Login
Login

Piney Woods Country Life School

{{About|a school||Piney Woods (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox school

|name = Piney Woods Country Life School

|motto = Head, Heart, & Hands

|established = 1909

|type = Private, boarding

|religion = Christian

|head_name = President

|head = William Crossley

|city = Piney Woods

|state = MS

|country = USA

|campus = Township

|enrollment = Approximately 250

|homepage = [http://pineywoods.org pineywoods.org]

| logo =

| logo_size =

| logo_alt =

| seal_image =

| seal_size =

| seal_alt =

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| motto_translation =

| address =

| location =

| region =

| county =

| postcode =

| zipcode =

| coordinates = {{Coord|32.0623401|-89.9948113|display=inline,title}} -->

| coordinates_footnotes =

| pushpin_map = Mississippi

| pushpin_image =

| pushpin_mapsize =

| pushpin_map_alt =

| pushpin_map_caption =

| pushpin_label =

| pushpin_label_position =

| other_name =

| former_name =

| schooltype =

| fundingtype =

| denomination =

| patron =

| founded =

| opened =

| founder =

| status =

| closed =

| locale =

| sister_school =

| school_board =

| district =

| us_nces_district_id =

| LEA =

| educational_authority =

| category =

| oversight =

| authorizer =

| superintendent =

| trustee =

| specialist =

| session =

| number =

| school_code =

| MOE =

| ofsted =

| ceeb =

| us_nces_school_id =

| president =

| chair =

| chairman =

| chairperson =

| dean =

| administrator =

| rector =

| director =

| principal =

| campus_director =

| headmistress =

| headmaster =

| head_of_school =

| head_teacher =

| executive_headteacher =

| acting_headteacher =

| officer_in_charge =

| chaplain =

| staff =

| faculty =

| teaching_staff =

| employees =

| key_people =

| grades =

| years =

| years_taught =

| gender =

| age_range =

| lower_age =

| upper_age =

| enrollment_as_of =

| students =

| sixth_form_students =

| pupils =

| grade_preK =

| gradeK =

| grade1 =

| grade2 =

| grade3 =

| grade4 =

| grade5 =

| grade6 =

| grade7 =

| grade8 =

| grade9 =

| grade10 =

| grade11 =

| grade12 =

| grade13 =

| other =

| other_grade_label_1 =

| other_grade_enrollment_1=

| other_grade_label_2 =

| other_grade_enrollment_2=

| international_students =

| classes =

| average_class_size =

| ratio =

| system =

| classes_offered =

| medium_of_language =

| language =

| schedule_type =

| schedule =

| hours_in_day =

| classrooms =

| campuses =

| campus_size = {{convert|2000|acres|ha}}

| area =

| campus_type =

| houses =

| student_union =

| colors =

| school_colors =

| slogan =

| song =

| fight_song =

| athletics =

| athletics_conference =

| sports =

| mascot =

| mascot_image =

| nickname =

| teams =

| team_name =

| rival =

| accreditation =

| ranking =

| USNWR_ranking =

| national_ranking =

| test_name =

| test_average =

| SAT =

| SAT_year =

| ACT =

| ACT_year =

| bar_pass_rate =

| school_roll =

| decile =

| publication =

| newspaper =

| yearbook =

| products =

| endowment =

| budget =

| fees =

| annual_tuition =

| tuition =

| revenue =

| communities =

| feeder_schools =

| feeder_to =

| graduates =

| graduates_year =

| affiliation =

| alumni =

| nobel_laureates =

| information =

| website =

| footnotes =

| picture =

| picture_caption =

| picture2 =

| picture_caption2 =

| lastupdate = 29 December 2017

}}

The Piney Woods Country Life School (or The Piney Woods School) is a co-educational independent historically African-American boarding school for grades 9–12 in Piney Woods, unincorporated Rankin County, Mississippi. It is {{convert|21|mi|km}} south of Jackson.Copeland, Larry. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1997_3004832 Black private school serves as rural refuge / Discipline and calm helps students flourish]." Knight-Ridder Tribune News at the Houston Chronicle. Sunday September 28, 1997. A40. Retrieved on December 2, 2011. It is one of four remaining historically African-American boarding schools in the United States. It is currently the largest African-American boarding school, as well as being the second oldest continually operating African-American boarding school. Its campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.{{NRHPweekly}}

History

The Piney Woods School was founded in 1909 by Laurence C. Jones.[http://www.uiowa.edu/~afriam/Jones.html African-Americans at the University of Iowa] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219162226/http://www.uiowa.edu/~afriam/Jones.html |date=2008-02-19 }} Jones added the Mississippi School of the Blind for Negroes in the early 1920s, and in 1929, with the arrival of Martha Louise Morrow Foxx serving as principal, the Mississippi Blind School for Negroes was founded at Piney Woods. The school eventually moved to an urban location in Jackson, Mississippi.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

Piney Woods was where the International Sweethearts of Rhythm were formed, by Jones, in 1937.Handy, A. (1998). The International Sweethearts Of Rhythm: The Ladies Jazz Band From Piney Woods Country Life School. Scarecrow Press. The band included jazz musician Helen Jones, the daughter of the school's founder.

