OUR CAMPUS

Gifft Hill School rests on 14 acres contiguous to Virgin Islands National Park land, overlooking the Caribbean Sea beyond. Our campus has grown with the island and our facilities are the result of the generosity of GHS benefactors over the school's 34-year history.

The Bass family donated the Gifft Hill property on which Pine Peace School was built over 34 years ago. The original building was a labor of love for the Johansen, Muilenberg, Rutnik, Schnell and Smith families. Since that time, the Bertolino family constructed "The Bertolino Library" building that now houses Grades 2-5, the Lower Campus library and computer lab. The original Lower Campus playground was made possible by the generosity of the Freeman family.

When Coral Bay School and Pine Peace School merged, an additional 8 acres of land was purchased by Thomas Dittmer and Sandy Hill to construct the upper campus. Gretchen Labrenz of Cruz Bay Realty donated her real estate commission and the deal closed. Our long-time trustee and supporter, Fred Trayser, donated his time and many talents and constructed the upper campus building for $1.



In the past few years, many exciting developments have occurred at GHS. Glen and Jo Ann Hall purchased the parcel that separated the Upper and Lower campuses and donated it to the school. In 2010, we saw the completion of our new athletic field which is the first new sports facility on St. John in decades and the finest field in the Virgin Islands. Donated by magnanimous anonymous benefactors of the school, our field is a source of pride and constant activity. Because of his long history of generosity and hard work on behalf of GHS, including overseeing the construction of the field, Fred Trayser was recognized in June of 2010 when the new athletic field was officially named “Trayser Field”.

The Lower Campus playground was renovated in the Spring of 2010 as a result of the generosity of the McCullough Family, grandparents of students Emily and Tierney Murrill.



The "greentop" at the Lower Campus is situated between the Kindergarten/1st grade building and the 2nd grade-5th grade building and library. The greentop was renovated in 2010, thanks to a donation from two GHS grandparents in addition to anonymous matching donors, and surfaced with Sport Court material, which is the safest, highest quality outdoor court material in the world. This renovation improved the look and safety of the greentop, which is used for PE classes, after-school programs, recess, and intramural sports.



Gifft Hill School’s Upper Campus is now home to a fully functioning fitness center, thanks to the generosity of the Westin St. John Resort & Villas, who donated their nearly new fitness equipment. The GHS Fitness Center is open to the public; memberships are available for a very reasonable cost. Certified fitness trainers are available by appointment for an additional fee. The fitness center is open from approximately 7-11am and 4-7pm.

The Nekwan Sprauve Memorial Half Court was dedicated in September 2010 to honor “Neko”, a 9th grader who passed away the previous May. The Court is in constant use, both during and after school hours, and is much appreciated by GHS students.

Gifft Hill School now owns 14 contiguous acres on Gifft Hill and 8 acres of waterfront property in Fish Bay. Please feel free to visit the school. We would love to show you around.