in
grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.
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They come from over
25 different states,
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and nationalities,
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and people, and when
you get to Pine Forge,
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there's just something sacred
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and special
about the environment
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and you feel it in your
interaction with the students
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and in your
interaction with the families
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but quite candidly,
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in who you see
the students become,
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like you, time down the line.
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Oh, praise the Lord.
You know, praise the Lord.
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It's so interesting
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because I just
recently visited Pine Forge
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and that's where I met you.
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I brought my granddaughter
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'cause I really wanted
her to check out the school.
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And you're right,
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there is something so
sacred about the grounds.
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There's just this feeling
that you get when you're there.
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And the
students seem to love it.
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How many students do
you have enrolled there?
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So it ranges, one year,
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we had 160, this
year, we have 139.
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In the past, we've had
as low as 120, but no matter
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the compilation or
the number of students,
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the energy is always the same.
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So academy students are known
for being great singers, right?
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But that's not all. Yeah.
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They're great thinkers,
they're awesome leaders,
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they're caring, and
they're compassionate.
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They do a whole host of things,
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from giving shoes and socks
to the homeless on MLK day,
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to going to the
nursing homes on the weekend,
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and leading all
types of extracurriculars.
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They bring a excited
passion to the campus
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and to our experience as adults.
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That's tremendous,
that is really tremendous.
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I felt it when I was there,
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visiting this last
time and the choir sang.
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The choir was such a big part
of my musical development too.
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'Cause at the time,
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Mr. Anthony was
the choir director
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and he just
inspired you to wanna sing.
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The kids there,
play instruments,
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sing, I mean,
there's so much talent there,
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it's just, it's amazing.
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Give us some, a
little history of the school.
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How did the school come to be?
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So Pine Forge Academy is
on truly remarkable land.
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It sits on about 575 acres.
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And right through the property,
the Manatawny River runs.
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What's interesting about that,
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is that the
Manatawny River is named
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after a group of
Indians that lived there,
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native Americans, excuse me.
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And they were
named the Manatawny.
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We've come to find
out through some research
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that they were sabbatarians,
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who actually
inhabited the land at that time.
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In the early
1700s, the land was deeded
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from William
Penn to Thomas Rudder.
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The William Penn?
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The William Penn. Okay.
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The William Penn deeded
the land to Thomas Rudder
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who also in his
family kept the Sabbath.
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It's known as a location
on the underground railroad,
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literally a stop where
former slaves were liberated
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on their ways to freedom.
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And since then, has
had such a civil rights
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impact in its own special way.
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Now, what I mean
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by that is the
Academy in 1946 was founded
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with the 90
pioneers, and those pioneers
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and subsequent alumni
have gone to do amazing things
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for people of color or
just the general community.
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An example, our first graduate,
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Dr. Margaret Dixon,
was also the first woman
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in her university to
earn a doctorate in nursing.
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It's amazing to know
that this is the legacy,
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this is the impact that
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Pine Forge Academy
students are making,
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not just on the
campus but around the world.
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That's tremendous, and
they are making an impact.
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The whole history
though of Pine Forge
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being a part of the
underground railroad,
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I mean, that area,
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that land being a part
of the underground railroad,
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that is tremendous.
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So in 1946, was it? Mm-hm.
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The school was
founded, who founded the school?
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Principal Moran.
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Now the interesting thing
about Principal Moran is that
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he was actually one of the first
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or early
presidents of Oakwood College.
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I remember him.
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I think one of the
first African Americans
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and so when he
came to Pine Forge,
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the vision was the
great Oakwood of the North.
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Creating a school
for high school students
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that would have a
vigor and an academic vigor
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and create professionalism,
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so that students can
go out into the world
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and do those amazing things.
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So the story goes that
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many folks at
the time were excited
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but nervous about the
cost to acquire the land
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and start the school
and so Allegheny East,
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and it wasn't Allegheny
East Conference at the time,
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my apologies,
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Allegheny
Conference at the time.
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Right, right, right.
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Their leaders put
out a pitch saying,
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"Hey, this is an awesome
potential to do God's ministry.
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Can we raise the money?"
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And they raised,
some debate and say,
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it was 46,000, others say,
it was 49,000, nevertheless.
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They raised the money in a year.
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Pledges, donations,
the money came pouring in
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and the land was purchased.
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In the early stages, the
students and the faculty,
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they all lived in
the very similar housing,
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one such building is
called the Manor House,
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it has been there
since Thomas Rudder himself,
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who was there.
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So it's quite a
historic building.
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And so they all lived
in that same environment
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and they often
say, our pioneers,
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"It felt like family.
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It felt like
home away from home."
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And even today,
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that's what the
academy is known for.
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Creating a family among
young Adventist Christians
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who go on to keep those bonds
and friendships for a lifetime.
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That is so true.
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I have friends from Pine Forge
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that I've had
from when I was there,
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I was there in the ninth
grade, I was 13 years old.
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Yeah, I was 13
in the ninth grade.
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I was, I was 13,
and my best friend
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then is still my
friend today, Beverly Von.
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And she's very
involved in still,
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in the divas and all that.
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And some of those friends
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that I had from then
are still my friends today,
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it's amazing.
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You make lifelong
friendships there.
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The other thing that,
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that strikes me
about the school is that
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it does create leaders.
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Oh, absolutely.
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Let's talk about the
intention involved in that.
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What, how do you,
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how do you shape
tomorrow's leaders?
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You know, that's
such a great question
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because part of
it is intentionality
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and also design.
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So the boarding
school environment creates
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a mini collegiate
experience for the students.
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They're away from home,
some as early as ninth grade,
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some joining us
as upperclassmen.
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And they learn
how to be autonomous,
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they learn to self manage,
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they learn to
balance the dynamic of
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so many different
relationships here.
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Your dean, your
teachers in Wagner Hall,
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your roommates,
maybe even floor mates
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who don't always make you smile.
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They learn to balance
all of those experiences
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and so when they
go off to the college,
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they're very well verse.
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They have
emotional intelligence,
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they know how to
manage their time,
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they know how to
prioritize their tasks.
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So that part of it is
the boarding school element.
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The other element is
the Pine Forge element.
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And what I mean by that
is the worship experience,
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the spiritual experience,
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it's so important to
everything that we do
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and rather than doing
it ourselves as faculty
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and students, I
rather, faculty and staff,
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we push the students out.
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So they're the ones
leading praise and worship,
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they're the ones
leading in divine worship,
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they're the ones that are doing
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the Wednesday
night prayer meetings.
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Just last week,
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I heard a ninth grade
student give a fabulous devotion
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that he himself wrote during
Wednesday night prayer meeting.
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Where else do you
get that opportunity
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to be a leader among your peers?
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That's tremendous.
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See, it's interesting
because I hadn't thought about
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the whole autonomy thing.
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When you're there,
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I lived at home
at that time but,
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but if I had been a
dorm student, you know,
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you do learn to manage
your time, you do have to,
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you know, learn to prioritize,
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you have to hone
your people skills,
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because you're living in
a dorm with other people.
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So there are things that,
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skills that can be
generalized into life.
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Absolutely.
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That you can use as
you're, as you're getting older,
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more mature, you can take
those same skills and hone them.
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So that, that is tremendous.
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What would you say
are some of the challenges
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that face the young
people that come to Pine Forge?
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So there are two major
hosts of challenges I'd say.
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And the first is that
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for many people
in our community,
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and when I say, the community,
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I mean, the Adventist community.
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The boarding school
paradigm is not as exciting
00:11:00.76\00:11:05.29
as a day school option.
00:11:05.33\00:11:07.03
And so many families
are nervous and anxious
00:11:07.06\00:11:10.57
about letting their children
go off to a boarding school.
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They want those final
few years with them at home.
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So that's one of our
challenges so to speak.
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The other
challenge quite candidly
00:11:19.21\00:11:20.98
is getting used
to an environment
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that really espouses
00:11:24.11\00:11:25.85
all of the true
ideals of Adventism.
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When you first
get to the campus,
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you're like, "What?
00:11:30.89\00:11:32.22
It's vegetarian."
00:11:32.25\00:11:33.59
Or "Oh, ma'am, my
skirt must be to my knee,"
00:11:33.62\00:11:36.02
which are, it sounds
like such a silly thing
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but if you are in a environment
where you're used to that,
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at first, it creates a
little bit of reluctance
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until you meet the upperclassmen
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who'll explain it all to you,
00:11:48.17\00:11:50.51
until you're
interacting with your teachers
00:11:50.54\00:11:53.11
on a day to day basis
00:11:53.14\00:11:54.48
and they're explaining
00:11:54.51\00:11:55.84
the Biblical
principles behind it for you,
00:11:55.88\00:11:58.61
until you're meeting with alumni
00:11:58.65\00:12:00.88
who are able to
recite scripture,
00:12:00.92\00:12:03.18
who are able to
recite actual lines
00:12:03.22\00:12:06.02
and verbiage from different
Ellen G. White documents,
00:12:06.05\00:12:09.79
who are able to share
with you black history facts,
00:12:09.82\00:12:12.76
who can point to,
00:12:12.79\00:12:14.33
"This is what a Pine
Forge man or woman looks like."
00:12:14.36\00:12:17.10
And that's why we wear
our blazer, and our bow, tie,
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and our sweaters.
00:12:20.24\00:12:21.57
All of those things
then help the students
00:12:21.60\00:12:24.01
and the families
understand, you know what?
00:12:24.04\00:12:26.41
Boarding school is
a refining opportunity
00:12:26.44\00:12:30.45
and the Adventist lifestyle
00:12:30.48\00:12:33.21
that's a practical
Christian one is desirable
00:12:33.25\00:12:37.39
especially in today's climate.
00:12:37.42\00:12:39.75
Hmm.
00:12:39.79\00:12:41.92
You know what? You
are a great spokesperson.
00:12:41.96\00:12:47.30
No, really because
your passion for it,
00:12:47.33\00:12:50.53
it's
infectious, and that's what,
00:12:50.57\00:12:52.67
that's what you
need as principal,
00:12:52.70\00:12:54.47
as headmistress of this school.
00:12:54.50\00:12:56.91
You have to have
that passion for.
00:12:56.94\00:12:58.74
Where does that
passion come from?
00:12:58.77\00:13:00.54
Let's talk a bit
about your journey.
00:13:00.58\00:13:02.44
And we're gonna
comeback to Pine Forge.
00:13:02.48\00:13:03.85
Okay.
00:13:03.88\00:13:05.21
Where did you,
where did you grow up?
00:13:05.25\00:13:07.92
How did you get
involved in education?
00:13:07.95\00:13:09.62
Let's talk about your journey.
00:13:09.65\00:13:10.99
Dr. Lewis, I have
to tell you honestly,
00:13:11.02\00:13:13.05
I think I
stumbled into education.
00:13:13.09\00:13:15.26
Really?
00:13:15.29\00:13:16.62
Well, nothing is
ever stumbling with God.
00:13:16.66\00:13:18.33
Yeah, yeah. But, for
me, it was stumbling.
00:13:18.36\00:13:20.03
He knew all along.
