Howard Lindsay , born Herman Nelke , (March 29, 1889 – February 11, 1968) was an American playwright , librettist , director , actor and theatrical producer . He is best known for his writing work as part of the collaboration of Lindsay and Crouse , and for his performance, with his wife Dorothy Stickney , in the long-running play Life with Father .
44-638: Lindsay graduated from Boston Latin School in 1907. He was an actor and director before turning to writing plays. He played the role of "Father" in Life with Father on Broadway in 1939. Together with Russel Crouse , Lindsay won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the 1945 play State of the Union , which was adapted into a film directed by Frank Capra three years later. On October 5, 1947, Lindsay became
88-528: A third rank in her 1881 tripos honors examinations at Newnham College , which negatively impacted her academic career. Magill's dissertation, The Greek Drama , was long considered lost, but in 2018 it was found in her papers in the Rare Book and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library. After serving as the principal for a year at a private school in Johnstown, Pennsylvania , Magill
132-615: A brief explaining possible reasons for the racial gap in Boston Latin School’s admissions. Among the reasons are the lower rates of participation in the ISEE by Black and Hispanic students, lower ISEE scores due to inequitable curriculum and resources in the schools from which these students come, reported GPA differences, and less likelihood of Black and Hispanic students to list Boston Latin School as their top choice in school placement forms. In 2019, Lawyers for Civil Rights, alongside
176-481: A double meaning, referring both to the school's date of founding and to its academic stature. Boston Latin has a history of pursuing the same standards as elite New England prep schools while adopting the egalitarian attitude of a public school . Academically, the school regularly outperforms public schools in affluent Boston suburbs, particularly as measured by the yearly MCAS assessment required of all Massachusetts public schools . In 2006, Brooklyn Latin School
220-425: A graduate of color. There are no names of female graduates, mostly because women have attended the school for just 46 years and the honor is only bestowed posthumously . There is also a lower frieze with the names of many other distinguished graduates, and a place on the lower frieze can be awarded while the person is still alive. Helen Magill White Helen Magill White (November 28, 1853 – October 28, 1944)
264-456: A new building to accommodate students), Magill resigned in 1887 due to family reasons and due to a dispute with the trustees over her campaign for the provision of better sewerage. Magill taught for a short amount of time at Evelyn College for Women , a women's annex to Princeton University . Suffering from an illness, she taught physical geography at Brooklyn High School for a few years. Helen Magill met Andrew D. White in 1887 while she
308-663: A result of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the entrance exam was suspended, and admission was based on grades and Boston residency. In 2021, a new exam, the MAP Growth test, was designated for students applying for entrance to the 2023-24 school year and beyond. Students must have a grade point average from their current and previous school years of at least a B to be eligible to apply. In addition to GPA and test scores, students may be eligible to receive additional points if they meet specific criteria, such as living in housing owned by
352-675: A student's personal achievements. The Educational Records Bureau (ERB), the organization responsible for creating and updating the ISEE, reportedly decided to end its yearly contract with the Boston Public Schools (BPS) in April 2019. In an email sent to the school district and other clients, ERB claimed that the test’s scoring metric had been incorrectly applied by BPS, resulting in underrepresented race groups failing to be admitted. BPS, however, denied that ERB cut business ties with
396-593: A weekend and vacation home – a farmstead built in 1745 – in the Stanton section of Readington Township, New Jersey ; the township purchased it from then-centenarian Stickney, for preservation, in 1997. Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston , Massachusetts . It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both
440-460: Is published twice per year. The Argo , the school's newspaper, is far younger, having been founded in 1970 after it was clear that the Register had become a purely literary magazine. As of the 2006–2007 school year, it is published seven times a year. Catapulta , the science magazine, highlights popular and recent science and technology and is generally published four times a year. The Register ,
484-754: The Argo , and Catapulta are entirely student-produced, and the "Argo" and the "Register" have won awards from the New England Scholastic Press Association, while Catapulta has won awards from the American Scholastic Press Association. Another Boston Latin publication is "BLSA Bulletin", published by the Boston Latin School Association, whose president is Peter G. Kelly, '83. Boston Latin's teams are known as
