Laurel School

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Laurel School is a nationally-recognized school for girls from Kindergarten through Grade 12, with a coeducational Early Childhood Center. Located in the Cleveland, Ohio suburb of Shaker Heights, Laurel’s mission is to “inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.”

A caring and compassionate school community, an innovative curriculum, committed and talented teachers and a 111-year-old legacy of empowering young women to find their own voices, makes Laurel School an extraordinary place for learning.

For other uses, see Laurel School (disambiguation).

Laurel School
To inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world. Laurel School, where girls Dream... Dare... Do!
Established	1896
School type	Private
Location	Shaker Heights, OH, USA
Color(s)	Green and White
Mascot	Laurel Gator
Homepage	www.laurelschool.org

1 Campuses
2 History
3 Distinguished Alumnae
4 External links

[edit] Campuses

Laurel School has two campuses - the academic Lyman Circle Campus situated on 11 acres in Shaker Heights, and the Fairmount Campus, 140 acres that feature extensive athletic facilities and opportunities for outdoor education and leadership-building programs.

Laurel School's suburban Lyman Campus in Shaker Heights, Ohio is home to an impressive brick Tudor revival building featuring over 180,000 square feet of networked space, a 4,300 square foot multipurpose room, a newly renovated 390-seat Chapel and performance stage, four science labs, three divisional computer labs, three divisional art studios and a ceramics studio, a digital art lab and photography darkroom, two music rooms, a dance studio, two libraries, two gymnasiums and a fitness room, two outdoor playing fields, three tennis courts, plus courtyards and gardens.

Laurel's 140-acre Fairmount Campus includes 1,800 square feet of lodge space, a 3,200 square foot covered octagonal pavilion, a 2,600 square foot residence, a fully accessible tree house and an adventure course boasting both high and low elements.

Fifteen acres of groomed athletic fields include soccer, field hockey and softball fields. Eight tennis courts, a quarter mile all-weather track, approximately three miles of walking trails, plus ponds and streams round out the amenities.

[edit] History

Laurel School: The Early Years In 1896, Jennie Prentiss established a school for young girls in her Cleveland home. After several years of increasing enrollment and changes in location to accommodate that growth, the school acquired its name - first Laurel Institute, then later Laurel School - because of the ancient Greek symbol of a wreath of laurel leaves, which signified intellectual achievement.

The arrival of Sarah E. Lyman as Headmistress, just after the turn of the 20th century, initiated a new phase in the development of Laurel School. Mrs. Lyman was a strong, self-confident leader with a dynamic personality who possessed the sensitivity and business sense to carry out Jennie Prentiss’ vision. The student body continued to expand under the leadership of Sarah Lyman, and she oversaw the construction of a large brick building on Euclid Avenue, known as "Millionaire's Row".

In the late 1920’s as her students' families moved to the eastern suburbs, she secured property in Shaker Heights and built the impressive Tudor-style building that is Laurel’s current Lyman Campus. Soon after the move to Shaker Heights, Mrs. Lyman retired. She left as her legacy a secure, established, thriving and academically rigorous school for girls that possessed a national reputation for excellence.

Taking the helm in 1931, Miss Edna F. Lake guided Laurel through the dark days of the Depression, World War II and the post-World War era of the 1950’s. She added significant requirements to the curriculum, insisted that students perform community service and introduced the mandatory Senior Speech.

Changing With the Times : 1960's - 1990's During a time of tremendous social upheaval, Daniel O.S. Jennings, who, in the 1960’s, became Laurel's only Headmaster, encouraged racial diversity, saw the end of the school’s boarding program, and transformed the old dormitory space into state-of-the-art science labs.

Under his tenure, and that of his successor, Barbara Barnes, the school contemplated coeducation but after much thoughtful discussion, the Board of Trustees reaffirmed Laurel’s dedication to educating girls and young women to become independent thinkers. It was during Barbara Barnes' tenure that Laurel became the first girls’ day school in the country to establish a faculty chair for teaching excellence.

