Lake Forest Academy
Encyclopedia
Lake Forest Academy is a college preparatory boarding
and day school
for grades 9 through 12 located on the North Shore
in Lake Forest
, Illinois
, United States
. As of the 2008-2009 school year, students at Lake Forest Academy come from 20 states and 28 countries. The current Head of School is Dr. John Strudwick, a former teacher at Phillips Academy
in Andover, Massachusetts
. The school is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools
(NAIS), Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), and Secondary School Admission Test Board
(SSATB).
. Its founding was part of the creation of Lake Forest, Illinois. The Young Ladies' Seminary at Ferry Hall, later simplified to Ferry Hall School
, was founded in 1869, and was considered a sister school
. Both schools proceeded with their separate missions until the early 1970s, at which point the schools began to coordinate their efforts. A merger of the schools to form the coeducational Lake Forest Academy-Ferry Hall School took place in 1974. Later, the school's name officially became Lake Forest Academy. Lake Forest College
was a third component of the original founders' design and opened its doors later although it uses the Academy's founding date as its own. It has no formal relationship with the original schools.
Lake Forest Academy is situated on a wooded 150-acre (0.61 km²) campus, which includes a small lake. There are 25 buildings on campus, including Reid Hall (formerly the estate of Chicago meat entrepreneur J. Ogden Armour
), Corbin Academic Center, Hutchinson Commons (the dining hall), four dormitories and several faculty housing buildings. The Cressy Center for the Arts (formerly the Fine & Performing Arts Center, or FPAC) is the site for all-school meetings, concerts and student theatrical productions.
LFA has a variety of athletic facilities, including an ice rink, swimming pool, gymnasium, tennis courts, all-weather track (new as of 2005), and five full-sized playing fields for football, field hockey, and soccer. Many of these facilities are in high demand in the Lake Forest area, and are therefore sometimes rented out to neighboring athletic organizations without locations for their sports.
Approximately three-quarters the faculty of Lake Forest Academy live on campus.
Atlass is the newest dormitory by a margin of more than thirty years, and is consequently in the best physical condition of all the LFA dormitories. Located in the center of campus, it is closest to the academic buildings and dining hall. In addition to generously-sized rooms and new furniture, Atlass also sports a comfortable lounge area with a television, sofas, and pool table
. Atlass is a two-story building that houses 70 boys and four faculty members in apartments on either north or south end of the dorm.
Atlass opened in January, 1999 following a grant from H. Leslie Atlass, Jr., class of 1936, in honor of his father (class of 1912). According to the inscription on the dormitory, Atlass Sr. was a "broadcasting pioneer and innovator." The financial gift was given with the condition that it be used to construct a new boys' dormitory, since Bates House, the previous boys' dormitory constructed in 1948, was in extremely poor condition.
Warner House houses about 30 boys and five faculty members; four in the actual structure, and one family in the attached Remsen Cottage. Warner is acknowledged to be the oldest structure on the Lake Forest Academy campus, thought in campus lore to have been a horse stable in the years before the Academy when J. Ogden Armour occupied the campus space. Upon the Academy's relocation to its current physical plant in 1948, the Board of Trustees dedicated the building to Ezra J. Warner, Jr., class of 1895. Warner is located near the football field and with its relatively large number of faculty, has always been a dormitory that epitomizes the strong connection between students and faculty at LFA.
Marshall Field House (or simply "Field") is the home to nearly all female boarding students, housing 72 out of 82 girls. Field is older than the Atlass dorm with its first season of housing students in 1965 but Field House is the closest dorm to Hutchinson Commons (the dining area for the Lake Forest Academy residents) and has the most spirit of all of the Academy dormitories.
Marshall Field House was named after Marshall Field
, the founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago
-based chain of department stores. A substantial donation was made by Field to the Academy, and the Marshall Field House was dedicated to him on October 9, 1965.
At present, Field is planned for major renovation as part of the Academy's expansion plans, as detailed in the Strategic Plan. According to the report, Field will be scaled down to house only 40 girls, and a second new dormitory will be constructed to house 40 others.
