Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School
Encyclopedia
Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School or "MICDS" is a secular, co-educational, private school for about 1,200 students in grades Junior Kindergarten through 12, separated into three different sections: JK-4th grade (lower school), 5th-8th grade (middle school), and 9th-12th grade (upper school). Its 100 acre (404700 m²) campus is located in the St. Louis
suburb of Ladue
.
, founder and chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis
, established predecessor institutions to MICDS in the 1850s as part of the university. A boys' school, Smith Academy, was founded in 1854, and was later attended by Eliot's grandson, the future poet T. S. Eliot
. A sister school for girls, Mary Institute, was founded in 1859 and was named for Eliot's late daughter Mary Rhodes Eliot, who had died at the young age of 17. In its early years, Mary Institute was located at three different locations in the City of St. Louis, the third of which was at the corner of Lake and Waterman, in the building that is now New City School.
Smith Academy closed in June 1917; some of its students transferred to a successor school which opened that September in northwestern St. Louis County. Called St. Louis Country Day School, it was set up along the lines prescribed by the Country Day School movement
. St. Louis Country Day's campus was in a bucolic environment reached by electric streetcar, which was far removed from the noise and grit of the city.
Mary Institute moved to its Ladue campus in 1931 and became independent of Washington University in 1949. By the 1950s, the tranquility of the Country Day campus was disrupted by the growth of the adjacent Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport. St. Louis Country Day School built a new campus next to Mary Institute and moved to Ladue in 1958, and eventually sold its old campus to the airport. Eliot's grandson, Nobel
laureate T. S. Eliot
, who attended Mary Institute's kindergarten and Smith Academy, spoke at Mary Institute's centennial in 1959.
Although various connections, including theatrical cooperation, had existed between Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School for years, academic coordination between Mary Institute and Country Day began during the 1970s and culminated in the 1992 merger of the schools. St. Louis Country Day headmaster John Johnson, who coordinated the merger, became head of the combined schools.
Today, 100% of MICDS graduates attend four-year colleges and universities. With assistance from the school's four-year College Counseling program, MICDS graduates achieve admittance into many of the country's most selective universities and programs.
The school observed its sesquicentennial during a year-long celebration that ran from May 11, 2009 through May 11, 2010.
MICDS has a standing athletic rivalry with the nearby John Burroughs School
, which MICDS has beaten 29 out of the last 31 years in football. MICDS observes its Homecoming on the weekend when all of the teams play Burroughs; there is a traditional bonfire and pep rally to inspire team spirit.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
inductee Marv Levy
began his coaching career here in 1951, staying for two years.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
suburb of Ladue
Ladue, Missouri
Ladue is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in central St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 8,521....
.
History
William Greenleaf EliotWilliam Greenleaf Eliot
William Greenleaf Eliot was an American educator, Unitarian minister, and civic leader in Missouri. He is most notable for founding Washington University in St. Louis, but also contributed to the founding of numerous other civic institutions, such as the St...
, founder and chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
, established predecessor institutions to MICDS in the 1850s as part of the university. A boys' school, Smith Academy, was founded in 1854, and was later attended by Eliot's grandson, the future poet T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
. A sister school for girls, Mary Institute, was founded in 1859 and was named for Eliot's late daughter Mary Rhodes Eliot, who had died at the young age of 17. In its early years, Mary Institute was located at three different locations in the City of St. Louis, the third of which was at the corner of Lake and Waterman, in the building that is now New City School.
Smith Academy closed in June 1917; some of its students transferred to a successor school which opened that September in northwestern St. Louis County. Called St. Louis Country Day School, it was set up along the lines prescribed by the Country Day School movement
Country Day School movement
The Country Day School movement is a movement in progressive education that originated in the United States in the late 19th century.Country Day schools seek to recreate the educational rigor, atmosphere, camaraderie and character-building aspects of the best college prep boarding schools while...
. St. Louis Country Day's campus was in a bucolic environment reached by electric streetcar, which was far removed from the noise and grit of the city.