00:13:20.06\00:13:21.56
But I was born and
raised in Hartford, Connecticut.
00:13:21.60\00:13:24.40
I attended Faith
Seventh-day Adventist church
00:13:24.43\00:13:26.47
my entire life.
00:13:26.50\00:13:28.27
And was really privileged to go
00:13:28.30\00:13:29.70
to a number of
outstanding schools.
00:13:29.74\00:13:31.34
So I attended a
private high school.
00:13:31.37\00:13:34.14
I was able to
attend Yale University
00:13:34.18\00:13:36.85
which is also in Connecticut.
00:13:36.88\00:13:38.88
And that is when
the stumbling happened.
00:13:38.91\00:13:41.32
You went to Yale? Wow! I
went to Yale. I went to Yale.
00:13:41.35\00:13:44.32
And we'll talk about this later
but my husband went to Yale
00:13:44.35\00:13:47.36
and we didn't meet each
other while we were there.
00:13:47.39\00:13:50.29
So you know God was in the
mix. Absolutely, absolutely.
00:13:50.33\00:13:54.50
Yeah, so I went to Yale,
00:13:54.53\00:13:55.86
and I really thought that
I was going to be a lawyer,
00:13:55.90\00:13:58.97
and then maybe a judge.
00:13:59.00\00:14:00.34
I just had it in my mind that
that's what I was going to do.
00:14:00.37\00:14:03.14
I applied to
Vanderbilt Law School.
00:14:03.17\00:14:05.51
Got a full ride, my
parents were excited
00:14:05.54\00:14:08.31
and I said, "You know,
before I go to law school,
00:14:08.34\00:14:10.58
I'd like to try,
00:14:10.61\00:14:11.95
Teach for America
00:14:11.98\00:14:13.31
or New York
City teaching fellows
00:14:13.35\00:14:14.88
and figure it out."
00:14:14.92\00:14:16.42
Long story short.
00:14:16.45\00:14:17.79
I did end up teaching
in Brooklyn for one year,
00:14:17.82\00:14:20.76
and then two years,
and then three years,
00:14:20.79\00:14:23.86
and then my parents said,
00:14:23.89\00:14:25.46
"Hey, what's going
on with law school?
00:14:25.49\00:14:27.20
Are you going or not?"
00:14:27.23\00:14:28.56
And I realized that
the Lord actually called me
00:14:28.60\00:14:31.17
not to go to law
school but to be an educator.
00:14:31.20\00:14:34.30
And I realized that
by having interactions
00:14:34.34\00:14:37.61
with students of color,
00:14:37.64\00:14:38.97
who said, "You've pushed me
00:14:39.01\00:14:40.88
to achieve and do far
more than anyone else."
00:14:40.91\00:14:43.88
And knowing that I
could have that impact,
00:14:43.91\00:14:46.65
made me realize,
00:14:46.68\00:14:48.02
"This is what
God wants me to do."
00:14:48.05\00:14:49.42
Yes.
00:14:49.45\00:14:50.79
Now getting to Pine Forge
was definitely a God moment.
00:14:50.82\00:14:55.12
Let's come back, let's, let's do
00:14:55.16\00:14:56.86
with your
upbringing for a minute.
00:14:56.89\00:14:58.49
Sure. Were you
in a Christian home?
00:14:58.53\00:14:59.93
Oh, yes. Oh, definitely.
00:14:59.96\00:15:02.03
So your parents gave you,
00:15:02.06\00:15:04.70
instilled in you the
values of Christianity.
00:15:04.73\00:15:08.04
Oh, absolutely, absolutely.
00:15:08.07\00:15:10.14
My parents are
Seventh-day Adventists.
00:15:10.17\00:15:12.21
Raised in a
Seventh-day Adventist home
00:15:12.24\00:15:13.78
where literally the manchow was,
00:15:13.81\00:15:15.41
"Only what you do
for Christ will last."
00:15:15.44\00:15:17.85
So as children
we did everything.
00:15:17.88\00:15:20.12
Pathfinders,
choirs, at one point
00:15:20.15\00:15:23.89
we sat on the
church board, we AYS,
00:15:23.92\00:15:26.52
everything that
we could possibly do,
00:15:26.55\00:15:28.26
my parents felt,
00:15:28.29\00:15:29.62
it was so important
to have a church family,
00:15:29.66\00:15:32.69
to have
relationships, to be in service,
00:15:32.73\00:15:36.06
and to really give
your best for Christ.
00:15:36.10\00:15:38.87
And I can remember some
stories of my parents going up,
00:15:38.90\00:15:43.27
where I would
tell a children story,
00:15:43.30\00:15:44.94
or I would be on the rostrum,
and I would do the scripture.
00:15:44.97\00:15:49.54
And afterwards, my
parents would evaluate me.
00:15:49.58\00:15:53.45
They'd let me know how did I do.
00:15:53.48\00:15:55.25
Did I perform in the
way that I should have?
00:15:55.28\00:15:57.69
And I'm laughing because
00:15:57.72\00:15:59.39
we do that to the
kids at Pine Forge now.
00:15:59.42\00:16:03.16
It's a part of that
grooming experience,
00:16:03.19\00:16:06.19
giving them that
feedback to help them
00:16:06.23\00:16:08.66
be their absolute best.
00:16:08.70\00:16:10.13
That's tremendous, yes, yes.
00:16:10.17\00:16:11.80
So you grew up
in a Christian home,
00:16:11.83\00:16:14.60
you decided that you
were gonna go to law school.
00:16:14.64\00:16:17.87
You applied, got
a full scholarship
00:16:17.91\00:16:21.31
but before you went,
you started teaching?
00:16:21.34\00:16:23.51
Yes. And you just loved it?
00:16:23.55\00:16:25.45
Loved it, loved it.
00:16:25.48\00:16:27.35
What level were you
teaching? High school.
00:16:27.38\00:16:29.35
So I taught...
00:16:29.38\00:16:30.72
What class? History. History.
00:16:30.75\00:16:32.65
I taught high school
History to the 11th grade.
00:16:32.69\00:16:35.72
And...
00:16:35.76\00:16:37.56
Was it public
school? It was public school.
00:16:37.59\00:16:39.43
In Brooklyn? In Brooklyn.
00:16:39.46\00:16:40.80
Oh. In Brownsville.
00:16:40.83\00:16:42.73
Brownsville, Brooklyn, so
New Yorkers will understand.
00:16:42.76\00:16:45.97
And I remember my
first few days at school,
00:16:46.00\00:16:49.90
preppy teacher,
00:16:49.94\00:16:53.01
glasses and the, you
know, the whole nine.
00:16:53.04\00:16:55.74
And I told myself I
wasn't going to smile
00:16:55.78\00:16:58.08
that first day at school.
00:16:58.11\00:16:59.71
So not only did I not smile,
00:16:59.75\00:17:01.38
I gave a quiz on
the first day of school.
00:17:01.42\00:17:04.69
Oh, oh, they must've loved that.
00:17:04.72\00:17:06.05
I gave, I gave a Geography
quiz and that same day,
00:17:06.09\00:17:09.52
some of the students
who were very friendly
00:17:09.56\00:17:11.63
with the principal marched
down to the office and said,
00:17:11.66\00:17:14.00
"She has to go."
00:17:14.03\00:17:15.50
She has to go, she has to go.
00:17:15.53\00:17:17.70
Now for my educators out there,
00:17:17.73\00:17:20.04
I did give them a
chance to redeem themselves.
00:17:20.07\00:17:22.17
It was a Geography quiz.
00:17:22.20\00:17:23.54
And I did give them a
chance to redeem themselves
00:17:23.57\00:17:25.54
after that initial shock.
00:17:25.57\00:17:27.28
But I wanted them to
know that I was serious.
00:17:27.31\00:17:29.88
And I wanted them to know
00:17:29.91\00:17:31.25
that they had to be serious too.
00:17:31.28\00:17:34.15
That there was
nothing more important
00:17:34.18\00:17:35.98
than the
cultivation of their mind,
00:17:36.02\00:17:38.29
and, of course, in time,
00:17:38.32\00:17:39.69
they also learned
that I was a Christian
00:17:39.72\00:17:41.76
and a Seventh-day Adventist.
00:17:41.79\00:17:43.29
And they asked me at some point
to lead the Christian club.
00:17:43.32\00:17:46.73
So I was able
to do my work ethic
00:17:46.76\00:17:49.20
and through our relationships,
00:17:49.23\00:17:50.60
begin to bear a witness
00:17:50.63\00:17:52.60
in direct ways
and in indirect ways.
00:17:52.63\00:17:55.27
My time in Brooklyn I think,
has been among my favorite time
00:17:55.30\00:17:58.81
because even now
I see my students
00:17:58.84\00:18:01.18
and they are getting married,
they're having children,
00:18:01.21\00:18:04.55
they're getting
advanced degrees.
00:18:04.58\00:18:06.45
And they'll say,
Miss Falkner then.
00:18:06.48\00:18:08.58
"Miss Falkner,
you changed my life."
00:18:08.62\00:18:10.19
"Your notes for my
class, I use them in college.
00:18:10.22\00:18:13.15
Because you were so
hard on me in my writing,
00:18:13.19\00:18:15.49
I now, I'm doing X."
00:18:15.52\00:18:17.46
And that's way more rewarding
00:18:17.49\00:18:19.86
and than sitting in
an office somewhere.
00:18:19.89\00:18:22.33
Oh, you know,
it's so interesting
00:18:22.36\00:18:24.47
because many of, as you
know being in education,
00:18:24.50\00:18:28.70
there's this educational divide
00:18:28.74\00:18:31.41
where a lot of our
children are under achieving
00:18:31.44\00:18:34.74
and the misconception
is that they can't learn.
00:18:34.78\00:18:37.78
Oh, that's not it.
00:18:37.81\00:18:39.15
That they're, absolutely not,
that they're slow, that, no.
00:18:39.18\00:18:43.08
Many times we
don't demand from them
00:18:43.12\00:18:46.65
what they can give or
they don't have the tools.
00:18:46.69\00:18:49.62
Let's talk a little bit
about the intercity children
00:18:49.66\00:18:51.69
because intercity
children attend Pine Forge too.
00:18:51.73\00:18:54.33
Oh, yes.
00:18:54.36\00:18:55.70
And our audience is
focused on the intercity.
00:18:55.73\00:18:58.97
Tell us about the challenges
of educating intercity youth.
00:18:59.00\00:19:03.71
The primary thing
and you've nailed it,
00:19:03.74\00:19:05.61
is a sense of willingness
on the part of the educator.
00:19:05.64\00:19:09.74
As the adults,
00:19:09.78\00:19:11.11
we have literally all
the power in our hands.
00:19:11.15\00:19:13.78
Children only rise
00:19:13.82\00:19:15.45
to whatever
expectation you give of them.
00:19:15.48\00:19:18.25
Oh, say that again.
00:19:18.29\00:19:20.19
That is music to my
ears, that is music to my ears.
00:19:20.22\00:19:22.96
Would you please say that again?
00:19:22.99\00:19:24.33
It's, it's true.
