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economy "discombobulated," which greatly amused the class. "That's Mrs. Peterson's favorite word!" commented one student. When Mrs. Peterson announced that it was lunchtime, Mrs. Reagan went to the cafeteria to have lunch with the entire third grade. She went through the lunchline with a tray, taking lasagna, pudding and watermelon. "No mystery meat and gravy?" wondered Mrs. Reagan, suggesting that Latin School food has not really changed through the years. As she came to the end of the line, Mrs. Reagan saw a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Oh, I've got to have one of those!" she exclaimed. After lunch, Mrs. Reagan went down to the gymnasium to watch the final act of the fifth grade play, Tom Sawyer. When the performance was over, Mrs. Reagan accepted Latin sweatshirts and hats. Placing the hat on her head, she said "This (sweatshirt) is for my husband!" Mrs. Reagan began to reminisce about her years at Latin. "When you get to be 84 years old like me [she was actually 60 at the time of her visit]," said Mrs. Reagan, "You'll understand what a special feeling it is not only to go back to the town, but also to the school you grew up in." She went on to talk about the dances and basketball games in the gym and meeting the boys from the Boys Latin School for lunch. Mrs. Reagan mentioned the fact that she had acted in a play called First Lady … and she was the First Lady! With the entire Lower School waving their hands like periscopes as they sang "Yellow Submarine" accompanied by Mary Maj on the piano, Mrs. Reagan left the gym to the sound of cheers. n Under the leadership of Dick Wade and then Linda Hennelly and with the support of Slater, the middle school further developed its own identity in the '80s, separate from the upper school. Middle school teachers were hired, and age-appropriate assemblies, activities and exam schedules were developed for middle school students. In the lower school, the early 1980s were a time of turnover and flux. In 1985, however, Hennelly left the middle school to become the new lower school director. Hennelly's impact was immediate. Faculty morale improved, the lower school community became more cohesive, and newly appointed curriculum coordinators strengthened the academic program. Hennelly would lead the lower school for the next 22 years, helping to craft the program as it exists today. Slater's high expectations for Latin went well beyond the classroom, faculty and students. He also wanted the community to be the best that it could be. A gifted speaker and writer, he at times challenged parents and trustees to do better in eloquent ways. "The lovely children in the Lower School, expensively dressed and lovingly cared for by you, their parents, and indeed by us, their teachers, represent such a narrow cross-section of the upper middle class in Chicago that one wonders if we really want to reach out to all of Chicago's children, or if we are more content to reach out to our own and let it go at that. Certainly, we can fill our classes twice over with the children of the privileged. We define ourselves as a The middle school developed its own identity in the '80s. Linda Hennelly LATI N SCHOOL OF CHI CA GO 97