Countdown centennial
2013-2014
Volume 2 | October 2012
Founder’s Day
A Celebration Honoring Westridge Founder, Mary Lowther Ranney On October 6, 2013 Westridge will begin a yearlong Centennial Celebration with a Founder’s Day picnic! On that day, Westridge will officially turn 100! The theme of the Centennial year is: “Our Chosen Path: Founding Values for a New Century.” The phrase “chosen path” refers to a citation honoring the school’s founder, Mary Lowther Ranney. It speaks to the deepest purpose of Westridge as a school for girls — to encourage and empower them to choose and to follow their own paths. Born in 1871, to a prominent Chicago family, Mary Lowther Ranney was an extraordinary woman of her day. She attended the University of Chicago and taught in an all-girls’ school. In 1904, she moved with her parents to Pasadena where she worked as an architect in the office of Greene and Greene, the noted architects. The path she chose for herself was a life as a single, professional woman, a progressive educator, and an advocate for women’s rights. Her educational philosophy, her aesthetic sense and her personal values remain in the school culture and the campus
itself almost a century later. She has inspired the themes we will highlight as we celebrate Westridge at 100: courage, creativity, and imagination. The Centennial is a singular moment from which to look back at our founding values from a 21st century perspective. Out of Mary Lowther Ranney’s commitment to education came the idea for a school for girls. That idea became her vision. Her vision became the remarkable institution located on the very site she chose for its beginnings. As we celebrate our founding, we also look forward with courage, confidence, and commitment to the next century of educating girls and young women. Throughout the Centennial Year there will engaging, exciting events, programs, activities and opportunities. Plan to be part of this unique celebration for an extraordinary school: its history, its values, and its promise.
Fran Norris Scoble former head of Westridge School Chair, Centennial Steering Committee
westridge beginnings
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1913 | At the request of Mrs. William Brackenridge and other neighborhood parents, Miss Mary Lowther Ranney opens Westridge, a school for girls, on October 1. The two-story, brown-shingled house at 324 Madeline Drive welcomes the 21 students whose parents, like Mrs. Brackenridge, “longed for a school with a standard of education which would compare favorably with the most advanced schools of the East.” The school motto, Surgere Tentamus, is chosen by the first Latin class, and the school colors are pink and green — to be carried out in the Cecil Brunner rose and the ivy leaf.
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1914 | A tradition of community and international service is established. Christmas dinners and presents are provided for local needy families. 1915 | In its third year, Westridge enrolls 60 students. The school adopts five war orphans after a Miss Pell, visiting from Europe, talks to pupils about “the unfortunate French children.”
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1917 | Miss Amie C. Rumney becomes coprincipal. Westridge holds its first pet show. The Westridge Council forms “to provide pupils an opportunity to take part in the shaping of school policy and to help the school become known throughout the community for its ideals of character and scholarship.” Mrs. Bradshaw Trotter merges her Montessori pre-school and kindergarten with Westridge, bringing with her 11 little boys.
westridge’s
historical
foundation When did the Greek and Roman tradition begin? Who was Miss Rumney? Did boys really attend Westridge? The history committee is answering these questions as we delve into the rich, archival material of founding documents, deeds, newspaper articles, board minutes, scrapbooks, and memorabilia that chronicle the 100 year history of Westridge. (The answers to these questions and more can be found in the timeline below, with much more yet to be discovered!) Our committee is focused on several key projects. Under the leadership of current parent Kazue McGregor, a team of volunteers has plunged into the school’s yearbooks, choosing and scanning a selection of iconic photographs from each graduating year (visit www.westridge.org/centennial for the launch of online yearbooks). We are also following the trail of Westridge archivist Barbara Bishop, who has been cataloguing the school’s holdings. Our goal is to document Westridge’s collection of hand assembled scrapbooks, page-by-page from 1913 forward, to trace the history of important themes such as: traditions, faculty and curriculum, arts, athletics, architecture, women’s issues, Pasadena and history, trustees, community service, and more. Members of the oral history committee have just completed a special training course and are currently working their way through a list of 30 interviewees chosen for their long history with, and strong commitment to, Westridge. Faculty will use this information as they weave Centennial-related activities into their curricula, volunteers will use this material to create a Westridge history display at the Pasadena Museum of History during the Centennial week, and Centennial publications will follow key themes and imagery to tell the story of the first century of Westridge. We still have plenty of work to do to unearth more about our shared history and welcome volunteers to join our committee! (Volunteer descriptions and contact information are to the right.) Stephanie Chandler Dencik ’90 Chair, Centennial History Committee
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1918 | The first Inlook appears, a literary and fundraising project of the 8th and 9th Grades. Money received over and above the expense of publishing is sent to a colony in France in support of war-orphaned children.
