14 minute read
125 Years of Change
When you look at the long history of Calhoun, what emerges is a portrait of a school that has continually evolved. Calhoun in its 125th year is a far cry from the traditional, all-girls’ school founded by educator Laura Jacobi in 1896, with an initial graduating class of only four students. Ever since those early days, Calhoun has grown and adapted to a changing city, country and world—spurred on by advancements in education research, larger social forces and, most of all, a drive to best serve its students.
The occasion of Calhoun’s 125th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the many ways that Calhoun has changed over the years, leading to the school that we know today. That spirit of flexibility and innovation not only has contributed to the institution’s longevity, but also mirrors the same qualities that Calhoun educators have aimed to foster in students throughout history: the adaptability and self-resolve to shape an unknown future.
The snapshots shared here from our archives span the spectrum, from the most momentous events to the most ordinary ones. Which do you remember? Which of them still resonate? Read on to learn more about notable events in Calhoun’s 125-year history.
(Above and opposite) A Jacobi School brochure from 1923 lists among its core courses for high school students: French, German, History of Art, Economics, Biology and Business Arithmetic; so-called “special subjects” included Rhythmic Dancing, Clay Modeling and Cooking. That same year, The Inkpot (a student publication and predecessor to today’s yearbook) highlights extracurricular activities such as Glee Club, Varsity Basketball, the Dramatics Committee and the Social Services Committee.
Becoming “Calhoun”
“She was a leader in the educational world.”
— Elizabeth Parmelee (Co-Headmistress from 1946 to 1969), describing Mary Calhoun in a document written in 1954
Calhoun received its first “rebrand” in 1924, when its name changed to the one we know today. Previously, the school was called The Jacobi School for Girls, named for founder Laura Jacobi. When she retired in 1916, Jacobi chose Mary Calhoun to succeed her as headmistress. Mary Calhoun had a reputation as an exceptional educator. She was a graduate of Columbia University’s Teachers College, and had taught at Barnard College, the Horace Mann School and the Packer Collegiate Institute. The story goes that families who no longer remembered Jacobi requested that the school be renamed The Calhoun School, in honor of their current Headmistress.
Navigating Uncertainty
“Calhoun was awakened to the problems of the world and responded by producing graduates who were well aware of the difficulties which they had to face, and who were capable of coping with them. With heads held high and spirits strong, the graduates departed the little house on 92nd Street and entered a future which held only uncertainty.”
— A graduation paper from the 1940s; author unknown
The repercussions of major world events in the first half of the twentieth century didn’t bypass “the house on 92nd Street” (as it was affectionately known by students at the time). Like many private schools around the country, Calhoun grappled with economic hardship during the Great Depression; because of a significant drop in enrollment, it closed its elementary school in 1937.
Both World Wars also hit close to home for the Calhoun community. During World War II, multiple teachers were summoned away to war duty. The school installed an air-raid alarm, and the Parents Association held talks for families such as “How the War Is Affecting Our Adolescents,” to address the increased anxieties of raising children in troubling times.
Perhaps most profoundly, the momentous upheavals of this period helped shift Calhoun students’ understanding of their
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role in society. “This is a time of great change,” stated alum Eleanor Gottheil in her valedictory speech of 1916. “The work of women of today is very different ... the woman who not only manages her own home, but does something either toward relieving suffering or making for greater efficiency in all walks of life—that woman has come to stay.”
Sowing the Seeds of Growth
“Our purpose is to continue changing with changing times. We shall do our best to make those changes which will enable the school to continue to hold its place of educational leadership, and to help [students] develop the inner strength and serenity that are the only source of security in a world whose immediate and distant future we are unable to predict.”
— A school anniversary bulletin from 1946
For much of its early history, Calhoun was governed under a unique co-leadership model: first Mary Calhoun and Ella Cannon Levis (1916–1942 and 1923–1946, respectively); then Elizabeth Parmelee and Beatrice Cosmey (1946–1969 and 1948–1969, pictured above).
(Above) Students visit the construction site of the 81st Street campus in the 1970s; (below) Calhoun opened its Lower School in 1958 as a coeducational division.
