P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School

P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School (PKY) is a public school affiliated with the University of Florida, in Gainesville, serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is a one-school school district and a department of the College of Education of the University of Florida. As its name implies, P.K. Yonge DRS is a laboratory school and is a leader in school-embedded educational research in the state of Florida. The school's mission is to design, test, and disseminate best practices in K-12 education by serving a diverse student community. The school was previously named "P.K. Yonge Laboratory School."NamesakeThe school is named in honor of Philip Keyes Yonge (1850 - 1934), who served 29 years on the Florida Board of Control, the former governing body for all Florida public universities, including 22 years as its chairman. Yonge demonstrated a commitment to improve education in the state of Florida.The School Director is Dr. Lynda Hayes. Dr. Cathy Atria is the Principal, and Dr. Russell Froman is the Assistant Principal. Dr. Carrie Geiger is the Supervisor of Instructional Practice and Dr. Mary Jordan is the Assistant Principal of Academic Advisement and School Counseling.One notable feature of the school is the creek (Tumblin' Creek) that runs through the school property. The cafeteria sits on the creek and students may enjoy the Florida nature scene while dining outdoors. It also has a county and state renowned performing arts program.At the beginning of the 2012–13 school year, P.K. Yonge opened a state-of-the-art elementary school building.