Head of School Letter: Celebrations

Last Saturday’s Shore-to-Shorecrest 5K was a wonderful event. With a beautiful sunrise as the backdrop to the starting line of the walk/run, we were thrilled to begin the day with the unveiling of a St. Petersburg City Historical Marker at 1200 North Shore Drive NE, the site of the original Shorecrest campus. This handsome doubled-sided historical marker proudly explains the origins of the Shorecrest Outdoor School and comes complete with photographs of an old-style pergola classroom and the original Shorecrest school buildings. The marker sits on the green grass of St. Petersburg’s Flora Wylie Park, directly across from the Shore Crest condo building that today bears our school’s name.

We will continue the celebration of Shorecrest’s 100th anniversary with an on-campus Centennial Celebration Day on Saturday, November 11, from 11am-2pm. This family-friendly, all-community celebration will feature lunch, games and fun events for all ages. It is a complimentary event, open to all members of the Shorecrest community.

Among the activities, there will be a chance for all members of the family to participate in preparing a time capsule to be opened in the future. Charles Reynolds ’81, Chair of the Centennial Committee, will read aloud the City of St. Petersburg Proclamation from Ken Welch, Mayor of the City of St. Petersburg, who will recognize this 100th Anniversary of the founding of Shorecrest Preparatory School and proclaim November 11, 2023 as “Shorecrest Centennial Day” in the City of St. Petersburg!  

Another highlight of the Centennial Celebration Day will be the unveiling of Shorecrest’s newest piece of campus artwork: Anamorphic Lightning Bolt, a sculpture created by renown local artist Donald Gialanella. Commissioned by the School with the support of alumni donors, the process of securing the Centennial sculpture has been lovingly overseen by alumna Beth Reynolds ’84. A dynamic sculpture, Anamorphic Lightning Bolt is made of stainless and corten steel. The design visually comes together at one specific viewing spot marked on the ground by a round bronze medallion etched with information about the sculpture. The sculpture’s home will be at a very visible part of campus, between the Sher-Razook building and the Athletic Center. We are so excited to dedicate this sculpture in celebration of Shorecrest’s history and future, and with great appreciation for our alumni donors. 

The Centennial Celebration Day will conclude with the debut of a timeline of the School’s history, created and researched by Shorecrest students with oversight by their teacher, Kayla Brazee. This timeline includes archival photos and school documents. These artifacts bring history to light and demonstrate how Shorecrest has grown and developed alongside the city of St. Petersburg.

So much has happened in the past 100 years! We are excited to come together and celebrate the past while also looking forward as we step into Shorecrest’s Second Century. I hope to see all of you at Centennial Celebration Day, on Saturday, November 11!

All the best, 

Nancy

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