Latin School of Chicago

Background: The centennial Roman's Run. Forum Vol 7-No.6, June, 1982 In 1982 first lady Nancy Davis Reagan '39 ate a lunch of lasagna, pudding and watermelon with students in the lower school cafeteria. Headmaster Slater's bicycle fell victim to a student prank. 96 Responding to one such critical article in the November 1988 Forum, Upper School Director Eleanor Nicholson didn't mince words: "Many Latin students have internalized the school's expectations. They do their homework; they don't drop trash; they study quietly in the halls; and they get to class on time. Consequences exist for people who cannot follow rules. … At the beginning of the year, in discussing the various rules, I issued an invitation to the student body. I told you that if you could achieve the same ends of an orderly and respectful environment through different means, means that you would be willing to develop and uphold yourself, I would be happy to review any rule. But without that accountability on the part of students, I have little proof and therefore little confidence that greater freedom would be used responsibly." The students of the 1980s were not as vocal or angry in voicing their frustrations as those from the '60 and '70s, but they had their own moments of rebellion. One of the more memorable senior pranks that occurred during this period was the year seniors attended classes with their pets. Another year they stole Slater's bicycle, painted it pink and hung it above the entrance stairway in the upper school. Still another year, Latin seniors changed identities and schedules with Francis W. Parker seniors and went to their respective classes for the day. L AT I N M AGAZINE FIRST LADY RETURNS TO LATIN By Geraldine Johnson '83 On Friday, May 14, Nancy Davis Reagan (Latin Class of '39) paid a visit to her old alma mater. Her visit was prompted by letters written to her by Pat Peterson's third grade homeroom. "We were hopeful that she'd reply," said Mrs. Peterson, a lower school teacher for two years, "but we never expected her to come!" The entire lower school was appropriately decorated for the occasion. In addition to the conventional banners, the Lower Schoolers had gone so far as to cut out "Welcome Mrs. Reagan" and place it on the ceiling of the elevator she used to reach the classrooms. They also hung red-white-and-blue mobiles with "Mrs. Reagan" on one side and "Latin" on the other in Mrs. Peterson's classroom. During the 20 minutes she spent in Mrs. Peterson's classroom, Mrs Reagan assisted in a reading lesson, signed cards for the third graders, accepted a flower, and answered questions that the children had made up themselves. Many questions related to the President's professed love of jelly beans. Mrs. Reagan also admitted to liking them and assured the third graders that no, the President never ran out of jelly beans at the White House meetings. One little boy asked Mrs. Reagan how many rooms there were at the White House…"including bathrooms and closets." After glancing to a White House aide for information, Mrs. Reagan was able to answer. She also stated that the red room was her favorite because red is her favorite color. A question asked by George Parry nearly stumped the First Lady. "What's the economy of most Americans?" asked Parry. "Well" answered Mrs. Reagan, "this gets into whole big discussions. It (the economy) has been going in one direction for 40 years and now we're trying to turn it around and get the government out of peoples lives. … We can't do it in one year if people have been doing it for 40 years." She went on to call the

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