50 Years of Coeducation

A look at CA's history and where we are today

It was Feb. 23, 1968 when Cheshire Academy’s student-run newspaper, The Academy Review, published an editorial announcing then-Headmaster Dr. Arthur Griffin’s plan to open the school up to girls once again as day students.

Griffin announced his proposal at a meeting of the administration and Board of Trustees roughly four weeks prior to The Review’s editorial. In The Review, editor Robert Okun ’68 wrote that he had “publicly stated [his] positive opinions” in favor of Griffin’s proposal but, after further discussion with his classmates, The Review began to question aspects of coeducation, such as who would educate, discipline, and program extracurricular activities for the girls. The editorial staff at the time endorsed “a thorough study” of Griffin’s plan.

Griffin’s proposal would become a hotbed of discussion for the following year until, in fall of 1969, girls returned to campus as day students. Cheshire Academy was no stranger to female students, however, as the school’s original constitution—which dates back to 1794—noted that “female education may be attended to in this institution, by such instructors and under such conditions as the trustees shall direct.” It wasn’t until 1836, when a new constitution was enacted, that the school became open to boys only.

1970 softball team

Cheshire Academy remained a boys’ school for over a century. Despite the lack of female students, many alumni will remember female faculty and staff who made a significant impact on their lives. Mrs. Faye Chubb, faculty member and “hostess” for the school, for example, is often recalled even by individuals today, not only for her passion for education, but also for her teaching campus boys how to dance.

Other female faculty from the early 1960s included Mrs. Olga Brinken, housemother; Pilar Marin Mendiguren, Spanish and English teacher; Vera Palmer, instructor in remedial English; and instructor in remedial subjects Sara Youngs, to name a few.

Included in the Feb. 23 issue of The Review was an article wherein staff writers interviewed students and faculty about Griffin’s proposal. Support was mixed, with some students believing that girls would make “a marked improvement in the school.” Others, who had attended coed schools prior to attending CA, felt girls “would be a distracting influence,” the article notes. A photo accompanying the article showed a mother and daughter visiting campus in anticipation of fall enrollment.

Teachers, too, shared mixed feelings on the idea. Some questioned if the timing was right, while others believed that the boys would “behave like gentlemen” in the presence of girls. At the time, other college-preparatory schools in New England were considering instituting coeducation, but believed that the idea was too expensive. Colleges and universities, on the other hand, were making the switch to coed campuses.

While the intent was to enroll girls in the fall of 1968, the plan was deferred one year. A letter to the editor submitted to The Review in May 1968 expressed disappointment that girls would not be joining boys at CA that fall.

THE EARLY YEARS OF GIRLS ON CAMPUS

Anne (MacGregor) Tivin ’70, P’08 was a member of the first coed graduating class. Her brother, Richard MacGregor ’67, attended Cheshire Academy, so she was familiar with the campus through visits for plays, sporting events, and other programs. Because of the positive experiences her brother had, Tivin was enrolled for her senior year by her parents.

Despite the campus being reopened to girls, she still faced some oddities. “Because it was a boys’ prep school, they called the boys by their last names. We would go to something where they would be taking attendance and call me by my last name, … and I’d go, ‘Here,’ and they’d say ‘Oh, sorry ma’am,’” Tivin said, with a laugh.

Anne (MacGregor) Tivin '70, P'08

Another challenge Tivin faced was being either the only girl or one of the few girls in her classes. She said that inequality benefited her when she attended college and pursued degrees in chemistry and engineering—both male-dominated careers at the time.

Tivin recently worked at Allergan Medical as an industrial chemist and in quality assurance before retiring in 2016.

Tivin thrived as a clarinet player and softball player at CA. She was offered an opportunity to pursue an independent study, which allowed her to use Southern Connecticut State University’s library to conduct research. She also served on the school’s literary magazine and was a member of the Afro-American Society. The club tutored children in Waterbury, Connecticut, Tivin explained.

Similar to Tivin, Rosanne (Balogh) Ferraro ’74 was familiar with Cheshire Academy before enrolling for her sophomore year. Her father, Dominic Balogh, worked as the school’s head football and baseball coach, and later became athletic director. Her brother, Nick Balogh ’77, also attended the school.

Ferraro, who attended public school in Hamden, Connecticut, was at first hesitant to enroll at CA. Her father offered her a compromise: try CA for one year and, if she still did not like it, she could go back to public school. After one year, however, Ferraro was hooked. Of her time on campus, Ferraro said, “My heart is here. This is where I grew up—here, on campus. My father started in 1964, so it was a good 10 years of my life.”

Ferraro quickly became friends with other faculty members’ children who also attended CA, as well as other boarding and day students. She played softball and joined the cheerleading team. When changing to cheer, she and the other girls used the girls’ bathroom in the field house because they did not have a locker room to use.

