Once upon a time, Harry Potter was thinking about going to a private American muggle high school. He read the following:
Head of School:
John Strudwick
The School
Lake Forest Academy for boys was founded in 1857 and the Ferry Hall School for girls in 1869 by a group of Chicago businessmen interested in initiating "a learning institution of higher order." The two schools, originally administered by the trustees of Lake Forest University, adopted autonomous administrations with separate boards of trustees in the 1920s but maintained cultural and social interaction. In the late 1960s, the schools' curricula were coordinated, and this led to the merger in 1974. Lake Forest Academy is located on a 160-acre campus on Chicago's North Shore, 35 miles from the Loop and 5 miles from Lake Michigan.
The school is committed to providing the kind of education that enables students to accomplish their ultimate goals. It is a community that provides the support and caring needed to develop confidence and strong values, and where learning is a constant adventure. It has created an atmosphere that builds character and fosters respect for individuality.
The American Language Academy is affiliated with the school. These international students take part in the social and athletic life of the school while pursuing intensive study in the English language. Application for this program is made through Paul Dunlop, Director, at the school address or at 847-615-3317.
The 25-member Board of Trustees is the governing body. The endowment is currently valued at approximately $17 million; it is supplemented by $1 million raised through the 2001-02 Annual Fund Drive. Many of Lake Forest Academy's alumni contribute significantly to the Scholarship Fund in addition to making unrestricted gifts.
Lake Forest Academy is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and recognized by the state of Illinois. It has memberships in the National Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of College Admission Counselors, the College Board, the Cum Laude Society, the Independent School Association of Greater Chicago, the Secondary School Admission Test Board, the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Midwest Association of Boarding Schools, and the Council for Advancement of Education.
Academic Program
Students are required to carry five courses per year. Graduation requirements include English, 4 years; mathematics, 3; and fine arts, 1. In the history, science, and foreign language disciplines, students are required to complete 3 years in two departments and 2 in the other. Two additional credits are required for graduation. Requirements may be adjusted for students entering after the ninth grade.
Elective courses are offered in journalism, history (African-American History, History of Women in America, World Religions), science (current issues in science, astronomy, environmental science, and anatomy), and fine arts (theater, music theory, film). Advanced Placement courses are available in calculus, physics, chemistry, statistics, biology, English, foreign language, U.S. history, European history, and music.
The average class size is 12; the student-teacher ratio is 7:1. Freshmen and sophomores have a proctored study hall during some of their unassigned periods. Juniors and seniors with a sufficient GPA may be granted honor-study privileges. The school library is open during the school day and in the evening. An interlibrary loan system gives students access to more than 2 million volumes.
The grading system uses A to F, with pluses and minuses. Examinations are held twice a year, with grades and teachers' comments sent to parents after each exam. In addition, midterm grades and comments are mailed for all students in the middle of each semester.
Faculty and Advisers
The faculty is composed of 22 men and 16 women, 27 of whom have received advanced degrees.
Eighty percent of the faculty members live on the campus. These teachers are responsible for counseling and supervision in the dormitories. Faculty members serve as advisers to students, meeting with them and communicating with their parents on a regular basis. In addition to teaching, faculty members are responsible for extracurricular activities, usually coaching or club sponsorship.
College Placement
Three college counselors work with students to guide them through the college selection process. Students take the PSAT in tenth grade and again in eleventh. The SAT I is taken in the spring of the junior year, as well as in the fall of the senior year. Students' SAT I verbal and mathematics scores range from the 500s to 800. Representatives of more than 150 colleges visit the campus in the fall of each year. Counselors work very closely with students from the spring of the junior year through the senior year to help them with the decision-making process.
Members of the 2002 graduating class are attending fifty colleges and universities, including Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Princeton, Washington (St. Louis), and the Universities of California and Illinois.
Student Body and Conduct
There are 175 boys and 146 girls. Fifty percent of the students are boarders, while the remaining 50 percent are day students. Reflecting in part the school's diversity, students come to Lake Forest Academy from seventeen states and thirteen other countries. Thirty percent of the students are members of minority groups, including African American, Asian, and Hispanic.
