Ferry Hall School - Ferry Tales Yearbook (Lake Forest, IL)

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FERRY HALL N 1944 Ferry Hall will celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of its founding. Opening just after the Civil War, its work has gone on steadily through the Spanish American and World War I. Now it is in the period of World War II which is modi- fying its outlook and courses, as it is those of all educational organizations of the world. In times of such crises there is always a temptation to give up traditional courses and to stress only war subjects. More sober thinking brings the realization that sound founda- tions must be laid in the great fundamental subjects of English, the languages, sciences, mathematics and t.he fields of history, or the individual will not be equipped to be of value to the nation in the present war effort, and in the reconstruction period to follow. Although all teaching at Ferry Hall has the war in mind and brings before the students world events for interpretation, the courses at Ferry Hall still follow the pattern of a liberal arts program with deviations into special departments for girls not going to college or for girls with a desire to stress special subjects such as music, art, dramatics, business subjects, home economics. Fen'y Hall is today a College Preparatory School and jimior College oifering a broad and full educational program for girls. The work of the junior College is accredited by the University of Illinois, and by other universities and colleges that accept the ratings of the University. Graduates of the junior College, when recommended by Ferry Hall, are admitted without examinations and with junior standing by the large eastern col- leges for women. Well-known for so long for the beauty of its location and its buildings, the school stands now, as it has continually through its long history, for sound academic work, for emphasis upon character and character development, and for the growth in its girls of a capacity for usefulness to the society of our times. The history of Ferry Hall goes back as far as 1856, when a tract of thirteen hundred acres was set aside, for school purposes, in the beautiful forest land stretching out high above the banks of Lake Michigan, twenty-eight miles north of Chicago. On parts of this tract have grown up three educational institutions-Lake Forest University, Lake Forest Academy for Boys, and Ferry Hall for Girls. Fen'y Hall was founded in 1869 by the initial of the Reverend William Mon- tague Ferry of Grand Haven, Michigan. The ties of friendship which bound Mrs. Ferry to Mary Lyon, the founder of Mt. Holyoke College, connect the beginning of Ferry Hall .7.

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FERRY HALL with the pioneer work in education for women, sponsored by Mary Lyon and fostered by her students and friends in the Middle West. Through substantial from other interested friends, the first building of Ferry Hall was opened for use in September, 1869. The first graduating class was sent out in 1871. As the school has grown since that time, it has measured its success not by its constant development in material equipment and growth in numbers, but by the useful and successful lives of its former students. Administered, until 1925, by the Trustees of Lake Forest University, Ferry Hall is now an independent corporation with its own charter as an Educational Institution not for Profit. The corporation is composed of influential men and women who are not only interested in education, but actively sponsor the work and policies of Ferry Hall and its plans for continual development. A group of twelve, chosen from the corpora- tion and including the Principal of the school, constitute the acting Board of Trustees. The policy of the Board is to maintain high standards of living and instruction, to keep the courses of study, the methods, and the objectives of the school abreast of current trends, and to conduct the Preparatory School and the junior College for the best inter- ests of its students. LOCATION AND EQUIPMENT F Emir HALL is situated on the North Shore' of Lake Michigan above Chicago in the beautiful little town of Lake Forest. Among spacious residences, set in woods and lawns along winding roads, and on the lake, the location gives all the advantages of country life, and yet pennits easy access to the cultural attractions of Chicago. A twelve-acre campus affords opportunity for tennis, badminton, hockey, and other games. A commu- nity course nearby enables the girls to play golf, and by arrangement with a neighbor- ing club, the girls may secure the use of good horses for riding in the inviting country- side. The school's swimming pool is in use throughout the school year. Ferry Hall is one of the best-equipped schools in the country. The original building fknown as Ferry Halll still stands out with the dignity that accompanies its high ceil- ings and windows, and its straight, simple lines of architecture. The views from its windows over a tree-covered ravine to Lake Michigan are surpassed by few campuses. This building, where the girls were first both housed and taught, is now used for music studios and practice rooms, for the ever-growing library, and for faculty suites. To it have been added four other buildings: North and South Halls, Smith Hall and the Chapel. North and South Halls, the large, 'fireproof dormitories, form, with the old Ferry Hall, three sides of a square, enclosing landscaped lawns. They are constructed