Celebrating 40 years of Charlotte Latin School
Logo designed by Annelise Shelton '07
Click here to read the 40th anniversary article that appears in the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Charlotte Latin magazine.
Latin Reflections (preview below) is now available to order online. Written by Charlotte Latin parent and alumna Mary Yorke Robison Oates '83, this collection of essays chronicles the 40 lessons that the Charlotte Latin community has learned since its founding in 1970. Click here to complete the order form.
Charlotte Latin School: A Brief History
1969
A group of Charlotte parents founds a new school, one modeled on the traditional curriculum of New England’s early “Latin” schools.
1970-71
Latin opens its doors for the first time with 425 students in first through ninth grade. The fifty-acre campus consists of two buildings (the current Claudette B. Hall Lower School and Fennesbresque Hall). Mrs. Janice Privette and Mr. Bob Robinson are hired, and they continue to work at Latin in 2010. The Parents’ Council sponsors the School’s first May Day Play Day.
1972-73
The first Grandparents’ Day is hosted on campus under the direction of music teacher Emilie Williams. The campus continues to grow with the construction of the 100/200 building, the library (which is now Founders’ Hall), and Belk Gymnasium.
1973-74
The School adds an Upper School grade each year since its founding, bringing the enrollment to 764 students. Latin graduates it first senior class.
1974-75
Mr. Bob Patten joins the Latin staff. Bob becomes a Latin institution as the Dean of Students and the namesake of the new football stadium. An addition to the Lower School is completed.
1975-76
Latin is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
1976-77
Latin is honored as the youngest school in the nation to receive a Cum Laude Charter, and Dr. Edward J. Fox, Jr. is named Latin’s Headmaster. He will complete 24 more years before retiring in 2001 as Headmaster Emeritus. Beth Schofield Miller wins the Morehead Scholarship to UNC-Chapel Hill, the first Latin student to be so honored.
1977-78
The Lower School adds Kindergarten and hires its first art teacher, Mrs. Sandy Pettijohn, who helps build the School’s outstanding art curriculum and faculty. The first Middle School building is built (the current 8th grade hall), and the Class of 1978 presents the Gazebo as its class gift.
1980-81
The School’s enrollment stands at 1060 students and the campus is expanded with the addition of 42 acres, which is part of today’s South Campus.
1981-82
The School’s first dedicated computer room opens.
1982-83
The Latin Hawks win the School’s first Wachovia Cup for excellence in athletics.
1985-86
Pre-Kindergarten is added, the predecessor of Transitional Kindergarten, and Thies Auditorium opens.
1986-87
The first of Latin’s major drama productions is staged, and the first Latin buses begin to roll.
1987-88
Latin’s Upper School receives the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award from the U. S. Department of Education.
1989-90
Latin hires its first Alumni Director, as well as its first part-time Latin Line editor. This publication is the forerunner of Charlotte Latin, the School’s magazine.
1990-91
The Mecklenburg Aquatic Club opens on the Latin campus. This 22-lane natatorium is independently operated by MAC, but it also serves as Latin’s pool.
1991-92
The InterNational Studies course is started in the Upper School, and an engineering elective is introduced in the Middle School, which includes a special girls-only section. A lecture series begins, which brings notable individuals such as former Presidents Gerald Ford and George Bush to campus over the next few years.
1992-93
A German school, Jugenddorf Christophorusschule, is named Latin’s first Sister School.
1993-94
The Middle School expansion is completed and the building is officially named the Edward J. Fox, Jr. Middle School in honor of Dr. Fox.
1994-95
Latin celebrates its 25th anniversary. Chinese studies, including Chinese language classes, begin when Mr. Youming Che joins the faculty.
1996-97
Internet access on campus is significantly expanded. Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel visits the School to recount the horrors of the Holocaust. The Parents’ Council sponsors the first Rising Stars Art Auction, which culminates a week of arts education events. The Media Center is completed.
1997-98
Charlotte Latin’s Lower School wins the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award. The Student Commons opens in the former Davis Library. It is renamed Founders’ Hall in 2002.
1999-2000
The Legacy of Excellence Campaign is launched and Latin celebrates 30 years since its founding. Latin purchases 30 additional acres, bringing the campus to 122 acres. The Middle School is named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. This is the third time that Latin has been so recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The Latin community celebrates the new millennium with “Great Expectations,” a year-long series of events including the first Alternative Spring Break, during which students, teachers, parents and alumni volunteer for community service projects. Students are treated to a surprise day of special activities that demonstrates “There’s No Place Like Latin.”
2000-01
Dr. Fox retires after 25 years of service, and Mr. Arch N. McIntosh, Jr. is named Latin’s new Headmaster. Mr. and Mrs. McIntosh found the Fox Distinguished Lecture Series to honor Dr. and Mrs. Fox and promote diversity. The Science, Art and Technology Building and the Student Activities Center open. Charlotte Latin adopts a new logo.
2001-02
Enrollment stands at 1323 students. Latin music students and faculty travel to China for a Goodwill Tour. The CLS Alumni Office launches the “Latin Online” newsletter, and the CLS Alumni Association establishes Inlustrate Orbem Alumni Awards to recognize annually an outstanding teacher in each division. Grandparents’ Back-to-School Day is hosted on campus, and Upper and Middle School students host an Honor Convention in June. With financial support from Parents’ Council, renowned brick sculptor Mara Smith creates brick panels that feature scenes of life at Charlotte Latin for the main entrance to the campus. The Beck Wrestling Room is dedicated, and senior Alec Smith and his mom, Katie, create the Perennial Garden adjacent to the Middle School.