McIntosh Cottage (known simply as "Mac") is a unique dormitory, housing only ten girls in five rooms. In addition to the ten student residents, McIntosh houses two faculty members in apartments. McIntosh was named for Arthur T. McIntosh, class of 1896, by his son.
and competed against eight other independent schools in Chicago's suburbs in some sports. The school has recently withdrawn from this conference and will be playing an independent schedule in all sports next year (2009–10). The following sports are offered:
Fall:
Winter:
Spring:
Students at LFA may also partake in non-team P.E. activities such as bowling
, curling
, salsa dance, jogging
, lacrosse
, water polo
, weightlifting
, and yoga
, as well as a winter/spring musical.
LFA has a very strong athletic tradition that began in 1859 when Elmer E. Ellsworth, a close friend of Abraham Lincoln and who already had become well known in the leading eastern cities by organizing military units called Zouaves,was hired to drill the students. Ellsworth was called to Washington by Lincoln who made him a colonel. He was the first officer to give his life for the Union cause in the Civil War. The Academy's drill team had been a pet of Colonel Ellsworth's, so that after the Civil War, when President Lincoln's body was brought through Chicago from Washington to Springfield, it acted as escort and guard of honor from Chicago to the State Capitol.
Because of the Ellsworth experiment,a gymnasium was erected in 1864 and physical training was strongly stressed. In 1876, the LFA baseball team played against A.G. Spalding's Chicago Black Sox (later renamed the White Sox) professional team. LFA lost; the score was 31 to 1. In 1888, football was introduced by math and physics instructor William H. ("Little Bill") Williams. He later coached and was president of the University Athletic Association; and he has been called the father of the Western Collegiate Football Association, subsequently named "The Big Ten." The Academy's football tradition was carried on by such legendary coaches as Clarence Herschberger
and especially Ralph Jones
whose teams during the 1920s stood among the finest in the entire country. He had been the University of Illinois' head basketball coach and its freshman baseball and football coach. For eight years he had achieved great success in the Big Ten and had written the acknowledged standard work on scientific basketball playing. Under his stewardship of LFA's football program during the 1920s, it became more and more difficult for the school to arrange games with secondary schools, and soon nearly the entire schedule was composed of college freshman teams and junior colleges. In the early 1930s when an ex player of Jones' bought the Chicago Bears, he asked Jones to coach them. He did so with distinction,which included the first NFL championship.
Lake Forest Academy is notable for not being a full member of the Illinois High School Association
, the body which governs most sports and competitive activities in Illinois. According to a September 2009 interview with the school's athletic director: "... LFA's athletic philosophy and active recruitment of international students conflicts with the IHSA and that the Caxys are not eligible to compete for state championships in any sport. And LFA was not about to change its private-school philosophy to conform to IHSA standards."
The LFA mascot is the "Caxy," which is ancient Greek for "ribbet" - the croaking sound made by a frog. In the early 1900s, Aristophanes
' hit comedy, The Frogs
, was the subject of a popular Greek literature class. LFA is believed to be the only school with "Caxys" as a nickname, although a popular athletic cheer at Yale University
uses lines from the same Aristophanes play.
which is found in British schools, however unlike British schools, students are not divided up based on what dorm they are in. This is similar to the house system in the Harry Potter
series, and as such the students often debate which LFA house corresponds to which Harry Potter house. There is never any consensus on this.
Lake Forest Academy is well-recognized as one of the strongest college preparatory schools in the United States. 100% of graduates attend a 4-year college or university, many attending Ivy League
schools, "Little Ivies
," and other respected colleges.
From its beginnings, Lake Forest Academy has been seen as one of America's premier schools, especially west of the Alleghenies. Ties to the leading colleges and universities with the Academy date back to its very first graduating class. Innovation has been the school's hallmark particularly under strong headmasters like William Mather Lewis
(later president of George Washington University
and thereafter Lafayette College
), John Wayne Richards, E. Francis Bowditch (later dean at MIT), and Harold Harlow Corbin Jr. It was Richards' pioneering instructional plan that Time Magazine's inaugural issue featured in its "Education" section (August 18, 1930).
One of the other oft-touted fundamental strengths of the school is the potential for strong relationships formed between students and faculty. Faculty, approximately three-quarters of whom live on campus, also serve as coaches and dorm supervisors. This aspect of the Academy is often promoted by the Admissions Department and others as a feature that sets the school apart from other institutions. Head of School Dr. John Strudwick mentions that "LFA prides itself on its small classes and its Advisory system which both promote a unique and productive relationship between faculty and students."