Dramatizing the importance of single-sex education for girls, Leah Rhys became Headmistress in 1984 and brought national attention to the school with a joint research project conducted by Carol Gilligan and other Harvard University researchers. The five-year study of girls’ learning styles resulted in the 1992 publication of Meeting at the Crossroads. Peter Hutton was named Acting Head of School for a two-year term (1990-1992), during which he tackled a variety of projects. Hutton oversaw the construction of a new Primary wing, supervised discussions surrounding the Middle School renovation, and reorganized administration.

Laurel Into the 21st Century: 1990's – Today Helen Rowland Marter, who became the ninth Head of School in 1992, was instrumental in expanding the school - both in enrollment and in physical size. Under her leadership, Laurel grew with three additions to the Lyman Circle campus and with the purchase in 1998 of the Fairmount Campus, 140 beautiful acres of woods, streams and fields 20 minutes east of the Lyman Circle Campus.

In July 2004, Laurel welcomed its tenth Head of School, Ann V. Klotz, who joined Laurel from The Chapin School in New York City. Committed to balance among academics, arts, and athletics, she has further developed curricular initiatives at Fairmount and focused increased attention on the social and emotional lives of girls. Initiatives include increased professional development in learning styles and a Parent-to-Parent Series on topics of particular interest to the parent body that allow parents of children Early Childhood through Grade 12 to come together to share experiences and build community. Under her energetic leadership, the Conway Pavilion and the Magic Tree House have been built at the Fairmount Campus.

Contact Us For more information about this remarkable school, contact the Admission Office at 216.464.0946 or visit the website at [www.laurelschool.org]

[edit] Distinguished Alumnae

Following is a list of the remarkable Laurel women who have been recipients of the Distinguished Alumnae Award since its inception in 1978.

1978 *Kate Ireland '48, Chair, Board of Governors, Frontier Nursing Service
1979 *Elizabeth Brooks Ford '14, Public health and nursing education advocate
1980 *Natalie Moore Babbitt '50, Children's book author/illustrator
1981 *Mary Feil Hellerstein '39, Pediatrician
1982 *Ann Denton Blair '31, Radio and TV Bureau Chief
1983 *Susan Crile '60, Artist
1984 *Terry Horvitz Kovel '46, Authority on antiques/collectibles
1985 *Louise Ireland Humphrey '37, President, Metropolitan Opera Association
1985 *Myra Evans Lapeyrolerie '77, Entrepreneur
1986 *Elaine Grasselli Hadden '49, Community Revitalization Activist
1986 *Mary Ellen Beck Wohl '50, Chief of Respiratory Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital
1987 *Anne O'Neil '46, Provincial, The Sacred Heart Order in the United States
1988 *Helen Teagle Clements '26, Lobbyist for nursing home standards
1989 *Gwill Linderme Newman '50, Brain research and mental health activist
1990 *Andy Logan Lyon '38, Journalist, Columnist
1991 *Jean Steel '53, Nurse Practitioner
1992 *Donna Ferrato '68, Photojournalist
1993 *Kathryn Beck Kris '51, Psychiatrist
1993 *Lucy M. Ziurys '75, Astrophysicist
1994 *Priscilla Tyler '26, Educator and specialist in Aboriginal literature and art
1994 *Joan Shook '72, Pediatrician
1995 *Betty Hitchcock Rose '33, Civic Activist and Inventor
1996 *Anne Hollis Reese '55, Mental health educator
1997 *Sally Pastorelle Reed '57, Physician and founder of a free clinic
1998 *Sylvia Robinson Cruess '47, Physician, hospital administrator and health policy maker
1999 *Anne Hopkins Burnham'47, Community activist, preservationist
1999 *Elizabeth Morrison Marcotte '69, Environmentalist, energy conservation consultant
2000 *Nina Freedlander Gibans ’50, Arts advocate extraordinaire
2001 *Elisabeth Galvin Kirsch ’58, Founder/Director of domestic abuse shelter
2002 *Katharine Lee Reid '59, Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art
2003 *Virginia deConingh Fleming '48, Activist for social reform
2004 *Mary DeCredico '77, Award-winning author, historian and Vice Academic Dean of the U.S. Naval Academy
2005 *A. Lindsay Frazier ’76, Pediatric Oncologist and Researcher
2006 *Carol Madison Graham '74, Executive Director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission]]