Inspiring Great Minds For 100 Years

Pembroke Hill Celebrates A Century!

It’s been 100 years since Vassie James Hill opened the doors to our predecessor school at 6115 Wornall Road (currently the Wornall House) with 17 students. Today, the school has grown to enroll nearly 1,200 students who occupy 18 buildings on two campuses. More than 5,000 individuals living all over the globe call themselves Pembroke Hill alumni. By all accounts, Mrs. Hill’s idea - starting a school in which great value is placed on children’s individual capabilities and a belief that children learn best by being actively involved in a wide variety of experiences – was a winner.

The school’s yearlong Centennial Celebration began officially on Friday, Sept. 3, the day of the Back-To-School BBQ. A representative group of 100 students, faculty and staff gathered at the Wornall House and walked the 10 blocks to the Wornall campus. Along the route, the rest of the students and faculty joined in the walk. The parade concluded at the steps of Founders Hall, where a short program was held. To record the event, a photographer took an all-school photo, which will be presented to the Archives.

That evening, the entire school community celebrated the Centennial at the BBQ on the Ward Parkway campus. Dinner was served from 5:30 to 7 p.m.; the football game kick-off was at 7 p.m. A fireworks display concluded the evening’s festivities.

Senior Mattie Merriman, with assistance from senior Brady Bates, developed a special Centennial logo that is on school stationery, banners, the website and publications. This logo is also featured on special Centennial merchandise in the Bookstore.

One of the most exciting elements of the celebration is an expanded Homecoming Weekend (Oct 14-16), designed to engage alumni. The weekend calls for alumni to visit classrooms to experience the life of our school and the dynamic and energizing curriculum that Pembroke Hill offers today.

A special Centennial video celebrating the history of Pembroke Hill and its predecessor schools will debut at a Former Trustee And Head Of School Reunion Dinner on Oct. 14.

During the rest of the weekend, the alumni relations office is planning athletic team reunions, as well as a reunion for the award-winning Science Olympiad team. Additionally, the art teachers are organizing a Faculty-Alumni Arts Show, which will open that weekend. There are plenty of activities for alumni of all years and interest. More information is available on the school’s website, www.pembroke hill.org.

Also on the website, will be archival photos from the past 100 years and an opportunity to share your thoughts and favorite memories of Pembroke Hill. Your posts will become part of Pembroke Hill history in the school’s Archives.

The celebration will continue at Awesome Auction (Feb. 26, 2011, at the Muehlebach Hotel) whose theme is Happy Birthday, Pembroke Hill! And as a tribute to the school’s long history of staging musicals, the upper school will present The Music Man next spring.

Also, don’t forget about the Parents Association’s Centennial Cookbook that will be published this fall. Order your copies on the school’s website.

It should be a great party lasting the entire school year. We hope to see you at these events as we celebrate the history of our wonderful school and the start of our Second Century!