, Ordinary People
, The Babe
, and The Package.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
for grades 9 through 12 located on the North Shore
North Shore (Chicago)
The North Shore is a term that refers to the generally affluent suburbs north of Chicago, Illinois bordering the shore of Lake Michigan.- History :Europeans settled the area sparsely after an 1833 treaty with local Native Americans...
in Lake Forest
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2008-2009 school year, students at Lake Forest Academy come from 20 states and 28 countries. The current Head of School is Dr. John Strudwick, a former teacher at Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
. The school is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools
National Association of Independent Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...
(NAIS), Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), and Secondary School Admission Test Board
Secondary School Admission Test Board
The Secondary School Admission Test Board is a nonprofit organization founded in the United States in 1957 by independent school admissions officers with three goals in mind: to provide a forum for exchange and support among admission professionals, to create an admission test for use by private...
(SSATB).
History
The Academy (known as "LFA") was founded in 1857 as a Presbyterian boys preparatory schoolUniversity-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
. Its founding was part of the creation of Lake Forest, Illinois. The Young Ladies' Seminary at Ferry Hall, later simplified to Ferry Hall School
Ferry Hall School
The Ferry Hall School was a girls' preparatory school founded in 1869 in Lake Forest, Illinois, USA. In 1974, Ferry Hall merged into Lake Forest Academy.- History :...
, was founded in 1869, and was considered a sister school
Sister school
The term sister school has several meanings:*a definite financial commerce between two colleges or universities*two schools that have a strong historical connection...
. Both schools proceeded with their separate missions until the early 1970s, at which point the schools began to coordinate their efforts. A merger of the schools to form the coeducational Lake Forest Academy-Ferry Hall School took place in 1974. Later, the school's name officially became Lake Forest Academy. Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College, founded in 1857, is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. The college has 1,500 students representing 47 states and 78 countries....
was a third component of the original founders' design and opened its doors later although it uses the Academy's founding date as its own. It has no formal relationship with the original schools.
Campus
J. Ogden Armour
Jonathan Ogden Armour was an American meatpacking magnate in Chicago, and owner and president of Armour and Company. During his tenure as president, Armour & Co...
), Corbin Academic Center, Hutchinson Commons (the dining hall), four dormitories and several faculty housing buildings. The Cressy Center for the Arts (formerly the Fine & Performing Arts Center, or FPAC) is the site for all-school meetings, concerts and student theatrical productions.
LFA has a variety of athletic facilities, including an ice rink, swimming pool, gymnasium, tennis courts, all-weather track (new as of 2005), and five full-sized playing fields for football, field hockey, and soccer. Many of these facilities are in high demand in the Lake Forest area, and are therefore sometimes rented out to neighboring athletic organizations without locations for their sports.
Approximately three-quarters the faculty of Lake Forest Academy live on campus.
Dormitories
Lake Forest Academy houses its approximately 195 boarding students in four different campus dormitories. The dorms are single-sex and are of varying size.Atlass Hall
Billiards table
A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which billiards-type games are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that is covered with cloth and surrounded by vulcanized rubber cushions, with the whole elevated above...
. Atlass is a two-story building that houses 70 boys and four faculty members in apartments on either north or south end of the dorm.
Atlass opened in January, 1999 following a grant from H. Leslie Atlass, Jr., class of 1936, in honor of his father (class of 1912). According to the inscription on the dormitory, Atlass Sr. was a "broadcasting pioneer and innovator." The financial gift was given with the condition that it be used to construct a new boys' dormitory, since Bates House, the previous boys' dormitory constructed in 1948, was in extremely poor condition.
Warner House
Marshall Field House
Marshall Field House was named after Marshall Field
Marshall Field
Marshall Field was founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores.-Life and career:...
, the founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based chain of department stores. A substantial donation was made by Field to the Academy, and the Marshall Field House was dedicated to him on October 9, 1965.
At present, Field is planned for major renovation as part of the Academy's expansion plans, as detailed in the Strategic Plan. According to the report, Field will be scaled down to house only 40 girls, and a second new dormitory will be constructed to house 40 others.