2002-03
The Beck Family gives a gift to Latin to name the Beck Student Activities Center. “MyLatin,” the School’s internal Web site, is launched.
2003-04
The CLS Board of Visitors conducts its first annual meeting, and the first Thanksgiving All-School Service Project is sponsored. The CLS Board of Trustees officially approves the School’s core values: Honor Above All, Commitment to Excellence, Leadership, Respect for Oneself and Others, Personal Responsibility, and Moral Courage. The Headmaster’s Leadership Class for seniors begins, and Mr. and Mrs. McIntosh create the Headmaster’s Quest for Character Awards of Excellence, which are awarded during Commencement. Each recipient is chosen by his or her peers in the senior class as the person who best exemplifies a CLS core value. The John Branch Stedman Teacher Recognition Award is established.
2004-05
The CLS Master Campus Plan is unveiled, which will guide campus development and usage over the next 25 to 50 years. Charlotte Latin School is jointly re-accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and the Southern Association of Independent Schools. The Hawks win the Wachovia Cup for excellence in the athletic program. Latin will win five more consecutive Wachovia Cups…and counting! Latin sends teams to compete in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals for the first time. The Latin Arts Association is launched to support students and faculty who participate in the performing and visual arts programs, and 180 students, teachers, and parents participate in the CLS music department’s Goodwill Tour to Russia. Latin sponsors the first Teaching Fellows Institute to honor and inspire Charlotte-area public, private, and parochial school teachers in the summer of 2005.
2005-06
The CLS community funds and builds its fourth Habitat for Humanity house in Charlotte, and Latin is named one of three schools in the United States to receive a $2 million Malone Family Scholarship endowment. Upper School History Department Chair Mike Weiss is named the recipient of the first CLS Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Chair. Hilton College in ZwaZulu Natal, South Africa, becomes a CLS Sister School. A delegation of civic and educational leaders from Luzhou, China, visits Latin; the visit grows out of Latin’s relationship with its Sister School in Luzhou. Latin receives grants from the Siemens Foundation and the Edward E. Ford Foundation, which provide financial assistance for students. The Belk family commissions the “Monumental Hawk,” the world’s largest bronze statue of a hawk, which is “perched” at the entrance of the Beck Student Activities Center.
2006-07
Mr. Nick Wharton is named Latin’s first Director of Diversity. The CLS community funds a Habitat for Humanity house in Louisiana for a family who lost its home in Hurricane Katrina. Members of the School’s Concert Choir perform on the Ronald O. Perelman Stage of Carnegie Hall. Colegio Gredos San Diego in Madrid, Spain, becomes Latin’s newest Sister School.
2007-08
The Honorable David C. Keesler ’80 is named the CLS Alumni Association’s first recipient of the CLS Distinguished Alumnus Award. Fourth grade teacher Manetta Latham is named the first Edward Seddon Goode Endowed Chair, which honors a Lower School teacher. A Latin Middle School team participates in Challenge 20/20, a joint project between American and international schools that is sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools.
2008-09
Latin introduces “Prime for Life,” an alcohol prevention and education program for students and parents. Latin junior Georgia Walker co-founds an exchange with West Charlotte High School senior Olivia Scott between their two schools. CLS choral students and faculty perform the world premiere of “All Thy Gifts of Love” during the Thanksgiving All-School Assembly. The choral work by Mr. David Brunner was commissioned for Latin by the CLS Friends of Music and the Latin Arts Association. Denise Dubick ’09 trains “Sandie” to be a seeing eye dog. Sandie attends classes with Denise and the goldador becomes an honorary member of the Class of 2009. St. Anne’s Diocesan College in South Africa becomes a CLS Sister School. Campus-wide, wireless Internet access is available. Major infrastructure work is undertaken to improve South Campus and the “Lucky 8” sculpture is dedicated. The sculpture, which was sculpted by Jon Hair and is a replica of his work for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, is located in the courtyard adjacent to the Science, Art and Technology Building. It was presented to Latin by the Ike Belk family in honor of their family members who have served on the CLS Board of Trustees. This unique work of art is among many presented over the years by the Ike Belk family, enhancing the beauty of the campus.
2009-10
Despite tough economic conditions, Latin opens it doors with a record 1400 students in transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade. Construction begins on the Claudette B. Hall Lower School building and a South Campus shelter.
2010-11
Charlotte Latin School celebrates the fortieth anniversary of the School’s founding! The Claudette B. Hall Lower School building opens for the new school year with a major addition and renovations, including Shelton Hall, a new fifth grade wing, new music and art classrooms, and improved space for the Learning Resources program. The Nest opens its doors for the first time to provide care for the pre-school age children of Latin’s faculty and staff. The South Campus Shelter is named Coaches’ Pavilion and is ready for student athletes, their coaches, and fans as they begin practices for fall sports. Construction of a major addition to the Performing Arts Center and re-designed parking spaces continue throughout the year. They are scheduled to open in August 2011.