Latin School of Chicago

ROSEBUD Look closely at the 1920 kindergarten roster, and you'll see a student's name neatly crossed out in red pencil. Look closer yet, and you'll notice it's none other than Orson Welles. Welles of course went on to become a renowned Hollywood director, but alas, never had the opportunity to attend Latin. His family moved shortly before he was to begin the school year. THE GOOD, THE INTERESTING AND THE OBSCURE Latin may have won its first team championship in 1901, but it wasn't until 1949 that Latin adopted the Roman as the mascot. Until then, Latin was simply referred to as the blue and orange. Writing about Latin's fantastic gridiron feats that season in the Chicago Daily News, reporter Bob Russell commented: "Latin's team-without-a-nickname- although 'Romans' is a natural — is assured of its highest finish in four years." The name stuck, and Latin has been proud to be the Romans ever since. Latin has a long history of fundraising and philanthropy, and our annual event, complete with a live auction, remains a cornerstone of our fundraising efforts. Latin's first auction was held in 1944 to benefit the war effort. Items up for bid included a gallon bottle of scotch, a ride on the aircraft carrier Sable, personal car washing by a Latin dad, an agreement by a newspaper columnist to not print scandalous gossip, a "fetching gingham play suit," a silver polishing, and more! The amount Miss Vickery paid in 1911 for the former Kinder Institute property on Scott Street. The Scott Street building became Latin girls school, and eventually the middle and upper schools when Latin became co-ed. FEELING HOT? In the early part of the 19th century, the city of Chicago suffered several major outbreaks of scarlet fever. The Latin community was not immune to the highly contagious disease. Both 1907 and 1920 were years that saw outbreaks of scarlet fever at the school. Telegrams from Miss Vickery warned parents of the symptoms to watch out for. Happily, it appears all students overcame the illness, but poor fourth grader Torrey Wilson had many of his possessions burned as a precautionary measure. GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE…SOLD! C + IN FIDELITY $15,000 In 1888, Mabel Slade Vickery ventured from the East Coast at the behest of Mary Blatchford to found a school for boys based on the Quincy Method of education, a child-centered, hands-on learning approach. Ms. Vickery was trained in the Quincy Method by none other than its creator and her friend, Colonel Francis Parker. In 1901, when the Colonel opened his own school, he invited Miss Vickery to join his faculty. She declined, and though their friendship remained strong, a beloved neighborhood rivalry was born. A FRIENDSHIP THAT SPAWNED A BELOVED RIVALRY The number of school buildings Latin has had during its 130 years. In 1899, Latin moved from a private home to its first school building on Division Street. In 1913, the girls school opened on Scott Street and later became the middle and upper schools when the boys and girls schools merged. In 1926, the boys school moved from Division to North Dearborn, the current lower school building. In 1969, the upper and middle schools moved to North Avenue, and in 2007, the middle school opened at the site of the former Eleanor Club. 5 In 1898, Miss Vickery and Assistant Principal Robert Peck Bates officially adopted Fidelitas as the school's motto, which translates to faithfulness or loyalty. In the early 1900s, students were graded monthly on deportment, neatness and fidelity. Unfortunately, the rubric for judging faithfulness has been lost to history. GO YOU ROMANS! P L LATIN AT 130 LATIN MAGAZINE » SUMMER 2019 5 LATIN MAGAZINE » SUMMER 2019

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