McIntosh Cottage
Athletics
The Academy was formerly a member of the Chicago Independent School LeagueIndependent School League (Illinois)
The Independent School League is an athletic league comprising nine private secondary schools in the Chicago metro area. All of the schools are also full members of the Illinois High School Association; the governing body for most high school athletics and competitive activities in the state...
and competed against eight other independent schools in Chicago's suburbs in some sports. The school has recently withdrawn from this conference and will be playing an independent schedule in all sports next year (2009–10). The following sports are offered:
Fall:
- CheerleadingCheerleadingCheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
- Cross-country running (Boys and Girls)
- Field hockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
(Girls) - FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
(Boys) - Ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
(PrepMidwest Prep Hockey LeagueThe Midwest Prep Hockey League is a prep school ice hockey league in the United States. The Midwest Prep League was founded in 2000; the original six league members were Culver Academies , Gilmour Academy , Lake Forest Academy , Park Tudor School , Shady Side Academy and St. Francis High School...
) - Soccer (Boys)
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
(Girls) - TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
(Girls) - VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
(Girls)
Winter:
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
(Boys and Girls) - Competitive CheerleadingCheerleadingCheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
- Ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
(Boys, Girls, and PrepMidwest Prep Hockey LeagueThe Midwest Prep Hockey League is a prep school ice hockey league in the United States. The Midwest Prep League was founded in 2000; the original six league members were Culver Academies , Gilmour Academy , Lake Forest Academy , Park Tudor School , Shady Side Academy and St. Francis High School...
) - SquashSquash (sport)Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
(Co-ed) - SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
(Boys) - WrestlingScholastic wrestlingScholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
Spring:
- WiffleballWiffleballWiffle ball or wiffleball is a variation of the sport of baseball designed for indoor or outdoor play in confined areas. The game is played using a perforated, light-weight, rubbery plastic ball and a long, plastic bat.- History :...
(Co-ed) - BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
(Boys) - Soccer (Girls)
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
(Boys) - Track & field (Boys and Girls)
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
(Boys) - LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
(Boys and Girls)
Students at LFA may also partake in non-team P.E. activities such as bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, salsa dance, jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
, weightlifting
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
, and yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, as well as a winter/spring musical.
LFA has a very strong athletic tradition that began in 1859 when Elmer E. Ellsworth, a close friend of Abraham Lincoln and who already had become well known in the leading eastern cities by organizing military units called Zouaves,was hired to drill the students. Ellsworth was called to Washington by Lincoln who made him a colonel. He was the first officer to give his life for the Union cause in the Civil War. The Academy's drill team had been a pet of Colonel Ellsworth's, so that after the Civil War, when President Lincoln's body was brought through Chicago from Washington to Springfield, it acted as escort and guard of honor from Chicago to the State Capitol.
Because of the Ellsworth experiment,a gymnasium was erected in 1864 and physical training was strongly stressed. In 1876, the LFA baseball team played against A.G. Spalding's Chicago Black Sox (later renamed the White Sox) professional team. LFA lost; the score was 31 to 1. In 1888, football was introduced by math and physics instructor William H. ("Little Bill") Williams. He later coached and was president of the University Athletic Association; and he has been called the father of the Western Collegiate Football Association, subsequently named "The Big Ten." The Academy's football tradition was carried on by such legendary coaches as Clarence Herschberger
Clarence Herschberger
Clarence B. "Herschie" Herschberger was an American football fullback, punter and placekicker. He played for the University of Chicago from 1896–1898 and became the first western player to be selected as a first-team All-American in 1898...
and especially Ralph Jones
Ralph Jones
Ralph Robert Jones was an American football and basketball coach in the United States. He served as the head coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League from 1930 to 1932.-Indiana:...
whose teams during the 1920s stood among the finest in the entire country. He had been the University of Illinois' head basketball coach and its freshman baseball and football coach. For eight years he had achieved great success in the Big Ten and had written the acknowledged standard work on scientific basketball playing. Under his stewardship of LFA's football program during the 1920s, it became more and more difficult for the school to arrange games with secondary schools, and soon nearly the entire schedule was composed of college freshman teams and junior colleges. In the early 1930s when an ex player of Jones' bought the Chicago Bears, he asked Jones to coach them. He did so with distinction,which included the first NFL championship.