00:19:24.36\00:19:25.69
They only rise,
or, and I'll say it,
00:19:25.73\00:19:27.26
unfortunately, fall
to whatever expectation
00:19:27.30\00:19:30.37
we have of them as adults.
00:19:30.40\00:19:32.67
I've never heard a child
who even if there was bickering
00:19:32.70\00:19:36.40
and groaning in the beginning,
00:19:36.44\00:19:37.77
who did not
rise to the occasion.
00:19:37.81\00:19:40.74
And you see that at a
place like Pine Forge,
00:19:40.78\00:19:43.28
here's a perfect example.
00:19:43.31\00:19:45.58
We have a student, he is
now the USM body president.
00:19:45.61\00:19:48.95
And when he came to Pine Forge,
00:19:48.98\00:19:50.49
he was determined.
00:19:50.52\00:19:51.92
He said, "I'm going to
graduate in three years.
00:19:51.95\00:19:54.76
I'm going to take classes
at the community college.
00:19:54.79\00:19:57.76
I, in my future, I'm going to be
00:19:57.79\00:19:59.69
one of the
Seventh-day Adventist senators
00:19:59.73\00:20:02.76
that would be in Congress."
00:20:02.80\00:20:04.20
And from the
first day he came in,
00:20:04.23\00:20:06.07
I said, "Clifford Fields,
00:20:06.10\00:20:07.50
not only can you do
it, you will do it."
00:20:07.54\00:20:11.37
And we've
nurtured and encouraged him
00:20:11.41\00:20:13.38
every step of the
way, he did skip a grade,
00:20:13.41\00:20:16.24
he has completed courses
at the community college.
00:20:16.28\00:20:19.61
In fact, he's
one of our students
00:20:19.65\00:20:21.38
who in our partnership
00:20:21.42\00:20:22.88
with the Montgomery
County Community College
00:20:22.92\00:20:24.95
is taking science courses
during the school year now.
00:20:24.99\00:20:28.16
He's done a
wonderful job as USM President.
00:20:28.19\00:20:31.03
And, yes, he's
achieving everything
00:20:31.06\00:20:34.06
that his heart
has desired so far.
00:20:34.10\00:20:36.60
I believe it's because
as adults, we believe him.
00:20:36.63\00:20:39.50
Yes, yes.
00:20:39.53\00:20:40.87
We believe him
and quite honestly,
00:20:40.90\00:20:43.47
a Christian
environment just doubles that.
00:20:43.51\00:20:46.71
It magnifies it
00:20:46.74\00:20:48.31
because we can
pour into Clifford
00:20:48.34\00:20:50.78
who understands
his capacity in Christ.
00:20:50.81\00:20:54.12
But we can also pour in someone
who doesn't understand that.
00:20:54.15\00:20:57.45
We can expose him
to scriptures that say,
00:20:57.49\00:20:59.85
"You are fearfully
and wonderfully made."
00:20:59.89\00:21:02.82
We can show
them Bible characters
00:21:02.86\00:21:04.73
who faced a host of challenges
and still was able to overcome.
00:21:04.76\00:21:09.13
And by pouring that into them,
00:21:09.16\00:21:11.67
we can help them to believe
and then in turn, to achieve.
00:21:11.70\00:21:15.94
I love, I love school.
00:21:15.97\00:21:17.31
I love it.
00:21:17.34\00:21:19.24
Well, you know what? I
love school. Let me tell you.
00:21:19.27\00:21:21.64
I love the fact that we have
an institution like Pine Forge
00:21:21.68\00:21:26.95
where you can
pour into the kids.
00:21:26.98\00:21:29.15
Absolutely.
00:21:29.18\00:21:30.52
Where you can...
00:21:30.55\00:21:31.89
I did an interview,
00:21:31.92\00:21:33.79
this was a couple of
years ago with the, an author,
00:21:33.82\00:21:38.23
Paul Tough, who
wrote a book called,
00:21:38.26\00:21:40.00
"How Children Succeed."
00:21:40.03\00:21:41.80
And he said,
"Academics are important
00:21:41.83\00:21:44.27
but the research is showing
that it's beyond academics,
00:21:44.30\00:21:48.70
it's character development,
00:21:48.74\00:21:50.97
it's
persistence, and perseverance,
00:21:51.01\00:21:54.01
and their whole ability
to differ gratification,
00:21:54.04\00:21:57.95
and to focus, and
to create integrity,
00:21:57.98\00:22:01.68
help them to be honest,
00:22:01.72\00:22:03.95
and all of
these things and that,
00:22:03.99\00:22:07.26
that's what helps to
create successful people.
00:22:07.29\00:22:09.92
That's why our
schools like Pine Forge,
00:22:09.96\00:22:12.89
can create leaders
00:22:12.93\00:22:14.60
because the focus
is not just academics,
00:22:14.63\00:22:17.43
it's character development.
00:22:17.47\00:22:19.60
And that's what
you guys are doing,
00:22:19.63\00:22:21.14
I mean, I just think
it's just phenomenal.
00:22:21.17\00:22:23.57
Yeah, it's exciting work.
00:22:23.61\00:22:25.01
And we literally
take that approach
00:22:25.04\00:22:27.64
and we call it,
3H, in some cases, 4H.
00:22:27.68\00:22:30.35
In the first H is the
Head, intellectual rigor,
00:22:30.38\00:22:33.78
critical thinking.
00:22:33.82\00:22:35.18
We want them to be
career and college ready.
00:22:35.22\00:22:38.19
But you have to
combine that with the second H
00:22:38.22\00:22:40.42
which is the Heart,
00:22:40.46\00:22:42.12
we want them to
have the character
00:22:42.16\00:22:43.86
and the compassion of
Christ in everything they do.
00:22:43.89\00:22:47.66
We want them to see the
Creator's designs for them
00:22:47.70\00:22:51.17
and be able to fulfill that.
00:22:51.20\00:22:53.00
The third H is the Hand
00:22:53.03\00:22:55.50
and Pine Forge Academy
is well-known for this.
00:22:55.54\00:22:58.41
Throughout the
'60s and the '70s,
00:22:58.44\00:23:00.98
the work program was the
life blood of the Academy.
00:23:01.01\00:23:04.51
So many of our students today,
00:23:04.55\00:23:07.28
their parents who
are alumni at the school,
00:23:07.32\00:23:09.88
share with me working
in the apple orchards,
00:23:09.92\00:23:13.02
working in Little Lake
Industries creating furniture,
00:23:13.05\00:23:16.32
going down to the
factories in Pottstown
00:23:16.36\00:23:19.09
and learning how
hard work translates
00:23:19.13\00:23:22.96
into integrity of character.
00:23:23.00\00:23:25.27
And then learning other
skills like perseverance
00:23:25.30\00:23:28.30
and preparation but, of course,
00:23:28.34\00:23:30.11
we also believe in
that last H of health,
00:23:30.14\00:23:33.17
that vegetarian lifestyle,
00:23:33.21\00:23:35.11
that organic lifestyle,
exercising, and, of course,
00:23:35.14\00:23:39.71
and it's so bright that
the kids coming up all now,
00:23:39.75\00:23:42.28
understanding our role
00:23:42.32\00:23:44.19
as the stewards
of God's green Earth.
00:23:44.22\00:23:46.15
Yes, yes, indeed.
00:23:46.19\00:23:48.52
Well, you brought some pictures?
00:23:48.56\00:23:49.89
Oh, yeah.
00:23:49.92\00:23:51.26
I wanna kind of look
at those and discuss those
00:23:51.29\00:23:52.89
because this school is just,
00:23:52.93\00:23:55.96
Pine Forge is just
an exceptional school
00:23:56.00\00:23:58.57
and we are so
thankful to have you there.
00:23:58.60\00:24:01.84
It's good to be here.
00:24:01.87\00:24:03.20
It was just kind of,
it's a blessing to have you.
00:24:03.24\00:24:05.37
So let's put up our pictures
and take a look at, now, just,
00:24:05.41\00:24:09.24
let's just go though this,
00:24:09.28\00:24:10.61
this is Pine Forge
00:24:10.65\00:24:12.08
just celebrated an
important anniversary.
00:24:12.11\00:24:15.05
Tell us about that.
00:24:15.08\00:24:16.42
Pine Forge Academy in September
00:24:16.45\00:24:18.15
celebrated its 70th anniversary.
00:24:18.19\00:24:20.52
Seventieth year. Wow!
00:24:20.56\00:24:22.52
Seventy years in existence.
00:24:22.56\00:24:24.43
And so we celebrated
at our commencement in May
00:24:24.46\00:24:27.83
with key speakers,
00:24:27.86\00:24:29.43
Barry Black as well
as the DeVon Franklin
00:24:29.46\00:24:31.93
and then we celebrated
again during our alumni,
00:24:31.97\00:24:34.87
alumni association, forgive me,
00:24:34.90\00:24:38.64
festivities that
happened in September.
00:24:38.67\00:24:41.24
And so what you'll
see or saw in the photo
00:24:41.28\00:24:43.81
are the iconic Pine
Forge Academy sweaters,
00:24:43.85\00:24:46.68
and bow ties.
00:24:46.72\00:24:48.68
So in alumni weekend,
00:24:48.72\00:24:50.55
everyone comes out
with their sweaters
00:24:50.59\00:24:52.39
and their bow ties
00:24:52.42\00:24:53.76
and it's a symbol
00:24:53.79\00:24:55.12
of being the Pine
Forge Academy men or women.
00:24:55.16\00:24:58.46
So it was a spectacular weekend,
00:24:58.49\00:25:01.03
gala, choir singing,
00:25:01.06\00:25:03.43
the kids had a great time
and so did all the alumni.
00:25:03.47\00:25:06.10
Oh, that is so great.
00:25:06.13\00:25:08.30
Well, let's take a look
at, let's go back in history.
00:25:08.34\00:25:11.47
The first student
body, tell us about this.
00:25:11.51\00:25:14.28
This picture is taken outside
of our very own Manor House.
00:25:14.31\00:25:20.52
The Manor House as
I mentioned earlier is
00:25:20.55\00:25:22.65
about 300 years old.
00:25:22.68\00:25:24.29
Wow!
00:25:24.32\00:25:25.65
And it was there
from Thomas Rudder
00:25:25.69\00:25:27.92
and from William Penn.
00:25:27.96\00:25:29.99
So here are all of the students
00:25:30.03\00:25:32.86
that trekked
throughout the nation
00:25:32.89\00:25:35.00
to be among the first
students at Pine Forge Academy.
00:25:35.03\00:25:38.40
What's important
about this picture
00:25:38.43\00:25:39.77
that you can't
see, is behind it,
00:25:39.80\00:25:41.84
is the Pine Forge bell.
00:25:41.87\00:25:43.81
They will ring the bell
00:25:43.84\00:25:45.41
like we're ringing
our bells mechanically now
00:25:45.44\00:25:48.14
to symbol the
beginning of the day,
00:25:48.18\00:25:49.84
the end of the day, but
also for really fun events.
