I arrived at Pinel in 1968 and immediately recognized it as home.  My parents made a good investment in sending me to the school, where I wanted to learn, and acquired many of the skills that have helped me get along in life.  Pinel was the ground upon which my  imagination soared and my enduring artistic vision was formed.  I was a student there until 1975, and returned as a student teacher during my years at Maybeck High School.  I was the school’s last resident caretaker in the spring and summer of 1978, and the last Pinelian off the land when the school closed and the property changed hands that summer.
        In 1998 I find myself working on the Internet and using many of the storytelling and publishing skills I first learned at Pinel.  And, this being the thirtieth anniversary of my first visit to the school and the twentieth anniversary of the school’s closing, it seems appropriate to create a site for Pinel here on the World Wide Web.
        The idea here is to create a permanent digital archive documenting the art and history of Pinel, provide a resource for present and future educators showing how a progressive, organic education can work, and to encourage a network for former students, teachers, staff , and all of our families to share email, links, and our experiences and stories, both of Pinel and of the years since.
        The nucleus of the archive is my own collection of Pinel memorabilia.  In addition to the screen versions presented on the site, print quality digital files are also being created from the original materials.  Many people have collections of photographs and other documentary evidence.  It is my hope that over time as news of the site travels, we will be able to gather and digitally store all these collections in one archive available to all.
        Special thanks to the following: Alice Murry for everything, but in this instance especially for the June 1996 reunion meeting.  Marilyn Grace for the Macintosh Classic (7/96) and Paul Carlson for getting me connected to America Online (8/96).  Many thanks also to Jacqueline Farley and Adam Ward.  Without their help this site would not be what it is today.
        Participation in this project is very much encouraged.  Please send an email so we can get the conversation started.  This project is dedicated to all Pinelians, and especially to those who have passed away.
 

Communicate with the archive via email: Roarshock@aol.com