Lake Forest Academy is notable for not being a full member of the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
, the body which governs most sports and competitive activities in Illinois. According to a September 2009 interview with the school's athletic director: "... LFA's athletic philosophy and active recruitment of international students conflicts with the IHSA and that the Caxys are not eligible to compete for state championships in any sport. And LFA was not about to change its private-school philosophy to conform to IHSA standards."
Mascot
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
' hit comedy, The Frogs
The Frogs
The Frogs is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus, in 405 BC, and received first place.-Plot:...
, was the subject of a popular Greek literature class. LFA is believed to be the only school with "Caxys" as a nickname, although a popular athletic cheer at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
uses lines from the same Aristophanes play.
Move-Up Day
Move-Up Day began as a tradition at Ferry Hall in 1906, originally called Ivy Day, commemorating the annual planting of Ivy at the base of Smith Hall. Over time, this tradition evolved into its current form, usually being held the day before Graduation. Departmental awards and speeches are given, and at the end of the ceremony, each class is invited to "move up" and literally take the place that they will occupy the next year: seniors move to sit with the alumni, juniors take the former spots of the seniors, and so on.All-School Handshake
At the beginning of each year every student, faculty member, and administrator gathers in the formal gardens and participates in the all school handshake. The entire school arranges themselves in a line around the periphery of the Formal Gardens and the Head of School begins by shaking the person's hand next to him. As he moves down the line the next person shakes his hand, and the next, and the next. The procession behind the Head of School snakes around until every member of the school shakes the hand of everyone else.Field Day
Field Day also began at Ferry Hall, starting in the spring of 1903 with "classes competing in races, the high jump, and a five-pound shot put, among other events." Field Day eventually died out in the 1970s as a result of the merger between Ferry Hall and Lake Forest Academy.The House Cup
The House Cup Competition was re-established in 2004. The students are divided up into four houses (Bird, Lewis, Sargent, and Welch) and compete in various events throughout the year. The house with the most event points at the end of the year gets their name inscribed on a trophy that is located in Reid Hall, and the colors of their team are used in the student handbook cover for the following year. This is based on the House systemHouse system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
which is found in British schools, however unlike British schools, students are not divided up based on what dorm they are in. This is similar to the house system in the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series, and as such the students often debate which LFA house corresponds to which Harry Potter house. There is never any consensus on this.
Reputation
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
schools, "Little Ivies
Little Ivies
Little Ivies is a colloquialism referring to a group of small, selective American liberal arts colleges; however, it does not denote any official organization....
," and other respected colleges.
From its beginnings, Lake Forest Academy has been seen as one of America's premier schools, especially west of the Alleghenies. Ties to the leading colleges and universities with the Academy date back to its very first graduating class. Innovation has been the school's hallmark particularly under strong headmasters like William Mather Lewis
William Mather Lewis
William Mather Lewis was an American teacher, university president, local politician, and a state and national government official. He was mayor of Lake Forest, Illinois from 1915-17, President of George Washington University from 1923-7 and the President of Layfayette College from...
(later president of George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
and thereafter Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
), John Wayne Richards, E. Francis Bowditch (later dean at MIT), and Harold Harlow Corbin Jr. It was Richards' pioneering instructional plan that Time Magazine's inaugural issue featured in its "Education" section (August 18, 1930).
One of the other oft-touted fundamental strengths of the school is the potential for strong relationships formed between students and faculty. Faculty, approximately three-quarters of whom live on campus, also serve as coaches and dorm supervisors. This aspect of the Academy is often promoted by the Admissions Department and others as a feature that sets the school apart from other institutions. Head of School Dr. John Strudwick mentions that "LFA prides itself on its small classes and its Advisory system which both promote a unique and productive relationship between faculty and students."
On film
The campus has been used as a shooting location for several films, among them: Damien: Omen IIDamien: Omen II
Damien: Omen II, is a 1978 American horror film directed by Don Taylor, starring William Holden, Lee Grant, and Jonathan Scott-Taylor. The film was the second installment in The Omen series, set seven years after the first film, and was followed by a third installment, Omen III: The Final Conflict,...