Other bands associated with the school included the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi and the Cotton Blossom Singers. Beginning in the 1930s the school also sponsored baseball teams as part of the fund-raising efforts.Wilson, L.K. [https://web.archive.org/web/19991011004731/http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/1538/singing.html "The Singing Baseball Team."] Negro Leagues Writings; retrieved February 16, 2008.

The school was presided over for more than 60 years by Jones, until 1974 when Dr. James S. Wade became the second president. Charles Beady led the school for more than 20 years, and today the school is presided over by Dr. Reginald T.W. Nichols.[http://www.pineywoods.org/about/history.asp "History"], Piney Woods Country Life School; retrieved February 16, 2008.

In 1954 Jones appeared on the This Is Your Life television show."Miracle of Piney Woods– Mississippi school built on faith has rich harvest", Ebony magazine, October 1955, pp. 36–41. During the show the host asked viewers to each send in $1 to support the school,[https://web.archive.org/web/20080220055102/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,857909,00.html "The Week in Review"], Time magazine. December 27, 1954. Retrieved 2/16/08. eventually raising $700,000,Schmidt, D.A. (2002) Iowa Pride. Xulon Press. p 209. with which Jones began the schools' endowment fund, reported to be at $7,000,000 when Jones died in 1975.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

Since then the school has conducted a number of notable publicity and fundraising activities. A variety of speakers have spoken at the school, including George Washington Carver,[http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=1742&category=MusicMakers&occupation=Musician%20%26%20Retired%20Nurse&name=Helen%20Jones%20Woods "Helen Jones Woods"], TheHistoryMakers.com; retrieved February 16, 2008. LeRoy T. Walker and Mike Espy. Wynton Marsalis played a benefit performance for the school in 1994, as well. Morley Safer reported on the school in 1992 and again in 2005 for the CBS television show, 60 Minutes.[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/piney-woods-an-academic-oasis/ "Piney Woods: An academic oasis."] CBSnews.com. June 29, 2005; retrieved February 16, 2008.

Currently

Today the curriculum at Piney Woods combines strict discipline, Christian teaching and chores with classroom instruction. More than 98 percent of Piney Woods' graduates go on to attend colleges, including Kings College (Pennsylvania), Emory University, University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, Millsaps College, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Xavier University, Rice University, Jackson State University, Tougaloo College, Berea College, Howard University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Princeton University, the University of Chicago, University of Memphis, University of the South, Smith College, Harvard University, Vassar College, Tufts University, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Maryland, Florida A&M University, Texas Southern University, and Amherst College .Mitchell, M.A. (1998) "Black schools bolstered by remarkable gestures," Chicago Sun-Times. March 22, 1998.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/02/americas-largest-black-boarding-school-is-thriving/385503/|title = America's Largest Black Boarding School Sends 97 Percent of Students to College|website = The Atlantic|date = 13 February 2015}}{{cite web | url=https://www.pineywoods.org/curriculum/academic-resources.cfm | title=Academic Counseling - the Piney Woods School }}

The Piney Woods campus is located {{convert|21|mi|km}} southeast of Jackson, Mississippi. It sits on {{convert|2000|acre|ha}} of rolling hills, forest, open fields and lakes. Funded by donations and a significant endowment, the school houses 300 high school students in grades 9 through 12 from more than 20 states, Mexico, the Caribbean and several African nations. The self-sufficient campus includes a post office, a farm, athletic fields, chapel and amphitheater.Roach, R. (2003) "A rich, but disappearing legacy: Remembering Black boarding schools: a tradition obscured by desegregation's impact." Black Issues in Higher Education. August 14, 2003.

Notable alumni and faculty

References

{{Reflist|2}}

External links

{{Portal|Mississippi|Schools|United States}}

  • [http://pineywoods.org/ Piney Woods Country Life School]
  • [http://purl.oclc.org/umarchives/MUM00366/ Piney Woods Collection (MUM00366)] owned by the University of Mississippi.

{{Authority control}}

Category:Educational institutions established in 1909

Category:Private high schools in Mississippi

Category:Schools in Rankin County, Mississippi

Category:Boarding schools in Mississippi

Category:1909 establishments in Mississippi

Category:Historically black schools

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Rankin County, Mississippi