00:25:49.88\00:25:52.95
So when, when the
choir came back from a trip,
00:25:52.98\00:25:55.68
they had to ring the bell.
00:25:55.72\00:25:57.05
Decades later,
when the basketball team
00:25:57.09\00:25:59.02
would have a
success or a great game,
00:25:59.05\00:26:01.56
they would ring the bell.
00:26:01.59\00:26:02.92
The bell became the icon
of excitement on the campus.
00:26:02.96\00:26:07.00
It also became the icon of
commencement in graduation.
00:26:07.03\00:26:11.33
So before the students
00:26:11.37\00:26:12.80
would actually
take that last walk,
00:26:12.83\00:26:15.30
as you know, up the hill,
00:26:15.34\00:26:17.74
they would ring that
bell on graduation day,
00:26:17.77\00:26:20.44
and walk up to
our main building,
00:26:20.48\00:26:22.21
Wagner Hall,
00:26:22.24\00:26:23.58
symbolizing the end of
their Pine Forge career.
00:26:23.61\00:26:25.78
Oh, nice, nice.
00:26:25.81\00:26:28.35
We have a
picture of a graduation
00:26:28.38\00:26:30.62
that took place.
00:26:30.65\00:26:31.99
Now what graduation is this?
00:26:32.02\00:26:33.49
You know, I
can't candidly remember
00:26:33.52\00:26:35.49
which one it is
but the reason why
00:26:35.52\00:26:37.23
that photo is so important is
00:26:37.26\00:26:39.29
because those
early commencements were
00:26:39.33\00:26:41.70
at Wagner Hall.
00:26:41.73\00:26:43.16
The significance of Wagner Hall
is that the faculty, the staff,
00:26:43.20\00:26:47.07
the students, many supporting,
supporters of the Academy
00:26:47.10\00:26:50.74
actually built the structure.
00:26:50.77\00:26:52.97
They built the structure...
00:26:53.01\00:26:54.51
The students and the faculty?
Yes, they did. Yes, they did.
00:26:54.54\00:26:57.48
The Pine Forge Academy is known
00:26:57.51\00:26:59.35
for having an
Industrial Arts program.
00:26:59.38\00:27:01.72
And so the
walkways on the campus
00:27:01.75\00:27:03.59
and some of the buildings,
that one in particular,
00:27:03.62\00:27:06.05
the students had a hand
in actually constructing,
00:27:06.09\00:27:09.22
and so at that
particular commencement,
00:27:09.26\00:27:11.36
it was the year
00:27:11.39\00:27:12.73
that the students
were able to construct it,
00:27:12.76\00:27:14.53
it's videotaped
00:27:14.56\00:27:15.90
and they were able
to etch their names
00:27:15.93\00:27:17.50
on secret parts of the building,
00:27:17.53\00:27:21.04
to commemorate the fact that
00:27:21.07\00:27:22.57
they literally helped
bring their campus to life.
00:27:22.60\00:27:25.47
Wow, so is there still
an Industrial Arts program
00:27:25.51\00:27:28.68
at Pine Forge?
00:27:28.71\00:27:30.05
There is, there is.
00:27:30.08\00:27:31.75
Part of our strategic
efforts going forward is
00:27:31.78\00:27:34.05
actually to
reshape and revitalize
00:27:34.08\00:27:36.28
that in two ways.
00:27:36.32\00:27:38.02
Number one, we intend
to bring back our garden
00:27:38.05\00:27:41.69
and our apple orchards.
00:27:41.72\00:27:43.63
We are blessed to
have received a USTA grant
00:27:43.66\00:27:46.76
that will allow us to do that.
00:27:46.80\00:27:48.63
And so we pile it at our
garden in the previous summer
00:27:48.66\00:27:52.97
and we had wonderful
results, great zucchini bread,
00:27:53.00\00:27:55.30
I should have brought you some.
00:27:55.34\00:27:56.67
Oh, wow!
00:27:56.71\00:27:58.77
And now in this upcoming summer,
00:27:58.81\00:28:00.58
we'll be transitioning
to fully outline our garden
00:28:00.61\00:28:04.18
and our apple orchards.
00:28:04.21\00:28:05.98
That is tremendous.
00:28:06.01\00:28:07.98
We have a, a graphic of
the mission of the school.
00:28:08.02\00:28:11.82
Let's put that up.
00:28:11.85\00:28:13.19
What is the
mission of the school?
00:28:13.22\00:28:15.06
Simply put, the mission
at Pine Forge Academy is
00:28:15.09\00:28:17.43
to prepare students
spiritually, academically,
00:28:17.46\00:28:20.76
socially,
physically, emotionally,
00:28:20.80\00:28:23.67
for service to God and to man.
00:28:23.70\00:28:26.33
That encapsulates it
all. And that's true.
00:28:26.37\00:28:29.70
I mean, when you think about it,
00:28:29.74\00:28:31.11
it's all about service.
00:28:31.14\00:28:32.47
Absolutely.
00:28:32.51\00:28:33.84
Service to God and
man, that's beautiful.
00:28:33.88\00:28:36.34
You have some
very impressive alumni.
00:28:36.38\00:28:39.61
One of them spoke
recently at, at your graduation,
00:28:39.65\00:28:43.82
tell us about that.
00:28:43.85\00:28:45.25
So the Pine Forge Academy
graduate, I have to say it,
00:28:45.29\00:28:48.42
I've never heard of
a school like this one.
00:28:48.46\00:28:51.06
Really and truly,
00:28:51.09\00:28:52.49
every Pine Forge
graduate has gone on to do
00:28:52.53\00:28:54.70
amazing things.
00:28:54.73\00:28:56.06
And so we're blessed
00:28:56.10\00:28:57.43
that among so many of
our outstanding graduates,
00:28:57.47\00:29:00.14
we do have a Senate chaplain,
00:29:00.17\00:29:02.54
Barry Black, as one of them.
00:29:02.57\00:29:04.37
He was a member
of the class of 1966.
00:29:04.41\00:29:07.94
So during our 70th
anniversary celebrations,
00:29:07.98\00:29:10.81
his class was having
their 50th class anniversary.
00:29:10.85\00:29:14.12
Oh, nice.
00:29:14.15\00:29:15.48
This class is really well noted.
00:29:15.52\00:29:17.55
Primarily, because this
was the class coming of age
00:29:17.59\00:29:20.96
during the Lyndon B. Johnson era
00:29:20.99\00:29:22.89
and administration.
00:29:22.92\00:29:24.26
So, many of them
received funding to go on,
00:29:24.29\00:29:27.03
to receive college degrees
as well as advanced degrees.
00:29:27.06\00:29:31.63
This class has doctorates,
and doctors, medical doctors,
00:29:31.67\00:29:36.60
engineers, and
lawyers, corporate executives,
00:29:36.64\00:29:40.11
and so forth.
00:29:40.14\00:29:41.48
And so, at our
alumni weekend festivities
00:29:41.51\00:29:44.41
where Barry Black also spoke,
00:29:44.45\00:29:46.48
we happened to have
one of the daughters
00:29:46.51\00:29:48.62
of Lyndon B. Johnson,
00:29:48.65\00:29:50.49
coming out to pay homage
00:29:50.52\00:29:52.35
to the class of 1966 for
their amazing achievements
00:29:52.39\00:29:56.36
and for fulfilling her
father's hopes and dreams
00:29:56.39\00:30:00.06
as he led and
initiated so much of the efforts
00:30:00.10\00:30:03.60
that they were
able to benefit from.
00:30:03.63\00:30:05.37
Right, because he
signed the Civil Rights act.
00:30:05.40\00:30:06.90
That's right.
00:30:06.94\00:30:08.27
Isn't that
something, so she came...
00:30:08.30\00:30:10.71
She did.
00:30:10.74\00:30:12.07
To see there was Lady Bird,
who was the wife, was it Linda?
00:30:12.11\00:30:16.61
Yes, it was. Okay, all right.
00:30:16.64\00:30:19.08
And so she came and she
gave a congratulatory speech.
00:30:19.11\00:30:22.68
She did, she gave a
speech, she took pictures,
00:30:22.72\00:30:25.35
she was in all the entire event
00:30:25.39\00:30:27.76
and we're looking for her
to spending sometime with her
00:30:27.79\00:30:29.72
in the upcoming year.
00:30:29.76\00:30:31.09
Nice, nice.
00:30:31.13\00:30:32.46
What do you see as
the goals of Pine Forge?
00:30:32.49\00:30:38.20
Where do you want it to go?
00:30:38.23\00:30:40.37
Yeah.
00:30:40.40\00:30:41.74
We have five key
elements to our strategic plan.
00:30:41.77\00:30:44.91
The first is we
always want to preserve
00:30:44.94\00:30:47.11
the spiritual
culture of the Academy.
00:30:47.14\00:30:49.48
Christ is the center
of everything that we do,
00:30:49.51\00:30:51.91
and so every single
event, activity, interaction,
00:30:51.95\00:30:56.32
must exude Christ first.
00:30:56.35\00:30:58.22
So it's important
for us to maintain
00:30:58.25\00:31:00.19
the integrity of that,
00:31:00.22\00:31:01.56
especially in this day and age.
00:31:01.59\00:31:03.63
We do want to continue to
have a college ready curriculum,
00:31:03.66\00:31:08.46
honor classes, AP classes,
dual credit with Andrews,
00:31:08.50\00:31:12.27
with the local
community college.
00:31:12.30\00:31:13.94
It's important to us.
00:31:13.97\00:31:15.34
We have our
students take the ACT Aspire
00:31:15.37\00:31:18.37
multiple times
in the school years,
00:31:18.41\00:31:19.94
so we can asses their learning.
00:31:19.97\00:31:21.58
And then as teachers,
re-teach what they don't know
00:31:21.61\00:31:24.58
or what they need to
know in order to prepare them
00:31:24.61\00:31:27.55
for that college rigor.
00:31:27.58\00:31:30.19
Let me just tell
you something. Sure.
00:31:30.22\00:31:31.55
When, and we'll come,
we'll come to number three
00:31:31.59\00:31:34.09
but when they
come to Pine Forge,
00:31:34.12\00:31:37.53
sometimes if
they're academically
00:31:37.56\00:31:39.69
not up to par,
00:31:39.73\00:31:41.46
what do you do to
bring them up to that level?
00:31:41.50\00:31:44.20
A whole host of things.
00:31:44.23\00:31:45.57
So the first thing
we do is we test them
00:31:45.60\00:31:46.97
at the very beginning.
00:31:47.00\00:31:48.34
And we test them
against the ACT College writing
00:31:48.37\00:31:50.34
standards for their grade level.
00:31:50.37\00:31:51.71
So you establish a
baseline to see where they are?
00:31:51.74\00:31:53.27
Absolutely, absolutely.
00:31:53.31\00:31:55.41
And then in the last two
years, the teachers have,
00:31:55.44\00:31:58.71
begin to work together
and what we call data teams,
00:31:58.75\00:32:01.65
and we use the
teams to assess the data.
00:32:01.68\00:32:04.42
How are our
students doing on the skills?
00:32:04.45\00:32:06.76
Where do we need remediation?