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1919 | The Athletic Association forms, and the school begins the custom of dividing its student body into two clubs, Greeks and Romans, for a bit of friendly rivalry. A luncheon is held in honor of the first graduate, Harriette Jansen.
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1920 | Westridge sends four girls, Betty Winston ’25, Sally Cameron ’23, Marian Brackenridge ’21, and Francena Henderson ’23, to the 25th annual Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament.
share your inner
anthropologist
Help reveal the origins of Westridgekind! Join the History Committee in continued research and help document Westridge’s current archive. • ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTATION: Four to six volunteers are needed to collect data from Westridge’s existing historical scrapbooks. Each volunteer is requested to commit approximately 12 to 15 hours to complete documentation of one entire book. Knowledge of Microsoft Excel and a laptop needed. (To be completed by March 2013) • HISTORICAL RESEARCH: Two to four volunteers are needed to research and document the historical timelines of targeted Westridge topics such as teaching and curriculum, athletics, architectural campus history, traditions, performing and visual arts, science and math, community service, creative writing, and leadership. Research of concurrent women’s rights issues, as well as global, American, and Pasadena history also required. (To be completed by February 2013) • Photos: Eight to 10 volunteers are needed to help with sorting and identification of historical Westridge photos. Two sessions took place in October and a third is scheduled for November 15, 2012. To learn more, contact current parent and chair of the Centennial Volunteers Committee Jennifer Holladay, centennialvolunteers@westridge.org.
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1921 | Margaret and Marian Brackenridge are the school's second and third graduates, and they edit that year's Inlook.
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1922 | “Learning to give, both generously and wisely, is an important part of one's education,” according to the 192122 Inlook, which reports that the year's charitable contributions to French War Orphan Relief, China Famine Fund, Near East Relief work, Russian Relief, Marshal Foch’s French Restoration Fund, and the Community Chest total $441.61.
among friends Join the Centennial Volunteer Community! you are a part of this Centennial and all that it symbolizes for Westridge School and its community. Join an exceptional group of volunteers to help with Centennial planning and execution — have fun, reconnect with old friends, and make new ones! History Committee Laurie Barlow ’70 Bonnie Burke Carthew Julie Ambrosino Casey Laureen Chang Stephanie Chandler Dencik ’90 Priscilla Dunn Flynn ’47 Brooke Larsen Garlock ’70 Leslie Clarke Gray ’62 Sarah Hilbert Jennifer Holladay Alice Hudson Ivy Lee-Keltner ’98 Susan Marsh Dorothy Hughes Matthiessen ’52 Kazue McGregor Wendy Munger ’68 Laura Olinski Monica Oller ’91 Mary Quirk Adriane Rothstein Hope Tschopik Schneider ’70 Fran Scoble Bonnie Sill Cynthia Sward Clare Tayback Alison Taylor Jennifer Vanore ’93 Rana Votava Communications Committee Susana Smith Bautista ’84 Miranda Haddad Marshall Kwong Sheryl MacPhee Janice Trojan Joni Moisant Weyl ’72
1922 | Mr. Tod Ford acquires the property immediately to the east on Madeline for Westridge, which houses the gymnasium the school has been “borrowing” one day a week for a few years. The gym is then put to constant use — and is the venue for graduation exercises the following June.