, Ordinary People
Ordinary People
Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of Robert Redford. It stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Timothy Hutton....
, The Babe
The Babe
The Babe is a 1992 biographical film about the life of famed baseball player Babe Ruth, who is portrayed by John Goodman.-Plot:The story begins in 1902 in Baltimore, Maryland, where a young Babe Ruth, troubled and not-so disciplined, is sent to the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, a...
, and The Package.
Arts
- John AgarJohn AgarJohn George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
was an actor (Sands of Iwo JimaSands of Iwo JimaSands of Iwo Jima is a 1949 war film that follows a group of United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. It stars John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker. The movie was written by Harry Brown and James Edward Grant and directed by Allan Dwan...
, TarantulaTarantula (film)Tarantula is a 1955 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Leo G. Carroll, John Agar, and Mara Corday. Among other things, the film is notable for the appearance of a 25-year-old Clint Eastwood in an uncredited role as a jet pilot at the end of the film.-Plot summary:The plot...
, Revenge of the CreatureRevenge of the CreatureRevenge of the Creature is the first sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film is notable for being the only 3-D film to be released in 1955; the only 3-D sequel to a 3-D film; and for being the first screen role for Clint Eastwood. The movie was released May 11, 1955, in the United States...
), formerly married to Shirley TempleShirley TempleShirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
. - David BradleyDavid Bradley (director)David Shedd Bradley was an American motion picture director, actor, film collector, and university instructor....
was a film director (Julius CaesarJulius Caesar (1950 film)Julius Caesar is a 1950 film adaptation of the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar. It was produced and directed by David Bradley using actors from the Chicago area. Charlton Heston, who had known Bradley since his youth, and who was establishing himself in television and theater in New York, played...
, They Saved Hitler's BrainThey Saved Hitler's BrainThey Saved Hitler's Brain is a 1969 science fiction film that was adapted for television from a shorter theatrical feature film, Madmen of Mandoras, directed by David Bradley. The film was lengthened with about twenty minutes additional footage shot by UCLA students at the request of the distributor...
). - Temple Hoyne BuellTemple Hoyne BuellTemple Hoyne Buell was an American architect.Buell was born to a prominent Chicago family and the grandson of Thomas Hoyne. He studied architecture at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed graduate studies at Columbia University. He served in France during World War I, where he...
(1914) was an architect, viewed as the father of the modern indoor shopping mall (Denver's Cherry Creek Shopping Center in 1949). - Bix BeiderbeckeBix BeiderbeckeLeon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke was an American jazz cornetist, jazz pianist, and composer.With Louis Armstrong, Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s...
, jazz cornet player (expelled; attended 1921-22) - Jay ChandrasekharJay ChandrasekharJayanth Jambulingam "Jay" Chandrasekhar is a Tamil American actor, comedian, writer, and film director with the comedy team Broken Lizard.-Life and career:...
is a comedian and film director (The Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard (film)The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 comedy film based on the American television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and released on August 5, 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures...
, "Super TroopersSuper TroopersSuper Troopers is a 2001 crime-comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, written by and starring the Broken Lizard comedy group . Marisa Coughlan, Daniel von Bargen and Brian Cox co-star while Lynda Carter has a cameo appearance...
", "BeerfestBeerfestBeerfest is a 2006 beer-themed comedy film by the comedy group Broken Lizard. Along with the regular members of Broken Lizard, other actors who appear in the movie include Will Forte, M. C. Gainey, Cloris Leachman, Kendra C...
", "Club DreadClub DreadClub Dread is a 2004 comedy horror film written by the comedy group Broken Lizard, who also created Super Troopers...
"). - Kelly PerineKelly PerineKelly Perine is an American television actor and a comedian. Perine attended Lake Forest Academy near Chicago, Illinois, where he studied stage acting. He spent his undergraduate years at Pomona College in Claremont, California. After graduating, he studied at the University of California,...
, class of 1987, actor - McLean StevensonMcLean StevensonEdgar McLean Stevenson, Jr. , better known as McLean Stevenson, was an American actor most recognized for his role as Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on the TV series M*A*S*H...
was an award winning actor best known for his work on television (Henry Blake on the television series M*A*S*H). - Stephen WadeStephen Wade (musician)Stephen Wade is an American folk musician, writer, and researcher.-Biography:Growing up in Chicago in the 1950s and 60s, he was exposed to folk musicians who had moved north from the Mississippi Delta and the Southern Appalachians....
