A Sad Passing: Pine Ridge School Announces June 5th Closing

Brian Fisher By Brian Fisher on March 20, 2009 16 Comments
Boarding School News Blog, Boarding School Thoughts, Learning Differences Blog, Private School Blog

Pine Ridge SchoolWe saw today in the Burlington Free Press that Pine Ridge School (Williston, VT) will close after graduation in June.

Twenty faculty member will lose their positions; Pine Ridge will help students and their families find schools for the fall during these final months.

Pine Ridge had restructured and changed its mission over the past few years and changes never found traction with potential students and families.

Photo credit: Pine Ridge School

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Brian Fisher

  • Susan Aspinwall

    This is so sad to hear. I graduated from Pine Ridge in 1995. It’s too bad that it changed it’s mission so much that it will no longer be around to help future students with learning problems that do need the kind of education the school used to provide.
    My questions are, what on earth happened, and two, what will happen with future alumni gatherings?
    If anyone can provide me with this information it would be greatly appreciated.
    Let us all hope that whomever purchases the property will start and new and better school for kids with learning problems that focuses on Pine Ridge’s original mission.

  • Michael Fannon

    I hope the staff at Pine Ridge takes pride in all the people they helped over the years. I attended Pine Ridge for only 3 months in 1997, yet I greatly admired the dedication the faculty took in each and every student regardless of their strengths and weaknesses. My best wishes to the people there.

  • momofpjm

    Does anyone know which boarding schools these kids transferred to? I am trying to find a school for my son. Pine Ridge was recommended to me by a former teacher there. Thanks.

    • julia

      I went there..I was there for the last year. It was sad when the school got closed down but now I moved on.

      I go to Forman School, Litchfield, CT

      or theres
      Middlebridge school, Wakefield, RI

      Landmark, MA

      Vanguard, in Florida

      those are all boarding schools with learning differences

      ..if you need any help..ask me

      • momofpjm

        Thanks Julia. Why did you go to Forman? What do you know about the Middlebridge school?

        momofpjm

    • Liz

      Hello momofpjm,

      I just found your post while reading articles about Pine Ridge's closing. I worked there as a residential instructor (dorm mom) for two years and feel that it was a perfect learning environment for kids with learning disabilities. I actually knew Julia when she was a student there! Many of the teachers and administrators from Pine Ridge created their own school – Middlebridge. I am willing to bet that this school is also an excellent school for kids with LDs!

      • Susan Aspinwall

        Hello, Liz,
        Do you know which teachers and administrators started Middlebridge? I myself am an Alumnus of Pine Ridge, and I was just curious in case I knew any of them. Thank you. Susan Aspinwall

  • ri

    middlebridgeschool.com

  • janet lieberman

    Kildonan

  • Susan Aspinwall

    Hi, this is Susan Aspinwall '95 again. I unfortunately did not find out about the last reunion on the Pine Ridge campus until it was too late. Hopefully we can have future reunions at the very least in, say, Burlington, which would be great. If anyone has any information on future reunions, could you post the information here, please? I hate using the social networks like facebook. They can be a pain to use. Thanks, that would be awesome. And also who would I contact in case this happens. Thanks a bunch.

    • Erin M. Stroup

      Hi Susan!
      Yes –in answer to your post on of the last review we were both on. ( I believe it was the first review posted). Of course I remeber you!
      I am not sure why my first review is gone . It may have been because it is posted for only a specific length of time. Who knows with the internet.. Lol.
      I was glad to hear from you and remeber how you made me laugh so much during our time in school.
      In answer to your question on this review—Im sorry I dont have any information about upcoming reunions.

      What is important to remeber though Susan, ( as a few people have already stated)—-is that your memories of Pine Ridge will always be in your heart. I understand the school closed, but that doesnt mean that what you felt for it died.

      The reality is,—– schools close, peole grow up, things change in general —–period. It happens and it is what it is.
      Im sure there will be reunions posted on one of ALL these links regarding the closing. I wouldnt worry too much. Just continue checking them out.
      I realy hope you are doing well!??
      Take care, Erin Mckenna–
      Stroup '94

      • mimi lafreniere

        you should go to facebook, there are a few there. just look up pine ridge school.

  • Susan Aspinwall

    Thanks Erin and Mimi, I'm doing well, busy as can be expected, but good. That's a good idea. I'll keep looking off and on at web sites in general. I'm not too crazy about social networks, a lot of them can be a pain to deal with, but I'll just have to do the best I can and encourage others to do so as well. Just so we all know that we are okay, that sort of thing.
    Thanks a bunch, Susan Aspinwall

  • erin

    Hi Susan, Im glad you received my post from a ways back.
    I am still learning how to use facebook and classmates.com , and dont always have the time to learn it unfortunately.

    I usually stick to my regular e-mail account but I am enjoying learning both websites as I go along !

    There are a number of websites for Pine Ridge. Gosh, someone could get lost!! I have tried to go into classmates and/or facebook and so many other links related to each site pop up—a little too many . I dont always know which one to go into.
    Gives me a chuckle…

    Thanks for the info Mimi.

    There are a some friends id like to say hello to from my Junior/Senior year. I am only going to mention a couple though. Hello to Delee and Beth. The rest probably know who they are and so I'l just say to the rest–
    Take care, and will talk to you sometime soon.

    Erin Mckenna Stroup

  • Susan Aspinwall

    HI Everyone,
    This is Susan Aspinwall again. I myself have tried Facebook, that one is okay, but there is a lesser known one that I am using called My Yearbook, you can look it up at myyearbook.com. That one is easier to use. By the way, I heard a rumor on Pine Ridge's facebook sit that there will be an alumni gathering in July(?), if someone could tell me when, and also importantly, where, that would be awesome, Thanks a bunch.

  • Jarret Calise

    Hello,Â
    This is Jarret Calise,
      If anyone out there gets this and you want to email me my address isÂ
    jarret.calise@gmail.com 

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