Students are expected to behave according to prescribed standards. Violations that may lead to dismissal of a student are dealt with by the Head of School. All other violations are handled by the Dean or the Judiciary Board, a group composed of students, faculty members, and administrators.
A class president and 8 representatives from each class, forming four student committees, compose the Student Council. The council plans activities, allocates funds, makes recommendations to the Office of the Headmaster, and serves as a forum for students' concerns.
Academic Facilities
Corbin Center is the hub of academic life, with its classrooms, science labs, lecture hall, language lab, photography lab, art studio, computer center, and the school library, which contains 22,000 volumes. Reid Hall houses the writing center and the English department, as well as administrative offices. The auditorium/theater and Hutchinson Commons (the dining room) are housed in an adjacent building. A student center is located in another building.
Boarding and General Facilities
Four dormitories constitute the living quarters for boarding students. Two students share each room, and every dormitory has a commons room for informal gatherings. Each dorm has faculty members in residence. An infirmary is located on the campus. A new Fine and Performing Arts Center opened in October 2001. All students must leave the campus for the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring vacations.
Athletics
Students at all ability levels are required to participate in athletics in order to experience team involvement and competition. Interscholastic sports for the boys include football, soccer, golf, cross-country, ice hockey, basketball, swimming and diving, wrestling, volleyball, tennis, baseball, and track. Sports for the girls include tennis, cross-country, field hockey, golf, volleyball, ice hockey, basketball, cheerleading, swimming, and diving, softball, soccer, and track. In addition, the physical education program offers opportunities to participate in aerobics, weight training, and various intramural sports.
Glore Memorial Gymnasium has a pool and a Universal weight room. The campus has football, soccer, baseball, and field hockey fields, as well as a track, an indoor ice arena, practice fields, and four tennis courts.
Extracurricular Opportunities
The proximity of Lake Forest Academy to Chicago provides a wide variety of opportunities for students to participate in cultural events. Trips are made to many of the major theatrical and musical productions that come to Chicago, as well as to museums and exhibits. Other activities on campus include working on the staffs of the yearbook, newspaper, and literary magazine and being involved in various clubs (computer, poets and writers, photography, academic quiz bowl, ski, bridge, and video). Traditional annual events include Homecoming, International Fair, the Prom, Winter Fest, and three plays.
Daily Life
Classes are held from 8:30 to 3. Time is set aside each week for club and class meetings and assemblies. Student-adviser meetings are held three times a week. Students have a 2-hour supervised study hall in the dormitory Sunday through Thursday nights.
Weekend Life
Both boarders and day students are encouraged to join in weekend activities. Trips are planned every weekend, often to events in Chicago. Trips include visits to various concerts, museums, restaurants, shows, and sports events. Seasonal weekend trips include skiing, camping, biking, and sailing on Lake Michigan. Transportation is provided to nearby shopping centers, where students may shop, eat, or see a movie.
Costs and Financial Aid
In 2002-03 charges were $17,850 for day students and $25,500 for boarding students. Books cost approximately $450 for the year, and there were additional fees for music lessons and tutoring. For boarding students, an allowance of $25 to $30 per week is recommended. An initial deposit is due with the signed Enrollment Contract. Parents then have the option of paying the entire tuition by June 15 and receiving a discount, paying the total amount on August 1, or using a ten-month payment plan available through Academic Management Services.
Financial aid is awarded to qualified students based on parents' financial need. In 2002-03, 37 percent of the students received more than $1.7 million in financial aid. Financial aid is renewed on a yearly basis; parents must submit the Parents' Financial Statement to the School and Student Service for Financial Aid in Princeton, New Jersey.
Admissions Information
All applicants to Lake Forest Academy are considered by the Admission Committee on the basis of their academic record, a personal interview, recommendations, and the result of the SSAT. Lake Forest Academy admits students of any race, nationality, religion, or ethnic background to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students, and the school does not discriminate on the basis of race in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, or school-administered programs.
Applicants usually take the SSAT. Since other factors are taken into consideration, no minimum score is required, but students generally rank in the upper half. The same holds true for grades achieved in school. Approximately 60 percent of all applicants are accepted for admission.