(1970) is a folk musician - Max DemiánMax Demián (Performance Artist)Max Demián is a performance artist based in Chicago. His recent acting credits include The Mind of Delilah directed by Amir George, Heather directed by Melissa Lawrenz, and Bowser Makes a Movie directed by Toby Ross....
(2005) Performance Artist.
Business and Law
- Sam Adam Jr. (1991) is a prominent lawyer who has defended high-profile clients such as R. Kelly in his child pornography trial and Rod BlagojevichRod BlagojevichRod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
against corruption chargesRod Blagojevich corruption chargesRod Blagojevich, former Governor of Illinois, is an American politician under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2005 for corruption. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris were charged with corruption by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald...
. - James Aubrey (attended 1931–32) was the president of CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and MGM - Charles E. BeardCharles E. BeardCharles E. Beard is a noted librarian in the state of Georgia, having aided in a variety of programs, won numerous awards, and even had an award named after him by the Georgia Library Association.-Early career:...
(1916) was an aviation pioneer and president of Braniff Airlines. - James R. CargillJames R. CargillJames Ray Cargill was an American businessman born 9 October 1923. He is a descendent of William W. Cargill, who started with one grain elevator in post-Civil War Iowa. This company became known as Cargill, Inc., an agribusiness and trading giant that as of 2005 was the largest private company in...
(1941) was a billionaire scion of Minnesota's CargillCargillCargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. If it were a public company, it would rank, as of 2011, number 13 on the Fortune 500,...
family; pioneered in the computerization of animal feed formulations, work done in conjunction with University of Chicago professor Thomas Caywood. - Gaylord Donnelley (attended 1923-24) is the former chairman of R. R. Donnelley & Sons.
- George N. Gillett, Jr. (1956) is a communications mogul, former co–owner of the English Premier League team Liverpool F.C.Liverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and NASCAR auto-racing team Richard Petty Motorsports, and former owner the Montreal CanadiensMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
. - Walter Byron Smith, class of 1895, banker, philanthropist, and director of the Northern Trust Company and the Illinois Tool WorksIllinois Tool WorksIllinois Tool Works Inc. or ITW is a Fortune 200 company that produces engineered fasteners and components, equipment and consumable systems, and specialty products. It was founded in 1912 by Byron L...
(both founded by his father) - Rawleigh Warner, Jr. (attended 1935–36) was the chairman/CEO of Mobil Oil.
- Louis Upton (1907) was the co-founder of Whirlpool Corporation.
Government and public service
- Richard L. ConollyRichard L. ConollyRichard Lansing Conolly was a United States Navy Admiral, who served during World War I and World War II.-Biography:...
(1910) was an Admiral of the United States Navy during World War II. The destroyer USS Conolly (DD-979)USS Conolly (DD-979)USS Conolly , named for Admiral Richard Lansing Conolly USN, was a built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi.-History:...
was named after him. - Jan Crull, Jr.Jan Crull, Jr.-Involvement With Native American Matters:From 1979 to the beginning of 1981, Jan Crull, Jr. was a volunteer on the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico where he made many contributions to the well-being of the Ramah Navajos...
Native American rights advocate, filmmaker, attorney - Howard Frank Gillette,class of 1890, banker and Boys Scouts of America promoter; founding member of the Chicago World's Fair Centennial Celebration of 1933; national commodore of the Sea Scouts
- John Francis GradyJohn Francis GradyJohn Francis Grady is a United States federal judge.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Grady attended Lake Forest Academy, a nationally known private school for boys, and graduated in 1948. He subsequently received a B.S. from Northwestern University in 1952 and a J.D. from Northwestern University School...
(1948) is a United States District Court Judge; currently the senior judge for the Northern District of IllinoisUnited States District Court for the Northern District of IllinoisThe United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....
. - Charles T. Hollingshead, class of 1950, the original voice of NASA Space Center.
