Help Tell The Story of Us

This year the Experiential School will focus on “The Story of Us,” looking for ways to connect with the history of our school and the upcoming centennial celebrations.

Charles Reynolds ‘81, Mrs. Martha Reynolds’ husband, very kindly answered some of my questions. My goal is to help us all engage in a little “time traveling” so we can understand Shorecrest a bit better. It’s fascinating to me to realize that a lot has changed, but a lot has not.

 

I asked Mr. Reynolds: What do you know about how our early childhood context started?   

Charles responded: The original outdoor school started as a way for northern visitors to keep their children learning while here for the winter. In the mid 1960s mandatory school busing began in Pinellas and many parents began looking for an alternative. At that time we had only Kindergarten because it was not common for children to start earlier. Our first Kindergarten teacher (there was only one class) was Mrs. Braid. She was a lovely Southern woman who taught everyone for about 20 years. I have several fond memories of her. Eventually we added a younger grade that was referred to as “Pre Primary School” and appears to have taken off as women began working outside the home in the early ‘70s.

I also learned that the property where the school had been located for its first 43 years was owned by Sophia (Yi) Daily. Mr. Crisp donated 6 acres of undeveloped land on First Street and Mrs. Daily provided the monetary backing needed to finance construction of the current campus.

As they say, “It takes a village…”

 

If you have stories from Shorecrest, please reach out to me or fill out this form. We would love to hear from you and share some of these memories!