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#1732793502557528-486: The book . They also collaborated on Call Me Madam , Happy Hunting and Mr. President . Lindsay was a member of The Players , the theatrical club founded in the 1800s by Edwin Booth , and served as its president from 1955 to 1965. Lindsay joined The Lambs in 1925 and remained a member until he died. His writing partner, Russel Crouse, was also a member of The Lambs. Starting in 1935, Stickney and Howard maintained
572-593: The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence , five were educated at Latin: Adams, Franklin, Hancock, Hooper, and Paine. Graduates and students fought in the Revolutionary War , American Civil War , World War I , World War II , Korean War , and the Vietnam War , and plaques and statues in the school building honor those who died. The Hall of Fame, known casually as "The Wall," refers to
616-450: The 7th and 9th grades. The school has been the subject of controversy concerning its admissions process. Before the 1997 school year, Boston Latin set aside a 35% quota of places in the incoming class for under-represented minorities. The school was forced to drop this policy after a series of lawsuits were brought by white females who were not admitted despite ranking higher (based on test scores and GPA) than admitted minorities. After
660-556: The Boston Housing Authority, in the care of the Department of Children and Families, or experiencing homelessness. They also receive additional points if they attended a school in the year prior to application that has, on average over the past five years, an enrollment of 40% or more economically disadvantaged students. Although Boston Latin runs from the 7th through the 12th grade, it admits students only into
704-536: The Boston Latin School: The Register is the school's literary magazine, The Argo the school newspaper, and Catapulta is the school science magazine. George Santayana founded The Register in 1881 to serve as the school newspaper. Over the years, however, it evolved into a purely literary magazine, publishing prose and poetry written by members of the student body, as well as artwork. There are generally three editors-in-chief, and it
748-547: The Boston Latin Wolfpack; their colors are purple and white. Boston Latin has played rival Boston English in football every Thanksgiving since 1887, the oldest continuous high school rivalry in the United States. In 2007, the school was named one of the top 20 high schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report magazine. It was named a 2011 "Blue Ribbon School of Excellence",
792-590: The Boston chapter of the NAACP , sent a letter to Mayor Walsh , the Boston School Committee , and the superintendent, seeking to redo the admissions policies for Boston Latin School. The organizations cited the disproportionate admission rates of Black and Hispanic students versus white students as a failure of the exam system, and asked for a process that would diversify the school and take into account
836-503: The Department of Education's highest award. As of 2018, it is listed under the "gold medal" list, ranking 48 out of the top 100 high schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report . In 2019, the school was rated as the top high school in the Boston area by U.S. News & World Report and number 33 in national rankings. Boston Latin has graduated notable Americans in the fields of politics (both local and national), religion, science, journalism, philosophy, and music. Of
880-515: The Modern Languages department holds an annual "World Language Declamation" competition. Once a year, during National Foreign Language Week (usually the first week of March), students in grades 8 through 12 perform orations in languages other than English. Entrants are categorized by level, rather than language. So all students declaiming at the first-year level of various languages are competing against each other, all students declaiming at
924-587: The admissions exam has continued to cause controversy due to the lack of diversity among admitted students. In 2017, Lawyers for Civil Rights published the demographics of the incoming class, highlighting that Black students are invited to attend Boston Latin at a rate that is more than two and a half times lower than their enrollment rates in Boston Public Schools overall. Boston Public Schools ' Student Demographics by Race (Updated 2021) From Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education The following year in 2018, Harvard Kennedy School released
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#1732793502557968-580: The family moved to Boston , Massachusetts , where Magill enrolled as the only female student in the Boston Public Latin School . Her father taught French and Latin there for three years, and he was promoted to submaster. In 1869, Magill's father joined the faculty of the new Swarthmore College which was founded by Quakers in Swarthmore , Pennsylvania , near Philadelphia . Magill enrolled as an undergraduate. In 1871 her father