Rosanne (Balogh) Ferraro '74

“There were a few girls who did cheerleading so, when I came, I did cheerleading, too,” she said. “We made our own uniforms. It was a different world.”

Looking back at how far Cheshire Academy has come, Ferraro is proud to be an alumna and to see women from each decade continue to flourish and succeed. Ferraro also worked as a faculty member before returning to teaching at a public school.

“I’m very proud,” she said. “If we go back and look at the success stories of some of the females who graduated from the Academy and their success in life, success in parenthood, success in corporations and medical fields, I believe admitting girls to this school was meant to be positive and I think made a difference.”

BOARDING OPENS UP FOR GIRLS

On Nov. 11, 1974—the fall following Ferraro’s graduating class—The Review published an editorial declaring that girls should be accepted as boarding students. The editorial reads, in part, “The present female day students feel that girl boarders is a great idea; many of them have expressed the desire to board if the opportunity were ever offered. So far on this issue there have been many more favorable than unfavorable comments, however, there has been no action taken to resolve the girl boarders’ dilemma.”

One month later, on Dec. 8, 1974, then-Headmaster James E. Crosby announced that girls would be permitted to board on campus in the following fall. According to the Jan. 17, 1975 issue of The Review, approximately 35 to 50 girls were expected to board.

More than a decade later, Regina (LeFrancois) Ali ’86 enrolled at Cheshire Academy. Ali started as a ninth-grade student as a ward of the state. She had previously lost her mother and was without family.

“I was a straight-A student and I was excelling. I had a wonderful social worker who really fought to get me in there because she saw the potential in me,” reflected Ali. “…I was thankful that the state paid for it and theAcademy accepted someone who was a ward of the state, and was not affluent.”

Regina (LeFrancois) Ali '86

Ali started her freshman year as a boarding student in Walters House, where Bevan Dupre ’69 served as dorm master. The smaller environment, she said, helped her and her dorm mates become acclimated to the campus. She remains friends with her roommate and others to this day. Today, Ali owns two businesses with her husband and works as a nurse manager at the Hospital of Central Connecticut. For her work at the hospital, she was nominated for, and awarded, the Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing in 2018.

Regina (LeFrancois) Ali, honorable mention and Renee Bright, most valuable player, winners for varsity volleyball

Ali played on the girls’ basketball team during her freshman year, and was active on the volleyball and softball teams throughout her enrollment. She also served as captain of the softball team. While Ali admits she had a memorable four years at Cheshire Academy, she recalled being able to see firsthand the strong community present at the school in 1985, when Hurricane Gloria struck.

“They opened up the campus for the day students who Alejandra Perez-Pla ’06 didn’t have power, electricity, or water so they could shower and get food,” reflected Ali. “Things like that, they came together as a community. It was such a great time, from the talent shows to the sporting events, to homecoming, to making us go to school when there was 5 inches of snow.”

THE TURN OF THE CENTURY

CA students pictured in the 1993 Rolling Stone yearbook

Not all alumnae throughout the years have come from the Cheshire area. Take Alejandra Perez-Pla ’06, for example, who attended Cheshire Academy after attending an all-girls boarding school in the United Kingdom. While at CA, Perez-Pla was able to participate in courses and afternoon programs she otherwise would not have pursued, which ultimately guided her to her career of investment banking. Perez-Pla is currently vice president of Global Capital Finance America LLC, an international investment banking and financial services firm in New York state.

Perez-Pla was met by a diverse community at CA, with classmates who shared similar—and different— perspectives to her own. Those interactions, she said, challenged her in more ways than she expected.

Alejandra Perez-Pla '06

“I think it’s key, quite frankly,” she said, of the coeducation campus, “not just in the fact that it’s more enjoyable and interesting, but it’s also important on a cultural and academic level; otherwise, you’re missing a whole part of every discussion. At the end of the day, I think it also definitely challenges you not only academically, but also personally.”

At CA, Perez-Pla took advantage of all the opportunities before her. Classmates likely saw her playing soccer, tennis, lacrosse, volleyball, competing in track and field, or determining the next best move as a member of the Chess Club. She formed friendships with both boys and girls—some of which she has held onto to this day.

“In general, I like to have the entire spectrum of the world, and Cheshire gave me that,” Perez-Pla said.

Tivin, who returned in the mid-2000s when her son, Jacob Tivin ’08, enrolled, was able to see how the campus—and its students—had transformed.

“I was very impressed with how mature the girls are, how they think about a career, and how they are interested in learning other languages,” Tivin explained. “It was like Cheshire was a complete school.”