After World War II, Elizabeth Parmelee and Beatrice Cosmey became Co-Headmistresses. Their 20-year tenure was marked by efforts to prepare students for a rapidly changing society, and set the stage for the school’s growth.
Reflecting a renewed global awareness, Calhoun added classes to the curriculum that covered comparative religion and international issues, among other subjects, and introduced community service and the Model United Nations program. The demographics of the Upper West Side neighborhood— and the needs of the student population—were also shifting, which ultimately led Calhoun to reopen its Lower School in 1958, this time as a coeducational division.
Parmelee and Cosmey had their eyes on the future, and focused on fundraising initiatives that would help Calhoun expand. They dreamed of a school that would include all grades, be entirely coeducational, and be more engaged with the surrounding community. It wouldn’t be until later, though, that the seeds planted by their vision would fully blossom.
Breaking Ground
— An admissions brochure from 1974–75
The world was evolving, and so was Calhoun. On the heels of the great social changes of the 1960s, Calhoun continued to look for ways to align its pedagogy with the latest innovations in education, as it had throughout its history. This plan came to fruition in the 1970s, when the school pioneered a progressive, learner-centered model of education in the Middle School. This model would soon become the basis of the curriculum for the entire school.
In 1975, Calhoun moved to a new building on West End Avenue and 81st Street, with a modern, open floor plan that was designed to mirror the forward-thinking nature of the school’s learning philosophy. That same year, Calhoun became a fully coeducational school for the first time in its 79-year history. (See pages 20-21 for a closer look at this chapter in Calhoun’s history.)
Growing Up
“Calhoun was obviously a very different place than it is now. First of all, it was all girls. Second of all, it was really small. I think there were twenty girls in my class, and I can still remember not only all of their names, but their shoes. . . . [B]ut what I remember even more than the shoes were my wonderful teachers. . . . I do believe, at Calhoun, I was able to find my own voice.”
— Wendy Wasserstein ’67, speaking on the occasion of the dedication of the new 81st Street theater in October 2004
In 1989 Calhoun opened the 74th Street building, which set off a wave of growth in the Lower School. More growth was yet to come: In the early 2000s, the “Growing Up with Calhoun” campaign triggered further investment in Calhoun’s facilities at 81st Street, opening doors to enhanced curricular offerings to serve a booming student population.
Calhoun in the 1960s and 1970s was on the cusp of transition. In an editorial for the October 1971 issue of The Calhounder (the school newspaper), student Barbara Tholfsen described what the changes were like from her vantage point in the all-girls’ Upper School: “There has been massive change at Calhoun since I came here in 1966. When I was in seventh grade, we had to stand up when a teacher came into the room, we never knew anyone outside of our own class, and our skirts were measured... As to what changes were necessary, there is one thing of which I am sure: there was no need to spend a summer changing the word ‘home room’ to a ridiculous expression like ‘social cluster.’”
(Above) Though Calhoun had a Montessori program as early as 1916, the economic hardship wrought by the Great Depression led to the closing of Calhoun’s elementary school in 1937; the school later reopened its newly coed Lower School in 1958. (Below) In 1989, the opening of the Robert L. Beir Lower School building dedicated an entire space to Calhoun’s early-childhood program.
It was a time of other “firsts” for Calhoun. Besides two new teaching floors, state-of-the-art science labs, a full-size gym and a dedicated theater space, Calhoun added a Green Roof to its 81st Street building—the first usable Green Roof for a New York City school. In 2005, Calhoun reimagined its food program and created Eat Right Now, which became a nationally recognized model for healthy school lunches. The launch of other public-facing initiatives, such as the Performing Arts TALKS series and the Deconstructing Race program, deepened connections between the school and the broader community. All of these changes helped put Calhoun on the map as a leader in progressive education.
Looking Forward
— Alison Rothschild ’85, Director of Lower School—Early Childhood
As we look back on our history, we can celebrate the fact that the future will continue to be forged by the students, families and educators of today and tomorrow—because, ultimately, it’s up to the next generation of Calhouners to decide what to carry forward. We can’t predict Calhoun’s future, but with the past as our guide, the openness to change that has characterized our school throughout its history will continue to push our community forward to new and exciting terrain.