00:32:06.79\00:32:08.49
Where do we need advanced work?
00:32:08.52\00:32:10.09
We look at the
class holistically
00:32:10.13\00:32:12.03
and we look at
students individually.
00:32:12.06\00:32:13.93
And then we change our teaching.
00:32:13.96\00:32:15.90
It's that simple.
00:32:15.93\00:32:17.50
We adjust our
teaching to meet the needs
00:32:17.53\00:32:20.44
that we see in the data.
00:32:20.47\00:32:22.64
See, that's tremendous.
00:32:22.67\00:32:24.01
And you're able to
do that for the students
00:32:24.04\00:32:26.88
who are just a little bit
below grade level or something,
00:32:26.91\00:32:30.25
to help to bring
them up to grade level.
00:32:30.28\00:32:32.25
And the, the aim
is actually to do it
00:32:32.28\00:32:33.98
for both ends of the spectrum.
00:32:34.02\00:32:35.68
Our kids who are easily bored,
who get things right away,
00:32:35.72\00:32:39.99
who need a
challenge, our goal and desire
00:32:40.02\00:32:43.22
is to create a
customized experience
00:32:43.26\00:32:45.89
that meets the needs of
each bracket of student.
00:32:45.93\00:32:49.56
Wow, so how do you do that?
00:32:49.60\00:32:52.87
How does the teacher do that?
00:32:52.90\00:32:54.24
If you have 15 students
in the class and this is,
00:32:54.27\00:32:58.27
this is your basic class work,
00:32:58.31\00:33:01.51
how do you help the
student that is above or below?
00:33:01.54\00:33:04.95
Planning.
00:33:04.98\00:33:06.72
Quite a bit of planning.
00:33:06.75\00:33:08.85
And so one of
the things that we do
00:33:08.88\00:33:10.75
is spend an
enormous amount of time
00:33:10.79\00:33:14.02
creating our assessments,
00:33:14.06\00:33:15.66
creating our rubrics,
00:33:15.69\00:33:17.39
thinking about our lesson plans,
00:33:17.43\00:33:19.19
we have what we called a
Dean of Instruction on staff.
00:33:19.23\00:33:22.13
She meets with
teachers individually
00:33:22.16\00:33:23.97
and coaches
teachers through experiences.
00:33:24.00\00:33:26.60
We actually videotape lessons
00:33:26.63\00:33:28.54
and watch them not
for student behavior
00:33:28.57\00:33:31.57
but to see what
can the teacher do
00:33:31.61\00:33:33.51
a little bit differently
00:33:33.54\00:33:34.88
to meet the needs of the student
00:33:34.91\00:33:36.75
in the classroom.
00:33:36.78\00:33:38.11
So we use the whole
host of best practices
00:33:38.15\00:33:40.48
that are focused on
quality and effective pedagogy.
00:33:40.52\00:33:44.65
This is, this is so wonderful.
00:33:44.69\00:33:47.79
If I had, my kids are
up and out, obviously.
00:33:47.82\00:33:51.49
I have grandchildren,
I have a grandchild
00:33:51.53\00:33:53.53
now that I want to come
there and this is an amazing...
00:33:53.56\00:33:59.37
It's amazing work you're doing,
praise the Lord, it's amazing.
00:33:59.40\00:34:02.30
So we got to number
three in the strategy.
00:34:02.34\00:34:06.21
The first is that
it's Christ-centered.
00:34:06.24\00:34:07.88
Absolutely.
00:34:07.91\00:34:09.24
Right, give us the
second, and the third...
00:34:09.28\00:34:11.35
The second has strong academics
00:34:11.38\00:34:13.15
for career and
college readiness.
00:34:13.18\00:34:15.48
And the third is talent.
00:34:15.52\00:34:17.59
Talent. Talent.
00:34:17.62\00:34:18.95
So, great teachers
create a wonderful environment
00:34:18.99\00:34:23.16
that produces great kids.
00:34:23.19\00:34:25.06
And so our goal
is to always nurture,
00:34:25.09\00:34:28.33
provide
professional development,
00:34:28.36\00:34:29.83
support, booster,
00:34:29.86\00:34:32.73
encourage our
faculty and our staff,
00:34:32.77\00:34:35.67
especially in a
boarding environment
00:34:35.70\00:34:37.64
where they literally do it all.
00:34:37.67\00:34:40.54
Yes.
00:34:40.58\00:34:41.91
In the interview
process, we say, "Okay,
00:34:41.94\00:34:43.41
get ready to be a mom or dad.
00:34:43.45\00:34:45.81
Get ready to be a bus driver.
00:34:45.85\00:34:47.75
Get ready to be
a carpool leader.
00:34:47.78\00:34:49.62
Get ready to be a club leader.
00:34:49.65\00:34:51.55
Oh, by the way, you're
probably coaching us a sport."
00:34:51.59\00:34:54.59
There is so many acts that
faculty and staff, they were,
00:34:54.62\00:34:59.29
and I'm always amazed at them
00:34:59.33\00:35:02.03
and I try to say, thank you,
00:35:02.06\00:35:03.87
and I probably need to
say, thank you, even more
00:35:03.90\00:35:06.03
because they do so
much, they do so much.
00:35:06.07\00:35:08.10
Tell us about your faculty.
00:35:08.14\00:35:09.94
They are amazing. I love them.
00:35:09.97\00:35:11.51
Quite candidly.
00:35:11.54\00:35:13.04
Couldn't ask
for more reflective,
00:35:13.07\00:35:15.88
honest, communicative,
00:35:15.91\00:35:18.05
passionate set of
adults who put Christ first
00:35:18.08\00:35:22.02
and want the best for the kids.
00:35:22.05\00:35:24.29
We have a whole host of
different personalities.
00:35:24.32\00:35:27.16
Mr. Fielder,
take it for example,
00:35:27.19\00:35:28.59
he's our vice principal,
he's been there for 30 years.
00:35:28.62\00:35:32.06
All four of his children
have gone through the Academy
00:35:32.09\00:35:35.23
and many people
watching who know him,
00:35:35.26\00:35:37.43
will know him as Coach Fielder.
00:35:37.47\00:35:39.03
Because he was the first
00:35:39.07\00:35:40.40
to bring
athletics to the school.
00:35:40.44\00:35:42.87
The students in the
beginning would play
00:35:42.90\00:35:44.77
with the church
league and now they play
00:35:44.81\00:35:46.94
with the local
high school inter,
00:35:46.98\00:35:49.11
scholastically,
00:35:49.14\00:35:50.48
under the current
athletic director,
00:35:50.51\00:35:52.21
Eric Cantrell.
00:35:52.25\00:35:53.95
Another personality
of source is Miss Wilson,
00:35:53.98\00:35:56.55
it's Vanessa Wilson.
00:35:56.58\00:35:57.92
She's our History teacher
and she brings history to life.
00:35:57.95\00:36:02.16
Most recently the students did
00:36:02.19\00:36:03.79
a reenactment of
the underground railroad
00:36:03.83\00:36:06.83
at the Manor
House and videotaped it.
00:36:06.86\00:36:09.50
Another personality,
Dr. Andrew Marshall,
00:36:09.53\00:36:12.50
he hails from
Jamaica, West Indies,
00:36:12.53\00:36:14.70
and he's our choir director.
00:36:14.74\00:36:16.37
And he does a fantastic job
00:36:16.40\00:36:19.37
of not just
creating a quality sound
00:36:19.41\00:36:22.21
but including band
and orchestra music.
00:36:22.24\00:36:25.55
So you have a
well rounded experience
00:36:25.58\00:36:28.38
when you go to
a Pine Forge choir
00:36:28.42\00:36:30.52
and everyone else
is going to be upset
00:36:30.55\00:36:32.22
that I didn't call them by name.
00:36:32.25\00:36:34.52
I know, I've put you
in a really bad spot.
00:36:34.56\00:36:36.49
It doesn't mean that they're
not doing a fabulous job.
00:36:36.52\00:36:38.66
No, they're doing a great job.
00:36:38.69\00:36:40.03
You just picked a few,
00:36:40.06\00:36:41.40
you just picked a
few from, that's great.
00:36:41.43\00:36:43.77
That is so
great because, really,
00:36:43.80\00:36:46.80
in order to be there
00:36:46.84\00:36:48.54
and to do that
job, it's a calling.
00:36:48.57\00:36:51.07
It is. It's not just a job.
00:36:51.11\00:36:52.94
Oh, no.
00:36:52.97\00:36:54.31
It's a, it has to be,
00:36:54.34\00:36:55.68
because you are
wearing so many different hats.
00:36:55.71\00:36:57.65
You are the counselor,
mom and dad aren't there,
00:36:57.68\00:37:00.15
and these are young kids.
00:37:00.18\00:37:01.72
So they need
somebody to talk to,
00:37:01.75\00:37:03.79
they need all of that,
00:37:03.82\00:37:05.15
the counsel, but
also the shaping,
00:37:05.19\00:37:07.79
the sculpting into
tomorrow's leaders.
00:37:07.82\00:37:12.06
Absolutely.
00:37:12.09\00:37:13.43
And our deans do a
wonderful job at that
00:37:13.46\00:37:15.96
because they are the
moms and dads of the campus
00:37:16.00\00:37:18.40
and so everything from having
worship experiences in the dorm
00:37:18.43\00:37:22.87
that are catering
to an immediate need,
00:37:22.90\00:37:25.17
something that they're sensing
00:37:25.21\00:37:26.94
on the pulse of
what the students
00:37:26.98\00:37:28.34
are feeling or thinking,
00:37:28.38\00:37:29.71
to walking the
hallways and making sure
00:37:29.74\00:37:31.51
that someone
has on their blazer.
00:37:31.55\00:37:33.98
They literally are the
mom and the dad of the campus.
00:37:34.02\00:37:38.05
We have a picture of
some of today's students
00:37:38.09\00:37:40.46
and them in their sweaters,
00:37:40.49\00:37:42.39
and their blazers, and all that.
00:37:42.42\00:37:44.46
Let's show that.
00:37:44.49\00:37:46.49
Look at that. Yeah.
00:37:46.53\00:37:47.86
So this is actually a
photo from our graduating class,
00:37:47.90\00:37:50.97
the most recent graduating.
00:37:51.00\00:37:52.33
Okay. The class of 2016.
00:37:52.37\00:37:54.04
Okay.
00:37:54.07\00:37:55.40
And this class continued
that heritage and legacy
00:37:55.44\00:37:58.51
of 100% college acceptance
00:37:58.54\00:38:01.11
and so they were accepted
to a whole host of colleges,
00:38:01.14\00:38:04.28
Oakwood, Southern,
New York University,
00:38:04.31\00:38:07.48
Cornell University, Hampton,
00:38:07.52\00:38:10.05
I can't begin to
name all of them.
00:38:10.09\00:38:13.29
And so we're excited by their
success and their achievement.
00:38:13.32\00:38:16.42
It's a 100%.
00:38:16.46\00:38:17.79
A 100% acceptance
to college, a 100%.