MODERN DAY CA

2007-2008 swim team

Today, Cheshire Academy prides itself on providing opportunities for all genders on campus. Julie Anderson P’19, ’23, longtime faculty member and academic leader, became the first female head of school in 2018. Jennifer Freedman P’15 was appointed chairperson of the Board of Trustees in January of this year, marking the first time in the school’s history that women serve in both capacities simultaneously.

In addition to competing on the coed team, female students also competed on their own math team, led by Rachel Wright, dean of teaching and learning, while others attend symposiums at Harvard University under the guidance of Wesley Simon, dean of Community Life. Science teacher Molly Purcell also serves as the female athletic liaison and coach for the girls’ lacrosse team. Purcell offers another voice for female athletes, works closely with team captains, and helps to develop leadership skills on the athletic front, according to Anderson.

“The things that we’ve started to put into place for female students are important,” Anderson said. “They don’t have to go to an all-girls school to get an experience where they are really being challenged, given opportunities to lead, and to use their voice in a positive way. We can offer that same type of education, programming, and support to develop strong female leaders.”

In 2004, the Coleman Group was established in honor of Marion Moore Coleman, longtime historian for CA and the author of the only book published on the history of the school. A room in the library named after Coleman is the first in the school’s history to be named after a woman.

2011 Halloween

Coleman Group 2008

Karen Smith, senior master and Roxbury instructor, advises the Coleman Group with School Counselor Gail Mauthe. The purpose, she said, “is to give girls some other experiences outside of the normal academic day.”

Senior Master Karen Smith

Monthly symposiums organized by the Coleman Group have brought women from the fields of law, politics, and others to meet with and discuss their professions with the female attendees. During months when symposiums are not scheduled, the members decide on topics of discussion which they feel are important to one another. Conversations have revolved around bullying, relationships, and certain themes, such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Coleman Group has also contributed changes to CA’s curriculum, including offering an all-girls chemistry class in the mid-2000s. According to Smith, the class was offered because girls were nervous to take science classes with boys and were not registering for said courses. “We just tried this one year as an experiment, and it went beautifully,” she said.

Coleman Group members have also completed service projects, such as making fleece pillows to be donated to local battered women shelters.

“Not only are we teaching everybody something, we’re giving these girls leadership opportunities we like to think will carry over into college,” Smith explained. “You don’t have to be the kingpin, but you can get involved with different things and demonstrate your leadership.”

The turn of the new decade also marks the third year of CA offering the Invest in Girls Inc. program to CA students. Invest in Girls is a nonprofit organization founded in 2011 dedicated to teaching high school girls financial literacy and connecting them with professional women role models.

Jennifer Dillon, co-chair of the History Department and CA’s sustainability coordinator, leads the program alongside Madeleine Bergstrom, director of College Counseling, and Dan Mehleisen, admission associate for athletic recruitment and varsity football coach. This year, 12 girls ranging from ninth grade to postgraduate are participating in the program.

Dillon said the program’s goals are to promote and improve financial literacy in high school girls and to draw more women to financial service industries. But before the girls enter the workforce, they need to know how to best budget their money. Devon Mercurius, director of technology and New York City programs for Invest in Girls, leads the course at CA.

Invest in Girls 2020

“These students are going to leave us, they’re going to go into the world, they’re probably—if they don’t already—going to get a credit card, have to pay off loans, and have to budget things when they’re in college,” explained Dillon. “That’s really a first step: understanding that that plastic thing in their wallet isn’t just an innumerable number of dollars; that it comes due at some point.”

Mandarin teacher Yvonne Hewu leads a class.

Invest in Girls participants have also learned about stocks and bonds, and different investment strategies. The group also travels to New York City to meet with women professionals. For the past two years, they have visited EY-Parthenon, a business management consulting company. CA girls are able to meet with EY-Parthenon staff, shadow consultants, and even create their own mock pitches for the company’s clients.

At CA, the girls form bonds with classmates they otherwise might not have known over an extracurricular program filled with critical life tips.

“Our older kids tend to become leaders of the group, and that’s really nice to see,” reflected Dillon. “For our ninth-grade girls, they’re learning something so early that’s going to be impactful for so many years. The PGs, they’re leaving us so shortly, and they have this knowledge to use next year and during the years beyond.”

In looking back at the past 50 years of coeducation, Anderson is both thankful for the past and optimistic about CA’s future.

“We’re celebrating education for all. That’s really what I see coeducation as—everyone, regardless of how you identify your gender—everyone has the opportunities here,” she said. “We’re just trying to ensure access for all of our students, and bringing more opportunity. Whatever your gender, we can all sit around the table and learn from one another, and grow and play together.”

CA Gay/Straight Alliance 2019-2020