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Learning without Walls
A look back at the moment in the 1970s when Calhoun pioneered its open-space learning environment, and the impact of that transformation today.
By Emma Woodcock
In the spring of 1975, members of the Calhoun community waved flags and held signs as they marched together down West End Avenue to the newly completed 81st Street building. The march was a monumental and symbolic moment in Calhoun’s history. Marco Aurelio ’80 can still vividly recall everything from that day—from the smell of the carpet to “the feeling of being in this school without walls.”
With its open floor plan and unique, “futuristic” exterior, the 81st Street building matched the school’s newfound commitment to an open learning style. A few years earlier, Calhoun had pioneered the concept of “learner-centered instruction” in the middle school. The new five-story building, which featured areas rather than walls, allowed this innovative approach to take root. Over the course of the decade, the school became a fully coeducational institution, implemented a cluster advisor system, and created opportunities for cross-grade interactions. These changes paved the way for the Calhoun we know today.
The 81st Street building’s open concept stripped away barriers between teachers and students, best exemplified by Calhoun’s signature practice of calling teachers by their first names. “Everything about the environment was conducive to interacting,” remembers Charles Oppenheim ’80, citing the use of first names as a key part of this. As longtime science teacher John Roeder, who has been at the school since 1973, reflects, “We treat students as fellow learners and I think the first-name
Beginnings
XXXX NEWSMAKERS An excerpt from the 1975 poem by renowned writer and former Calhoun parent Elie Wiesel, written for the dedication of the new Calhoun building.
And here this house we are building is rising not just with stones nor just with bricks but with the dreams of children present and yet to be born; it will rise out of their laughter, their stories and shouts, their need for learning and for friendship, and their hope— and it will bear their face, the fragile yet timeless face of all beginnings.
basis helps. . . . We’re all in this learning boat together.” This sense of mutual respect allowed teachers and students to develop strong relationships and form a sense of community.
When the new 81st Street building opened in the 1970s, classrooms were full of thoughtful dialogue and lively discussions guided by student interests. Teachers encouraged exploration of different topics—embodying the openness of the space in every way possible and empowering students to be active participants in their education. As Marco explains, “The experience liberated my curiosity. . . . [I]t was hugely impactful to my ability to succeed in both life and in college.” Susan Joyce ’80 adds, “Because of the open environment and the teaching style, you felt like anything was possible.” That same openness—to new ideas, innovations and connections—continues to guide Calhoun in its 125th year.
(Opposite and above) The open-space layout of the 81st Street building fostered lively classroom discussions and close student-teacher relationships. (Below) The last all-girls’ class graduated from Calhoun in 1975.
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A History of Changemakers
Calhoun students throughout history have had the drive to enact change—within their own school community, and the world beyond.
1. The roots of student government can be traced back to the founding of the Students League in 1919, which empowered the girls of The Jacobi School with practice in self-governance. An archival paper from the 1940s describes its impact: “[The Students League] became a vital force in the school, giving many students their first experience in leadership.”
2. The lessons of democracy fostered in The Jacobi School inspired early graduates to fight for change later in their lives. One such example was Faith Seidenberg ’41, a lawyer known for storming the doors of McSorley’s Old Ale House in Manhattan, demanding that the bar serve women. The case led to landmark legislation that barred discrimination in public places on the basis of sex.
3. The tragedy of World Wars sparked in students a new sense of their role as global citizens. “As the young Jacobi
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student watched her father, brother and fi ancé march to the battlefront, she suddenly became aware of her new responsibility in the world,” wrote one student in a paper from the era. During World War II, the community rallied around volunteer efforts, raising money and rolling bandages for the Red Cross.
4. Community service became a graduation requirement starting in the 1980s. Ever since, the program has given students across divisions the opportunity to advocate for change. “Teaching students to make a difference and stand up for what they believe in is such an important part of a Calhoun education in all divisions, starting from when [students] are really young,” says Debbie Aronson ’79, Director of Service Learning.
5. In 2020, amid our national reckoning with racial injustice, a group of Upper Schoolers founded the Diversity and Accountability Board (D.A.B.), which partners with school administrators to make Calhoun a more equitable community.
6. Students created two issues of an underground paper in 1969 called The Clap to voice their demands for change to the school administration.