Mary Institute moved to its Ladue campus in 1931 and became independent of Washington University in 1949. By the 1950s, the tranquility of the Country Day campus was disrupted by the growth of the adjacent Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport. St. Louis Country Day School built a new campus next to Mary Institute and moved to Ladue in 1958, and eventually sold its old campus to the airport. Eliot's grandson, Nobel
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
laureate T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
, who attended Mary Institute's kindergarten and Smith Academy, spoke at Mary Institute's centennial in 1959.
Although various connections, including theatrical cooperation, had existed between Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School for years, academic coordination between Mary Institute and Country Day began during the 1970s and culminated in the 1992 merger of the schools. St. Louis Country Day headmaster John Johnson, who coordinated the merger, became head of the combined schools.
Today, 100% of MICDS graduates attend four-year colleges and universities. With assistance from the school's four-year College Counseling program, MICDS graduates achieve admittance into many of the country's most selective universities and programs.
The school observed its sesquicentennial during a year-long celebration that ran from May 11, 2009 through May 11, 2010.
Athletics
The school has claimed 32 state championships and 41 district championships in the past decade.MICDS has a standing athletic rivalry with the nearby John Burroughs School
John Burroughs School
Founded in 1923, John Burroughs School is a private, non-sectarian preparatory school with nearly 600 students in grades 7-12. Its 47.5 acre campus is located in Ladue, Missouri , an affluent suburb of Saint Louis. It is named for U.S...
, which MICDS has beaten 29 out of the last 31 years in football. MICDS observes its Homecoming on the weekend when all of the teams play Burroughs; there is a traditional bonfire and pep rally to inspire team spirit.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
inductee Marv Levy
Marv Levy
Marvin Daniel Levy is a former American and Canadian football coach, front office executive and author.He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes , and in the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills , coaching the Bills...
began his coaching career here in 1951, staying for two years.
Business
- Morton May, Chairman, May Department StoresMay Department StoresThe May Department Stores Company was a national department store chain in the United States, founded in 1877 by David May. The company ceased to exist in 2005 when it was merged with Federated Department Stores, Inc . Prior to the merger it was headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri...
- John McDonnellJohn McDonnell (businessman)John F. McDonnell is an American businessman and philanthropist. McDonnell served as the Chairman of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation from 1988 until its merger with Boeing in 1997 and its Chief Executive Officer from 1988 until 1994, he has been a corporate director at Boeing since the 1997...
, Chairman, McDonnell-Douglas Corporation - William F. RuprechtWilliam F. RuprechtWilliam F. Ruprecht is the president and CEO of Sotheby's.-Education and early work life:Ruprecht was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1956 . His mother was a painter and his father was a businessman. After graduating from the St...
, CEO, Sotheby's Auction HouseSotheby'sSotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
Government and Politics
- John DanforthJohn DanforthJohn Claggett "Jack" Danforth is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Republican United States Senator from Missouri. He is an ordained Episcopal priest. Danforth is married to Sally D. Danforth and has five adult children.-Education and early career:Danforth was born...
, U.S. Senator - Thomas EagletonThomas EagletonThomas Francis Eagleton was a United States Senator from Missouri, serving from 1968–1987. He is best remembered for briefly being the Democratic vice presidential nominee under George McGovern in 1972...
, U.S. Senator - Pete WilsonPete WilsonPeter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
, U.S. Senator and Governor of CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - William McChesney Martin, Jr.William McChesney Martin, Jr.William McChesney Martin, Jr. was the ninth and longest-serving Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve, serving from April 2, 1951 to January 31, 1970 under five Presidents...
, Federal Reserve BankFederal Reserve BankThe twelve Federal Reserve Banks form a major part of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. The twelve federal reserve banks together divide the nation into twelve Federal Reserve Districts, the twelve banking districts created by the Federal Reserve Act of...
chairman
Sports and Entertainment
- Betty GrableBetty GrableElizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
(attended, did not graduate), actress and World War II pin-up girl - Vincent PriceVincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, actor - Drew BaurDrew BaurAndrew 'Drew' Baur was a co-owner of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Baur was a key member of the ownership group which purchased the team from Anheuser-Busch in March 1996. Baur served as the team's treasurer, and was a member of the Cardinals Board of Directors.-Early Life:Baur was born...
, Owner, St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to... - William DeWitt, Jr.William DeWitt, Jr.William O. DeWitt, Jr. is an American businessman and currently the managing partner and chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals. He served on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board during the George W...