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Social Events Committee Jennifer Schultz Bertolet ’86 Lizzie Bonamy ’01 David and Judy Brown Betty Cole Stephanie Chandler Dencik ’90 Patti Eisenberg Michele Nishiyama Esbenshade ’91 Joyce Foster Judy Gain Brooke Larsen Garlock ’70 Sheila Golden Dorothy Hughes Matthiessen ’52 Kazue McGregor Sarah Miller Clare Tayback Alison Taylor ’80 Program Events Committee Jennifer Schultz Bertolet ’86 Lizzie Bonamy ’01 Judy Brown Linda Brownridge Sigrid Burton ’69 Elizabeth Pyle Chandler ’59 Rosemary Evans ’71 Judy Gain Melanie Horn Juanita Jimenez Terry LeMoncheck ’69 Dorothy Hughes Matthiessen ’52 Kazue McGregor Paul Stephenson Alison Taylor ’80 Paul Tzanetopoulos Joni Moisant Weyl ’72 Sabra Clark White ’76 Brian Williams
1923 | On June 8, the cornerstone is laid for Westridge's Main Building on the site of Miss Ranney’s original house/ school. Architects Marston, Van Pelt, and Maybury describe the structure as one of “ornate beauty,” designed to harmonize with the neighborhood. The building is erected over the summer and is ready for use by October, when 135 students are welcomed to their new school.
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From the Past to Perpetuity donate your personal westridge items for Centennial & historical archiving In preparation for Centennial, Westridge is collecting all varieties of Westridge-related materials — school pictures, candid snapshots, school records, uniforms, early yearbooks, ephemera, memorabilia, and more! Your donated Westridge items may be used as part of the Centennial commemoration, but will primarily be maintained as part of the school’s comprehensive historical archive, documenting its first 100 years. Donations are being collected now and throughout Centennial year. For more information, including Westridge’s accession policy, visit www.westridge.org/centennial or contact past parent Bonnie Burke Carthew, chair of Centennial Acquisitions, 626.818.1216, archives@westridge.org.
Do you...
...enjoy the intricacies of party planning? ...obsessively update your facebook status? ...have a sharp design aesthetic? ...despise typos and misplaced apostrophes? ...consider a camera lens your third eye? ...organize for the fun of it? ...price compare to the last cent? ...love Westridge?
We need you! Join the fun folks already committing their time to Centennial preparation. Volunteers are needed for several projects – planning committees are forming around the following topics: exhibit design • event planning • communications • social media management • writing and editing • photography and videography • administrative support • hospitality: travel and hotel Visit www.westridge.org/centennial to learn more about the committees and volunteer needs or contact current parent Jennifer Holladay, chair of the Centennial Volunteers Committee, centennialvolunteers@westridge.org.
1924 | Westridge strengthens its academic department and college preparatory curriculum as an increasing number of families consider the option of higher education for their daughters. The girls form the “On to College Club” and Smith College admits its first Westridge graduate.
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1925 | In June, the first “Optima” is awarded to Anne Brackenridge. The honor is given to the member of the senior class who, in the judgment of the headmistress, has made the finest contribution to the school, based on her academic, athletic, and extra-curricular achievements. Two Westridge girls, Louise McFarland ’28 and Mary Elizabeth Haradon ’27 are champions in their class at the Ojai Tennis meet.
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the
save dates 2013-2014 Centennial Events Founder’s Day Sunday • October 6, 2013
Centennial
Celebrations Thursday • March 20, 2014
Count Down with W e s t r i d g e !
Centennial 2013-2014 “Countdown” is Westridge School’s quarterly community newsletter detailing the goals, planning needs, and event announcements for Westridge’s Centennial in 2013-2014. We want you to join in the fun! Find out how, inside!
Homecoming Friday • January 10, 2014
Friday • March 21, 2014 Saturday • March 22, 2014 Sunday • March 23, 2014
www.westridge.org/centennial Westridge Centennial inquiries: Contact Centennial Coordinator Ava Megna, amegna@westridge.org, 626.799.1053, ext. 297.