00:38:17.83\00:38:20.90
And this is, this
is a Pine Forge legacy
00:38:20.93\00:38:22.86
that I walked into.
00:38:22.90\00:38:24.23
So it's just an honor
00:38:24.27\00:38:25.63
to be a part of the
legacy of Pine Forge, 100%.
00:38:25.67\00:38:29.14
100%.
00:38:29.17\00:38:30.74
Tell us some stories
of some of the students
00:38:30.77\00:38:32.91
that have gone to Pine
Forge and, and their successes.
00:38:32.94\00:38:37.21
Oh, there are so many.
00:38:37.25\00:38:38.58
Our students have gone on to
do a tremendous number of things
00:38:38.61\00:38:42.05
and from our students
who recently graduated,
00:38:42.08\00:38:44.69
who have developed
apps for smart phones,
00:38:44.72\00:38:48.19
who are now marketing
themselves as a brand,
00:38:48.22\00:38:51.69
creating their own
entrepreneur opportunities,
00:38:51.73\00:38:54.66
who have become journalists
00:38:54.70\00:38:56.43
or photo journalists
developing their websites,
00:38:56.46\00:38:59.77
who've, have gone on to places
that may not be Adventist,
00:38:59.80\00:39:02.94
let's say,
Morehouse and Spelman,
00:39:02.97\00:39:04.54
and they're winning
competitions for singing,
00:39:04.57\00:39:08.18
for performing, for writing,
they achieve a great deal,
00:39:08.21\00:39:11.95
our recent graduates.
00:39:11.98\00:39:13.95
And some of our
not so recent graduates
00:39:13.98\00:39:16.72
are equally well known
00:39:16.75\00:39:18.09
in our leading churches,
conferences, and schools,
00:39:18.12\00:39:22.32
most knowably is
Pastor Myron Edmonds.
00:39:22.36\00:39:25.09
In this area, he
participated in our commencement
00:39:25.13\00:39:28.66
just the year previous.
00:39:28.70\00:39:30.67
And he is doing
an outstanding work
00:39:30.70\00:39:33.37
in the Ohio region.
00:39:33.40\00:39:34.74
So they're doing well.
00:39:34.77\00:39:36.94
Yeah, you know...
00:39:36.97\00:39:38.31
They're doing well.
00:39:38.34\00:39:39.67
Again, it's beyond academics.
00:39:39.71\00:39:41.98
It is. It's just
beyond academics.
00:39:42.01\00:39:44.31
It's the whole legacy
that that school creates
00:39:44.35\00:39:48.72
by the grace of God,
00:39:48.75\00:39:50.45
because again,
it's Christ-centered.
00:39:50.49\00:39:52.49
It is Christ-centered. It is.
00:39:52.52\00:39:54.49
So what would you
say to that parent
00:39:54.52\00:39:56.93
who has been thinking
about putting their child
00:39:56.96\00:40:00.66
in a Christian school
00:40:00.70\00:40:02.26
but it's just not there?
00:40:02.30\00:40:04.80
Talk into that camera,
00:40:04.83\00:40:07.77
and talk to that
parent that's thinking
00:40:07.80\00:40:10.54
about putting their
child into Pine Forge.
00:40:10.57\00:40:14.08
So one of the things I'd
share with that parent is,
00:40:14.11\00:40:17.01
that initial fear
or anxiety you may feel
00:40:17.05\00:40:20.85
when it comes to
relinquishing your child,
00:40:20.88\00:40:23.32
give that over to Christ.
00:40:23.35\00:40:25.89
Because that fear and
that anxiety is unwanted
00:40:25.92\00:40:31.29
because the
boarding school environment
00:40:31.33\00:40:33.70
is where the
child is cultivated,
00:40:33.73\00:40:37.17
where the character is refined,
where the mind is sharpened,
00:40:37.20\00:40:41.87
and partly so,
00:40:41.90\00:40:43.47
because the
child is leaving home.
00:40:43.51\00:40:45.94
And I know that sounds crazy
00:40:45.97\00:40:47.54
and you feel as if
00:40:47.58\00:40:48.91
you'll never be able
to have that interaction
00:40:48.94\00:40:50.51
with your
child, that's not true.
00:40:50.55\00:40:52.45
You'll be there
every step of the way,
00:40:52.48\00:40:55.22
but by allowing them to
go to a boarding school,
00:40:55.25\00:40:57.62
you give them a
headstart on life.
00:40:57.65\00:41:00.36
They're like a
Joseph, they're like a Moses,
00:41:00.39\00:41:03.29
going out into an experience
00:41:03.32\00:41:05.26
where they'll be
cultivated carefully by Christ,
00:41:05.29\00:41:09.46
to exhibit characteristics
that their peers won't have,
00:41:09.50\00:41:13.80
because they wouldn't
have had that experience.
00:41:13.84\00:41:16.20
So to family members,
I'd say, let go of the fear.
00:41:16.24\00:41:20.61
You can trust
us and in so doing,
00:41:20.64\00:41:23.68
you're giving your child
something that no other school,
00:41:23.71\00:41:27.95
no other
experience can give them.
00:41:27.98\00:41:30.82
An opportunity to grow
in Christ, to be refined,
00:41:30.85\00:41:35.09
to learn at high levels,
00:41:35.12\00:41:37.16
and to learn how to
be an independent leader.
00:41:37.19\00:41:40.46
You can only do that in a
Christian boarding school.
00:41:40.50\00:41:43.13
That is great, that is great.
00:41:43.16\00:41:46.94
What is for you,
00:41:46.97\00:41:50.17
when you, when you
go out every morning
00:41:50.21\00:41:53.61
and you sit in that chair,
00:41:53.64\00:41:57.65
what, what are
some of the feelings
00:41:57.68\00:41:59.91
that you get everyday
as you're at Pine Forge?
00:41:59.95\00:42:02.65
I'm excited.
00:42:02.68\00:42:04.42
I'm always excited
about what God can do
00:42:04.45\00:42:06.82
and what He's already doing.
00:42:06.86\00:42:08.66
Pine Forge Academy
has had so many blessings
00:42:08.69\00:42:11.39
in the last two
and a half years,
00:42:11.43\00:42:13.90
from the USTA.
grant that I shared,
00:42:13.93\00:42:16.36
to a very successful
00:42:16.40\00:42:17.83
National Pine Forge Academy
Alumni Association Campaign,
00:42:17.87\00:42:21.54
that will bring $270,000
00:42:21.57\00:42:24.67
worth of
renovations to the campus.
00:42:24.71\00:42:27.51
And most notably, you
are the first to know,
00:42:27.54\00:42:30.08
so we're kind of
announcing it on your show.
00:42:30.11\00:42:32.45
Oh, yeah.
00:42:32.48\00:42:33.82
A partnership with one
of our local companies,
00:42:33.85\00:42:35.98
TE Connectivity,
00:42:36.02\00:42:37.35
where they have pledged a
$50,000 grant to the Academy
00:42:37.39\00:42:41.69
to create a TE
Stem Space for Robotics
00:42:41.72\00:42:46.13
and for
Engineering on the campus.
00:42:46.16\00:42:48.26
Wonderful.
00:42:48.30\00:42:49.63
It's exciting news, or the
fact that in less than a year,
00:42:49.66\00:42:53.94
in the upcoming school year,
00:42:53.97\00:42:55.44
we'll be able to
have our organic garden
00:42:55.47\00:42:57.97
and our students
will be able to learn
00:42:58.01\00:43:00.14
the benefits of working the land
00:43:00.18\00:43:02.18
and get us back a little bit
to our traditional EGY routes,
00:43:02.21\00:43:05.95
when it comes to
industry for our students,
00:43:05.98\00:43:09.05
that makes me
excited to go to work.
00:43:09.08\00:43:13.49
Absolutely.
00:43:13.52\00:43:14.86
Because those
things are exciting
00:43:14.89\00:43:17.09
in and of themselves.
00:43:17.13\00:43:18.46
But the fact that our
students will benefit from that
00:43:18.49\00:43:22.56
and they'll be
stretched, and they'll grow,
00:43:22.60\00:43:25.37
and then here is the kicker,
00:43:25.40\00:43:27.24
that exposure
00:43:27.27\00:43:28.97
will help them become
their ultimate best selves,
00:43:29.00\00:43:31.97
that makes me even more excited.
00:43:32.01\00:43:35.61
Oh, that's so great.
00:43:35.64\00:43:37.05
So, so let's
come back to you again
00:43:37.08\00:43:40.28
because this whole idea
of, you know, your excitement,
00:43:40.32\00:43:45.09
your passion about
these young people,
00:43:45.12\00:43:47.72
it so shows,
00:43:47.76\00:43:49.09
when I brought my
granddaughter to meet you,
00:43:49.12\00:43:51.93
you were just so personal
00:43:51.96\00:43:54.00
and so real and just
so lovely toward her.
00:43:54.03\00:43:57.27
And I just feel
like this is the person
00:43:57.30\00:44:00.10
that needs to be
sitting in that chair.
00:44:00.14\00:44:02.34
This is a calling,
it's so obvious to me
00:44:02.37\00:44:05.31
that you were called
to do what you're doing.
00:44:05.34\00:44:08.01
How did you get to Pine
Forge from being, you know,
00:44:08.04\00:44:13.38
just teaching,
how did you get there?
00:44:13.42\00:44:15.55
Well, what I will say
before I answer that is,
00:44:15.58\00:44:18.39
that's actually one of
the toughest parts of the job,
00:44:18.42\00:44:21.02
is because when you're a
headmaster or a principal,
00:44:21.06\00:44:23.22
you actually spend most
of your time with adults
00:44:23.26\00:44:25.83
and I love them,
to death, it's great.
00:44:25.86\00:44:28.43
But sometimes you miss
that classroom interaction,
00:44:28.46\00:44:31.13
so I walk down
the hall and I'm like,
00:44:31.17\00:44:32.97
"Hi, honey, how is
it going, sweetheart?"
00:44:33.00\00:44:35.10
And the kids are like,
00:44:35.14\00:44:36.47
"Why is she so happy
to see us in the hallway?"
00:44:36.50\00:44:39.51
It's because I
miss that interaction
00:44:39.54\00:44:42.71
because as a headmistress,
00:44:42.74\00:44:44.71
you spend most of your
day working with adults
00:44:44.75\00:44:46.78
which is great too.
00:44:46.82\00:44:48.15
But back to
your point, you know,
00:44:48.18\00:44:49.78
literally the Lord spoke to me
00:44:49.82\00:44:51.49
and I'm not saying
that in a facetious way,
00:44:51.52\00:44:54.69
I mean with all candor.
00:44:54.72\00:44:56.09
I was a principal in
Trent, in New Jersey,
00:44:56.12\00:44:59.29
at a Charter high
school that I had founded.
00:44:59.33\00:45:02.03
And I'd been at
that school for about
00:45:02.06\00:45:03.47
four and a half, five years.
00:45:03.50\00:45:05.20
And I felt on
one particular day,
00:45:05.23\00:45:07.30
restless in my spirit,
00:45:07.34\00:45:09.40
so much so that I felt
the Holy Spirit saying,
00:45:09.44\00:45:11.77
"Go home."