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, actor - Joe BuckJoe BuckJoseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:...
, sports broadcaster - Robby McGeheeRobby McGeheeRobby McGehee is a Indy Racing League driver from St. Louis, Missouri. He won the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award in 1999 after finishing fifth and raced for veteran owner Fred Treadway the next few seasons...
, 1999 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year - Graham BensingerGraham BensingerGraham Bensinger is an American television personality.On his series "In Depth with Graham Bensinger," Bensinger brings viewers exclusive interviews with the sports industry’s biggest names...
, Sports Broadcaster - Jim LeeJim LeeJim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
, Comic Book Artist - Tom AckermanTom AckermanThomas Michael Ackerman is a former American football center in the NFL. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft out of Eastern Washington University. He played for the Saints for the next 6 seasons...
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Arts, Sciences, and Education
- William H. Danforth, MD, Chancellor, Washington University in Saint Louis
- Shepherd MeadShepherd MeadShepherd Mead, born Edward Mead, , was an American writer. He is best known as the author of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which was adapted into a hit Broadway show and motion picture....
, author, How To Succeed in Business Without Really TryingHow to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name.... - Sara TeasdaleSara TeasdaleSara Teasdale , was an American lyrical poet. She was born Sara Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri, and after her marriage in 1914 she went by the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger.-Biography:...
, poet - T. S. EliotT. S. EliotThomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
, poet and NobelNobelNobel can mean:*Nobel Prize, awarded annually since 1901, from the bequest of Swedish inventor Alfred NobelThe Nobel family:*Alfred Nobel, , the inventor of dynamite, instituted the Nobel Prizes...
laureate - Edmond La Beaume CherbonnierEdmond La Beaume CherbonnierThe Rev. Dr. Edmond La Beaume Cherbonnier is an American scholar in the field of religious studies, Professor of Religion, at Trinity College, and an Episcopal Church deacon...
, professor and scholar of religious studies - Frederick SeidelFrederick Seidel-Career:In 1962, his first book, Final Solutions, was chosen by a jury of Louise Bogan, Stanley Kunitz, and Robert Lowell for an award sponsored by the 92nd Street Y, with a $1,500 prize...
, poet - Louis Daniel BrodskyLouis Daniel BrodskyLouis Daniel Brodsky is an American poet, short story writer, and Faulkner scholar.- Life :...
, poet - Irma S. Rombauer, author of Joy of Cooking
- Marion Rombauer, co-author of Joy of Cooking
- Sally BensonSally BensonSally Benson was an American screenwriter, who was also a prolific short story author, best known for her semi-autobiographical stories collected in Junior Miss and Meet Me in St...
, author of Meet Me in St. LouisMeet Me in St. LouisMeet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 musical film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904...
and Junior MissJunior MissJunior Miss is a collection of semi-autobiographical stories by Sally Benson first published in The New Yorker. Between 1929 and the end of 1941, the prolific Benson published 99 stories in The New Yorker, some under her pseudonym of Esther Evarts... - Nick Reding, journalist and author of Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small TownMethland: The Death and Life of an American Small TownMethland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town is a book by Nick Reding which documents the drug culture of Oelwein, Iowa and how it ties into larger issues of rural flight and small town economic decline placed in the historic context of the drug trade...
- Linda Wells, founder and editor-in-chief, AllureAllure (magazine)Allure is the leading U.S. women’s beauty magazine, published monthly by Condé Nast in New York City. It was founded in 1991 by editor in chief Linda Wells, who has been at the helm of the magazine ever since. From its inception, the magazine has been widely recognized for its intelligent,...
magazine; annual guest judge on the Bravo reality television series Shear GeniusShear GeniusShear Genius is an American reality television series on the Bravo network that focuses on hair styling. The show first premiered on April 11, 2007.... - Peter TaylorPeter Matthew Hillsman TaylorFor other people named Peter Taylor, see Peter Taylor.Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor was a U.S. author and writer.-Biography:...
, short-story writer and novelist - Harry Weber (sculptor)Harry Weber (sculptor)-Early life:Harry Weber was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1942 where he attended St. Louis Country Day School and educated at Princeton University where he studied art history....
, Sculptor