1012-438: The lawsuits, the percentage of under-represented minorities at Boston Latin fell from 35% in 1997 to under 19% in 2005, despite efforts by Boston Latin, the Boston Public Schools , and the Boston Latin School Association to recruit more minority applicants and retain more minority students. Boston Latin later defeated a legal effort to end its admissions process entirely in favor of admissions by blind lottery. In recent years,
1056-583: The master of ceremonies of the Ford Theatre radio program. The 1957 Rodgers and Hammerstein television musical Cinderella , recently revived by PBS , featured Lindsay and Stickney playing the roles of the King and Queen, one of the few times a Lindsay performance has been captured on film. In 1960, he and Crouse won the Tony Award for Best Musical for The Sound of Music , for which they wrote
1100-635: The oldest public school in colonial-era British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Boston Latin School was founded on April 23, 1635, by the Town of Boston . The school was modeled after the Free Grammar School of Boston in England under the influence of Reverend John Cotton . The first classes were held in the home of the Master, Philemon Pormort. John Hull
1144-416: The other 80% based on grades and zip codes. Students coming from zip codes with lower-income communities would receive preferential treatment. Boston Latin School has received backlash from some parents because of this decision. Opponents of the proposed admissions system created a Change.org petition, garnering almost 6,000 signatures. The petition, directed to Boston City Council , argued that cancelling
1188-915: The post of Director of Sage College for Women at Cornell University . Magill however had been shaken by her experience of directorship of the Howard Collegiate Institute and depression and illness kept her at home for some time. While teaching at Brooklyn High School, Magill maintained a correspondence with White where she commented on her perceived failings: "but it makes me miserable sometimes to think what I might have already done, if I had produced more and criticized less." (May 15th 1888) Magill and White married in September 1890, and had three children, Edward Magill White (died 1896), Hilda White (1891–1892), and Karin Andreevna White (1893–1971). Magill accompanied her husband when he
1232-428: The retitled position of Head of School by elementary principal and fellow Latin School alumnus Jason Gallagher. Download coordinates as: School until 1881. Part of the site became home to R. H. White department store in 1876. It was torn down for a parking lot before becoming LaFayette Place Mall in 1984 (now Lafayette City Center complex). Boston Latin's motto is Sumus Primi , Latin for we are first . This has
1276-437: The school district. BPS claimed instead that it had ended the contract in search of a test enabling “more equitable access” to the exam schools. In October 2020, the Boston School Committee voted to cancel entrance exams for the city’s three exam schools in 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The School Committee opted for an admissions procedure under which 20% of the incoming class would be accepted based on top grades, and
1320-557: The second-year level compete against each other, and so on. In 2001, the school decided to decrease the Latin requirement by one year, starting with the class of 2006. For students admitted for 7th grade, the minimum number of years of Latin required decreased from five years to four years, and for students admitted for 9th grade, from four years to three years. Students, however, can still take Latin (and Greek) electives after their fourth year. There are currently three main publications of
1364-575: The test would increase disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A protest was held prior to the vote on the steps of Boston Latin School. One common concern surrounded Chinatown students potentially being excluded based on Chinatown’s surrounding area being rapidly gentrified, thus increasing the median income. Declamation is one of the school's time-honored traditions. Students in the 7th through 10th grades are required to give an oration, known as declamation, in their English class three times during
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1408-418: The upper frieze in the school's auditorium, where the last names of famous alumni are painted. These names include Adams , Bernstein , Fitzgerald , Franklin , Hancock , Hooper , John Hull , Kennedy , Mather , Paine , Quincy , Santayana , Winthrop and others. The most recent name, Wade McCree Jr. , was added to the frieze in 1999, and the selection of the name involved a conscious effort to choose
1452-578: The year. The school also holds Public Declamation, in which students from all grades are welcomed to try out for the chance to declaim a memorized piece in front of an assembly. During Public Declamation, declaimers are scored on categories including "Memorization," "Presentation," and "Voice and Delivery," and those who score well in three of the first four public declamations are given the chance to declaim in front of alumni judges for awards in "Prize Declamation.” In addition to declamation in English classes,