00:45:11.81\00:45:13.14
And it was a summer,
00:45:13.17\00:45:14.51
so there were no
kids on the campus.
00:45:14.54\00:45:15.88
I went home.
00:45:15.91\00:45:17.25
I left Trent and
drove all the way to my home
00:45:17.28\00:45:18.95
in Philadelphia.
00:45:18.98\00:45:20.32
And I had been reading
a fictionalized account
00:45:20.35\00:45:22.58
of Joseph at the time.
00:45:22.62\00:45:24.22
And I plopped onto the couch
00:45:24.25\00:45:25.99
and I started reading it
and the Holy Spirit said,
00:45:26.02\00:45:27.79
"No, I want you to
spend time with me.
00:45:27.82\00:45:29.76
I want you to pray."
00:45:29.79\00:45:31.43
And so I
immediately began to pray.
00:45:31.46\00:45:34.70
And this particular prayer,
00:45:34.73\00:45:36.06
I guess, made me
feel a little sleepy
00:45:36.10\00:45:37.43
because I feel the sleep.
00:45:37.47\00:45:40.20
And two hours
literally to the dot later,
00:45:40.24\00:45:43.67
a girlfriend
called and woke me up.
00:45:43.71\00:45:45.77
I said, "Hi."
00:45:45.81\00:45:47.14
She said, "I'm
thinking about you
00:45:47.18\00:45:48.51
and I felt
impressed to call you.
00:45:48.54\00:45:50.35
Do you know that
Pine Forge Academy
00:45:50.38\00:45:51.85
is looking for a principal?"
00:45:51.88\00:45:53.78
I said, "No, I
didn't know that."
00:45:53.82\00:45:55.88
And after we got
off the phone, I said,
00:45:55.92\00:45:57.49
"Is that why you
disturbed my spirit, Lord?
00:45:57.52\00:46:01.02
Is that why you sent
me home early, Lord?"
00:46:01.06\00:46:04.33
And I prayed about it
00:46:04.36\00:46:05.93
and the overwhelming
peace of mind that came to me,
00:46:05.96\00:46:10.30
I knew right away.
00:46:10.33\00:46:11.70
So I went back to work
the next day, thankfully,
00:46:11.73\00:46:14.30
it was a summer and I
said, "This is so unorthodox,
00:46:14.34\00:46:18.44
and I don't want to feel like
00:46:18.47\00:46:20.21
I'm leaving the
school at a lurch.
00:46:20.24\00:46:21.98
I've trained
these vice principals
00:46:22.01\00:46:23.98
to take my place
if I'm ever to leave.
00:46:24.01\00:46:26.82
And I feel that
God's calling me to leave."
00:46:26.85\00:46:30.15
Now the
interesting part about that is
00:46:30.19\00:46:32.02
I had met superintendent
Den, love her, she's awesome.
00:46:32.05\00:46:35.09
How is she? She is awesome.
00:46:35.12\00:46:36.46
She and I went to
Oakwood together, so...
00:46:36.49\00:46:37.96
So you know her? She is awesome.
00:46:37.99\00:46:39.43
Oh, I know her.
She is wonderful.
00:46:39.46\00:46:40.80
I had met her through
another school project,
00:46:40.83\00:46:42.60
unrelated, few months previous.
00:46:42.63\00:46:46.00
And I found out, after I applied
00:46:46.03\00:46:48.70
and earned the position
or received the position,
00:46:48.74\00:46:52.17
that when she saw my name
00:46:52.21\00:46:54.41
come through
with the application,
00:46:54.44\00:46:56.91
she and a few colleagues
began to walk the school
00:46:56.95\00:47:00.35
at Pine Forge seven times a day,
00:47:00.38\00:47:03.62
praying that the
Lord would send me,
00:47:03.65\00:47:06.62
move on my heart and
send me to the Academy.
00:47:06.65\00:47:11.63
She already knew you.
00:47:11.66\00:47:12.99
She had known me
from one brief interaction
00:47:13.03\00:47:16.50
with another
Adventist school project
00:47:16.53\00:47:18.80
in the city of Philadelphia.
00:47:18.83\00:47:20.74
And the Lord had impressed
00:47:20.77\00:47:22.10
and prayed that
this girl will come,
00:47:22.14\00:47:24.77
and can you, can you...
00:47:24.81\00:47:26.37
It literally...
I can't even speak.
00:47:26.41\00:47:28.41
it literally gives me
shivers to think about that.
00:47:28.44\00:47:32.31
It, it just gives me...
00:47:32.35\00:47:33.68
That's how I
ended up at Pine Forge.
00:47:33.72\00:47:35.22
Walking around the
school and praying,
00:47:35.25\00:47:38.65
walking around seven times.
00:47:38.69\00:47:40.02
And praying, seven
times, seven times.
00:47:40.06\00:47:42.56
She said, when my application
came through, she said,
00:47:42.59\00:47:44.69
"Is this whom
you're sending, Lord?"
00:47:44.73\00:47:46.73
And she prayed.
00:47:46.76\00:47:48.10
And as she was
praying, I was answering prayer.
00:47:48.13\00:47:51.70
I didn't think about Pine
Forge until the Lord said,
00:47:51.73\00:47:54.20
"It's, it's time to go.
00:47:54.24\00:47:56.17
It's time to go."
00:47:56.20\00:47:57.87
Wow! What a great story!
00:47:57.91\00:48:00.38
What a great story!
00:48:00.41\00:48:01.74
So how long have you been there?
00:48:01.78\00:48:04.11
Two and a half years now, yes.
00:48:04.15\00:48:06.38
You are outstanding
and, and while there,
00:48:06.41\00:48:11.35
you have another
great part of your story,
00:48:11.39\00:48:13.69
tell us about the personal side.
00:48:13.72\00:48:16.52
Well, while there,
before arriving at Pine Forge,
00:48:16.56\00:48:19.86
I met my husband,
00:48:19.89\00:48:21.23
who wasn't my
husband at the time.
00:48:21.26\00:48:23.26
So while there, I have
married my husband Casey Hughes
00:48:23.30\00:48:27.17
who also
attended Yale University,
00:48:27.20\00:48:29.17
we overlapped by two years.
00:48:29.20\00:48:31.07
How did you meet him?
00:48:31.11\00:48:32.44
We lived in
adjacent dorms at Yale.
00:48:32.47\00:48:35.18
He's from Connecticut
and I'm from Connecticut
00:48:35.21\00:48:37.28
and we still didn't meet.
00:48:37.31\00:48:38.65
You're both Adventists?
00:48:38.68\00:48:40.58
Was he an Adventist?
00:48:40.62\00:48:41.95
No, no, no. Okay.
00:48:41.98\00:48:43.32
And so I think that's just God,
00:48:43.35\00:48:45.72
we literally met in
a Barnes and Nobles,
00:48:45.75\00:48:48.62
Starbucks, in
Philadelphia, at the book store.
00:48:48.66\00:48:52.43
Wow! At the book store.
00:48:52.46\00:48:54.80
We had a mutual colleague
00:48:54.83\00:48:56.67
who ended up
performing at our wedding
00:48:56.70\00:48:58.73
but that's how we met.
00:48:58.77\00:49:00.17
And so while at Pine
Forge, married my husband,
00:49:00.20\00:49:03.30
and literally
had a honeymoon baby,
00:49:03.34\00:49:09.11
within 11 months of our wedding,
00:49:09.14\00:49:11.55
we had our first son,
00:49:11.58\00:49:14.48
who's now
almost five months old.
00:49:14.52\00:49:16.62
Yeah. That was so sweet.
00:49:16.65\00:49:18.15
So you were a new mom.
00:49:18.19\00:49:20.12
New wife. New wife.
00:49:20.16\00:49:22.36
And new principal.
00:49:22.39\00:49:23.86
And new principal.
00:49:23.89\00:49:25.23
Your plate isn't full.
00:49:25.26\00:49:28.50
It is full, it is full.
00:49:28.53\00:49:29.86
And, you know, I have to say,
00:49:29.90\00:49:31.53
my hats off to every
working mom out there.
00:49:31.57\00:49:34.44
I've learned so
much about myself.
00:49:34.47\00:49:37.54
What have you learned?
00:49:37.57\00:49:38.91
You know, I've, I've learned
00:49:38.94\00:49:40.58
that sometimes
you wanna do it all
00:49:40.61\00:49:43.04
as a professional and as a woman
00:49:43.08\00:49:45.21
and as a, an
ambitious young person.
00:49:45.25\00:49:48.12
And that you have
to draw close to Christ
00:49:48.15\00:49:51.75
to learn what to prioritize.
00:49:51.79\00:49:55.12
And what will have
the greatest impact
00:49:55.16\00:49:56.89
and quite candidly,
00:49:56.93\00:49:58.26
what He wants you to do
versus what you want to do.
00:49:58.29\00:50:01.30
So, so new motherhood
has really been teaching me
00:50:01.33\00:50:03.97
how to balance,
00:50:04.00\00:50:05.33
how to
prioritize, how to make time,
00:50:05.37\00:50:08.17
for my personal
time with Christ,
00:50:08.20\00:50:10.57
set before my
family time with Christ.
00:50:10.61\00:50:13.44
And then quite candidly,
00:50:13.48\00:50:15.54
I think that it's also
helping me to understand
00:50:15.58\00:50:17.98
how to empathize
with others in a way
00:50:18.01\00:50:20.15
that I never could
have imagined before,
00:50:20.18\00:50:23.02
I've always loved kids,
00:50:23.05\00:50:25.95
and I've always
been very careful
00:50:25.99\00:50:27.99
to treat other people's children
00:50:28.02\00:50:30.26
as the gems that they are.
00:50:30.29\00:50:32.19
But when you have your own,
00:50:32.23\00:50:36.03
you take that
even more seriously,
00:50:36.06\00:50:38.80
because I want everyone to treat
00:50:38.83\00:50:41.10
my own little precious son
00:50:41.14\00:50:42.60
like the wonderful
child of God that he is.
00:50:42.64\00:50:45.37
And so it makes me even
that much more conscientious
00:50:45.41\00:50:49.61
to do the same with
every child at Pine Forge.
00:50:49.64\00:50:51.95
Oh, that's so good.
00:50:51.98\00:50:53.62
How do you
discipline the students?
00:50:53.65\00:50:57.29
If a student is
really out of control,
00:50:57.32\00:51:00.16
like what are some of
the modes of discipline
00:51:00.19\00:51:02.39
that you use there?
00:51:02.42\00:51:03.76
Well, there is so many rules,
00:51:03.79\00:51:05.53
because, or so means rather
because children are different,
00:51:05.56\00:51:08.83
and so we can't
treat children equally,
00:51:08.86\00:51:11.53
we have to treat them equitably,
00:51:11.57\00:51:13.13
giving them each what they need.
00:51:13.17\00:51:14.97
So we operate within
the context of the rules,
00:51:15.00\00:51:17.61
of course, but we do
try our best to hold the bar
00:51:17.64\00:51:21.24
knowing that
they'll rise to the bar
00:51:21.28\00:51:24.05
but at the same time,
we try to listen and hear
00:51:24.08\00:51:27.42
and be willingly to compromise.