- Melvin R. LairdMelvin R. LairdMelvin Robert Laird is an American politician and writer. Laird was a Republican congressman who also served as Richard Nixon's Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973. Laird urged Nixon to maintain a policy of withdrawing US soldiers from Vietnam...
(attended 1938-39) was a U.S. Congressman (1952–69) and Secretary of DefenseUnited States Secretary of DefenseThe Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
(1969–73). - Edward Everett NourseEdward Everett NourseEdward Everett Nourse, D.D. was an American Congregational theologian.Nourse was born at Bayfield, Wisconsin. He studied at the College and the Academy at Lake Forest, Illinois, at Macalester College in Minnesota, Hartford Theological Seminary , and in Europe at the University of Jena Edward...
was a theologian. - George H. "Barney" Ross, class of 1937, WWII PT boatPT boatPT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
captain, JFK friend who accompanied him on the PT 109 excursion. - Nauman S. Scott,class of 1934, one of the first Louisiana U.S. District Court Judges to advocate desegregation
- Charles H. WackerCharles H. WackerCharles Henry Wacker , born in Chicago, Illinois, was a second generation German American who was a businessman and philanthropist. His father was Frederick Wacker, a brewer, who was born in Württemberg Germany...
(1872) was the chairman of the Chicago Plan CommissionChicago Plan CommissionThe Chicago Plan Commission is a commission implemented to promote the Plan of Chicago, often called the Burnham Plan. After official presentation of the Plan to the city on July 6, 1909, the City Council of Chicago authorized Mayor Fred A. Busse to appoint the members of the Chicago Plan Commission...
, organized in 1909 to beautify Chicago along modern lines. For his leadership, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by France's Societe des Architectes in 1921. Chicago's Wacker DriveWacker DriveWacker Drive is a major street in Chicago, Illinois, United States, running along the south side of the main branch and the east side of the south branch of the Chicago River...
is named in his honor. - Rodney Glassman, class of 1996, was the Democratic candidate for John McCain's US senate seat in Arizona in 2010.
Journalism and letters
- Bill AyersBill AyersWilliam Charles "Bill" Ayers is an American elementary education theorist and a former leader in the movement that opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He is known for his 1960s activism as well as his current work in education reform, curriculum, and instruction...
is a professor at the University of Illinois at ChicagoUniversity of Illinois at ChicagoThe University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
who co-founded the Weather Underground. In 2008, his relationship with presidential candidate Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
was the subject of media coverage. - Ward JustWard JustWard Just is an American writer. He is the author of 17 novels and numerous short stories.-Biography:...
, noted Washington Post Vietnam War correspondent and highly regarded American author who attended LFA from 1949–1951 and left because of poor grades. He subsequently enrolled in Michigan's Cranbrook School from where he graduated. - Michael LeonardMichael LeonardMichael Leonard is a male field hockey defender from Scotland, who earned his first cap for the Men's National Team in 1996. He plays club hockey for Grange HC. Leonard has also been capped six times for the Scotland ‘B’ cricket team.-References:*...
, class of 1966, feature reporter for NBC's Today Show. - Robert Wilson PattersonRobert Wilson PattersonRobert Wilson Patterson was an American newspaper editor and publisher. He was born in Chicago, attended Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois, and graduated from Williams College in 1871, and then began the study of law...
, class of 1867, newspaper publisher - Bill SchulzBill SchulzWilliam Dawes "Bill" Schulz is a regular panelist, writer, and producer on Fox News Channel's late night show, Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld since its debut on February 5, 2007...
, class of 1994,Fox News
Other
- Neil Blatchford (1964) was a speedskater who competed in the 1972 Winter OlympicsSpeed skating at the 1972 Winter OlympicsSpeed skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics was a series of skating events whose results are below. They happened at the Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan.-500 m:February 5, 1972 — 38 competitors from 16 countries-1,500 m:...
. - Stephen B. Small, class of 1966, UPI heir kidnapped and buried alive in 1987; his death drew national attention
- Paul StarrettPaul StarrettPaul Starrett was an American builder. In 1883,he graduated from Lake Forest Academy,an elite boarding school for boys which was part of the Lake Forest, Illinois educational experiment. His brothers also graduated from this institution...
, class of 1883, pioneering structural engineer whose NYC based company built the Empire State Building, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington,DC, and many other structures.