1496-413: Was a requirement of all colonial colleges, and to write and speak Latin in verse and prose was the first of the “Harvard College Laws” of 1642. Boston Latin prepared many students for admission to Harvard, with a total of seven years devoted to the classics. However, most graduates of Boston Latin did not go on to college, since business and professions did not require college training. A cadet corps
1540-481: Was an American classicist and academic. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in the United States. Helen Magill was born in Providence , Rhode Island , to Edward Hicks Magill and Sarah Warner Beans. She was the eldest of six children in a Quaker family. Magill was brought up to believe that she deserved the same education as a man and all five Magill daughters were educated to become college teachers. In 1859,
1584-648: Was appointed to diplomatic posts in St. Petersburg (1892–94) and Berlin (1897–1903). Magill was presented at both courts and was a noted conversationalist, discussing architecture, sculpture, music, and literature with Kaisar Wilhelm II . Following the family's return to the United States, Magill did not participate in public or academic life any further. After Andrew D. White died in 1918, Magill lived abroad and in Ithaca, New York . She retired to Kittery Point , Maine , where she died in 1944. Helen Magill White published
1628-710: Was founded during the American Civil War and was disbanded in the early 1960s. Boston Latin has produced four Harvard University presidents, four Massachusetts governors, and five signers of the United States Declaration of Independence . Benjamin Franklin and Louis Farrakhan are among its well-known dropouts. Until the 19th century, the Latin School admitted only male students and hired only male teachers. Helen Magill White
1672-670: Was founded in New York City, explicitly modeled on Boston Latin, borrowing much from its traditions and curriculum. In 2006, Washington Latin School was founded in Washington DC, also modeled on Boston Latin. Admission to Boston Latin School is limited to residents of the city of Boston. Until 2020, admission was determined by a combination of a student's score on the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) and recent grades. As
1716-590: Was presenting a paper about her time at Newnham College at the American Social Science Association . A college classmate of Magill's father, White was retired from his many years as first president of Cornell University . He had been widowed that year. White described Magill and her paper in his diary as: "Perfect manner & exquisite voice – altogether a triumph for this little Quakeress – daughter of my college mate Magill – of which I am proud." White encouraged Magill to apply for
1760-626: Was selected as the college's second president, serving for 17 years. The younger Magill graduated as a member of the Class of 1873, Swarthmore's first graduating class (five women and one man). Magill attended graduate school at Boston University , earning her Ph.D. in Greek in 1877. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in the United States. Magill traveled to England, studying at the University of Cambridge . Due to an illness, Magill received only
1804-513: Was selected on the recommendation of Edward Everett Hale to organize Howard Collegiate Institute in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts in 1883. Howard was a non-sectarian school for about forty women and Magill had the authority to choose teachers and conduct college courses. Magill's father contributed funds for a laboratory and gymnasium and two of Magill's sisters taught courses. Although the school expanded rapidly (and therefore needed
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1848-448: Was the first student to graduate (1637). It was intended to educate young men of all social classes in the classics. The school was initially funded by donations and land rentals rather than by taxes. A school established in nearby Dedham was the first tax-supported public school. Latin is the mother of modern Romance languages and was an educational priority in the 17th century. The ability to read at least Cicero and Virgil
1892-465: Was the school's first female graduate and the first American woman to earn a doctorate. Magill White was the only female pupil at the school when she attended. Later, the Girls' Latin School was founded in 1877. Boston Latin admitted its first co-educational class in 1972. The school appointed Marie Frisardi Cleary and Juanita Ponte as the first two women in its academic faculty in 1967. Cornelia Kelley
1936-406: Was the school's first female headmaster, serving from 1998 until her retirement in 2007, after which Lynne Mooney Teta became headmaster. In 2016, Mooney Teta resigned amid a federal probe into racially charged incidents at the school. In 2017, Rachel Skerritt became the first person of color to serve as headmaster. Skerritt resigned at the conclusion of the 2021-22 school year and was succeeded in
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