00:51:27.45\00:51:30.79
Now let me be very
careful what I mean by that.
00:51:30.82\00:51:33.62
We have something at the Academy
00:51:33.66\00:51:35.09
called Dean's Council,
00:51:35.12\00:51:36.62
faculty and staff
sit on the Dean's Council
00:51:36.66\00:51:39.49
and then
administer a consequence
00:51:39.53\00:51:41.53
based on the behavior,
00:51:41.56\00:51:42.96
and a parent also
sits on that council.
00:51:43.00\00:51:45.27
Last school year,
00:51:45.30\00:51:46.63
after speaking with me, the USM.
00:51:46.67\00:51:48.57
officer and
president said, "Mrs. Hughes,
00:51:48.60\00:51:50.84
we think we would
like a hand in it as well."
00:51:50.87\00:51:52.87
And so we went back
00:51:52.91\00:51:54.58
to the Student Body Constitution
00:51:54.61\00:51:56.85
and read that there is
00:51:56.88\00:51:58.21
a student
disciplinary council as well.
00:51:58.25\00:52:01.02
And so we began to train
them to actually hear cases
00:52:01.05\00:52:05.82
and then
administer what we call,
00:52:05.85\00:52:07.52
restorative justice.
00:52:07.56\00:52:09.52
Colleagues,
students, hearing each other
00:52:09.56\00:52:12.19
advising and
counseling each other,
00:52:12.23\00:52:14.76
and then, of course,
with the faculty approval,
00:52:14.80\00:52:17.33
administering a
preset consequence of sort.
00:52:17.37\00:52:20.94
Last school year, we
found that it worked very well,
00:52:20.97\00:52:23.27
it allowed the students to
have a bind to the culture,
00:52:23.30\00:52:26.91
the rules, and the
framework of the school.
00:52:26.94\00:52:30.58
Really good, really good.
00:52:30.61\00:52:32.31
So is there...
00:52:32.35\00:52:36.85
Like a timeout,
00:52:36.89\00:52:39.92
you know, is there,
00:52:39.95\00:52:42.99
I'm just trying to get a center
00:52:43.02\00:52:44.36
because, because the
natural inclination is,
00:52:44.39\00:52:47.03
okay, so if my
kid is out of control,
00:52:47.06\00:52:48.96
what's gonna happen to him?
00:52:49.00\00:52:50.33
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:52:50.37\00:52:51.70
There is a fear, you know,
00:52:51.73\00:52:53.07
like how is he or she
gonna be brought back into...
00:52:53.10\00:52:56.34
Into the fold. Yeah.
00:52:56.37\00:52:57.84
So we do try to do things
in a way that's compassionate,
00:52:57.87\00:53:01.74
has a character of Christ.
00:53:01.78\00:53:03.14
What I mean by that is before,
00:53:03.18\00:53:04.75
the first system is
called the demerit system.
00:53:04.78\00:53:07.02
Before a student can receive
a demerit for any infarction,
00:53:07.05\00:53:11.02
every faculty
member including me,
00:53:11.05\00:53:12.92
were asked to take 24 hours
to really pause, think, pray,
00:53:12.95\00:53:19.43
before we administer
00:53:19.46\00:53:20.93
the discipline.
00:53:20.96\00:53:22.83
The idea is that we
never want to consequence
00:53:22.86\00:53:25.60
or punish in
anger or in emotion,
00:53:25.63\00:53:28.80
that's not how Christ operated.
00:53:28.84\00:53:30.87
Now once those
demerits are administered,
00:53:30.91\00:53:33.91
they have a
range of consequences
00:53:33.94\00:53:35.51
depending on the size.
00:53:35.54\00:53:37.38
It might just be a warning,
"You've got some demerits."
00:53:37.41\00:53:39.91
It might be, "You
have too many demerits.
00:53:39.95\00:53:41.92
You can't go to Open Rack
00:53:41.95\00:53:43.32
or the Saturday night activity."
00:53:43.35\00:53:45.55
It might be, "You
have quite a few demerits
00:53:45.59\00:53:47.46
and you need to
go to Dean's Council.
00:53:47.49\00:53:50.26
And you might need to go home
to reflect for a little bit."
00:53:50.29\00:53:54.30
But it ranges, but we, we
try to really start small.
00:53:54.33\00:53:58.03
Having those conversations,
00:53:58.07\00:53:59.77
having those
relationships where as adults,
00:53:59.80\00:54:02.67
we can really talk with
you and help you to understand
00:54:02.70\00:54:06.74
and then having
someone on the campus
00:54:06.78\00:54:08.64
who can be your liaison,
who can mediate for you,
00:54:08.68\00:54:12.01
quite frankly
but usually ends up
00:54:12.05\00:54:14.02
being one of the vice principals
00:54:14.05\00:54:16.18
or one of the deans.
00:54:16.22\00:54:17.55
But we're trying
actually in this school year,
00:54:17.59\00:54:21.49
not just to focus on demerits
but also focus on merits.
00:54:21.52\00:54:25.99
Okay.
00:54:26.03\00:54:27.36
Because there are
so many more students
00:54:27.40\00:54:30.43
doing what they're supposed to.
00:54:30.47\00:54:32.40
There are so many
more hidden warriors
00:54:32.43\00:54:35.94
and heroes who are
always doing the right thing.
00:54:35.97\00:54:39.27
You can ask them,
what would Jesus do?
00:54:39.31\00:54:40.64
And they're doing it.
00:54:40.68\00:54:42.01
Oh, that's so good.
00:54:42.04\00:54:43.38
And so for those students,
00:54:43.41\00:54:44.75
we're trying to focus on
awarding them with merits,
00:54:44.78\00:54:46.72
giving them incentives,
00:54:46.75\00:54:48.32
allowing them to
have benefits on campus
00:54:48.35\00:54:50.99
that others might not have
00:54:51.02\00:54:52.35
because they've earned it.
00:54:52.39\00:54:54.62
That is so good.
00:54:54.66\00:54:56.06
So your whole,
00:54:56.09\00:55:00.50
your whole goal
00:55:00.53\00:55:01.86
really for taking the
school to the next level
00:55:01.90\00:55:05.77
is to stay focused on
Christ and then the 3H's, right?
00:55:05.80\00:55:11.14
And then you just
wanna see your kids succeed.
00:55:11.17\00:55:16.71
That just seems to
be where your heart is,
00:55:16.75\00:55:18.71
let's see these
kids be their best,
00:55:18.75\00:55:20.98
the best that they can be.
00:55:21.02\00:55:25.42
What students do you have that,
00:55:25.45\00:55:27.96
you could talk about in
these last couple of minutes,
00:55:27.99\00:55:30.69
that stand out as just,
they started not achieving
00:55:30.73\00:55:36.46
and ended up
being super achievers.
00:55:36.50\00:55:39.50
There are a host
of that. Give us one.
00:55:39.53\00:55:41.60
There's one I'm
thinking of right now,
00:55:41.64\00:55:43.94
who recently graduated
00:55:43.97\00:55:45.31
and he's now at
Lincoln University.
00:55:45.34\00:55:49.24
I'm just smiling
00:55:49.28\00:55:50.65
because he would
come to my office
00:55:50.68\00:55:53.38
or go to the dean's office
00:55:53.42\00:55:54.75
and complain
about a few teachers.
00:55:54.78\00:55:57.92
And his complaint was
they were pushing him too hard,
00:55:57.95\00:56:00.46
or the work was too much,
00:56:00.49\00:56:01.89
or he didn't like so
and so's tone of voice,
00:56:01.92\00:56:04.16
or whatever it would be.
00:56:04.19\00:56:06.09
And I'm laughing and smiling
00:56:06.13\00:56:08.13
because he would really
give some of our teachers a run
00:56:08.16\00:56:10.93
for their money.
00:56:10.97\00:56:13.03
And just as he
was probably sharing
00:56:13.07\00:56:14.77
some words with the deans,
00:56:14.80\00:56:16.14
the teachers are probably
sharing some words with me,
00:56:16.17\00:56:17.77
what are we gonna
do with so and so?
00:56:17.81\00:56:19.41
What are we gonna
do about such and such?
00:56:19.44\00:56:21.78
Now I'm smiling so hard
because when we visited him
00:56:21.81\00:56:25.28
and his colleagues who
are at Lincoln University,
00:56:25.31\00:56:28.15
our whole staff went,
we went to meet our alumni,
00:56:28.18\00:56:32.62
our recent
alumni and say to them,
00:56:32.65\00:56:34.92
"What are we doing well
00:56:34.96\00:56:36.86
and what do we
need to do differently?"
00:56:36.89\00:56:38.66
Nice. You are our product.
00:56:38.69\00:56:40.56
You're in college now.
00:56:40.60\00:56:42.26
Based on our
training, what can we do better?
00:56:42.30\00:56:45.03
And what do we do well?
00:56:45.07\00:56:46.77
And he paused for a little bit
00:56:46.80\00:56:48.30
among the group of four students
00:56:48.34\00:56:49.84
and then he said, "I
would like to say that
00:56:49.87\00:56:52.74
you guys do a really
good job, disciplining."
00:56:52.77\00:56:57.61
We all laughed and we said,
"What do you mean by that?"
00:56:57.65\00:56:59.51
He said, "Well, I don't
just mean the discipline part.
00:56:59.55\00:57:01.48
I just mean that you
were so tough and hard on us,
00:57:01.52\00:57:05.49
that now I see
it was all worth it
00:57:05.52\00:57:08.92
and everything that
you've instilled in me,
00:57:08.96\00:57:10.86
I'm actually
doing now in college,
00:57:10.89\00:57:13.13
so I tell you,
don't change that part."
00:57:13.16\00:57:16.16
Oh, that's great, that's great.
00:57:16.20\00:57:17.53
I wanna put your address up
real quick on the screen. Okay.
00:57:17.57\00:57:19.70
Because, folks are gonna wanna,
00:57:19.73\00:57:22.27
they're gonna wanna
get in touch with you.
00:57:22.30\00:57:24.37
You can reach Nicole
Hughes at Pine Forge Academy
00:57:24.41\00:57:27.88
by going to the
website PineForgeAcademy.org
00:57:27.91\00:57:31.45
or email at
PFA@PineForgeAcademy.org,
00:57:31.48\00:57:36.52
or call (610) 326-5800.
00:57:36.55\00:57:41.82
Or again (610) 326-5800.
00:57:41.86\00:57:46.93
Thank you so much,
my dear, for visiting
00:57:46.96\00:57:50.43
and for just
sharing your insight.
00:57:50.47\00:57:52.73
It was absolutely wonderful.
00:57:52.77\00:57:54.40
May God bless you.
00:57:54.44\00:57:56.10
And may God bless you.
00:57:56.14\00:57:57.47
Join us next time
'cause you know what?
00:57:57.51\00:57:59.97
It just wouldn't be
the same without you.
00:58:00.01\00:58:02.88