Application Timetable
Lake Forest Academy's application deadline is March 1, though early submission of materials is strongly encouraged. Waiting lists form as soon as a class is fully enrolled. In addition to taking the SSAT, students must file an application and transcript release form with a $50 application fee, submit personal and teachers' recommendations, and visit the campus for a tour and an interview. The Admission Office is open for interviews and tours Monday through Friday from 8 to 4 during the academic year and during the summer. Under special circumstances, interviews may be arranged for other times.
Then a concrete block fell on Harry's head. He died instantly.
Head of School:
John Strudwick
The School
Lake Forest Academy for boys was founded in 1857 and the Ferry Hall School for girls in 1869 by a group of Chicago businessmen interested in initiating "a learning institution of higher order." The two schools, originally administered by the trustees of Lake Forest University, adopted autonomous administrations with separate boards of trustees in the 1920s but maintained cultural and social interaction. In the late 1960s, the schools' curricula were coordinated, and this led to the merger in 1974. Lake Forest Academy is located on a 160-acre campus on Chicago's North Shore, 35 miles from the Loop and 5 miles from Lake Michigan.
The school is committed to providing the kind of education that enables students to accomplish their ultimate goals. It is a community that provides the support and caring needed to develop confidence and strong values, and where learning is a constant adventure. It has created an atmosphere that builds character and fosters respect for individuality.
The American Language Academy is affiliated with the school. These international students take part in the social and athletic life of the school while pursuing intensive study in the English language. Application for this program is made through Paul Dunlop, Director, at the school address or at 847-615-3317.
The 25-member Board of Trustees is the governing body. The endowment is currently valued at approximately $17 million; it is supplemented by $1 million raised through the 2001-02 Annual Fund Drive. Many of Lake Forest Academy's alumni contribute significantly to the Scholarship Fund in addition to making unrestricted gifts.
Lake Forest Academy is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and recognized by the state of Illinois. It has memberships in the National Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of College Admission Counselors, the College Board, the Cum Laude Society, the Independent School Association of Greater Chicago, the Secondary School Admission Test Board, the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Midwest Association of Boarding Schools, and the Council for Advancement of Education.
Academic Program
Students are required to carry five courses per year. Graduation requirements include English, 4 years; mathematics, 3; and fine arts, 1. In the history, science, and foreign language disciplines, students are required to complete 3 years in two departments and 2 in the other. Two additional credits are required for graduation. Requirements may be adjusted for students entering after the ninth grade.
Elective courses are offered in journalism, history (African-American History, History of Women in America, World Religions), science (current issues in science, astronomy, environmental science, and anatomy), and fine arts (theater, music theory, film). Advanced Placement courses are available in calculus, physics, chemistry, statistics, biology, English, foreign language, U.S. history, European history, and music.
The average class size is 12; the student-teacher ratio is 7:1. Freshmen and sophomores have a proctored study hall during some of their unassigned periods. Juniors and seniors with a sufficient GPA may be granted honor-study privileges. The school library is open during the school day and in the evening. An interlibrary loan system gives students access to more than 2 million volumes.
The grading system uses A to F, with pluses and minuses. Examinations are held twice a year, with grades and teachers' comments sent to parents after each exam. In addition, midterm grades and comments are mailed for all students in the middle of each semester.
Faculty and Advisers
The faculty is composed of 22 men and 16 women, 27 of whom have received advanced degrees.
Eighty percent of the faculty members live on the campus. These teachers are responsible for counseling and supervision in the dormitories. Faculty members serve as advisers to students, meeting with them and communicating with their parents on a regular basis. In addition to teaching, faculty members are responsible for extracurricular activities, usually coaching or club sponsorship.
College Placement
Three college counselors work with students to guide them through the college selection process. Students take the PSAT in tenth grade and again in eleventh. The SAT I is taken in the spring of the junior year, as well as in the fall of the senior year. Students' SAT I verbal and mathematics scores range from the 500s to 800. Representatives of more than 150 colleges visit the campus in the fall of each year. Counselors work very closely with students from the spring of the junior year through the senior year to help them with the decision-making process.
Members of the 2002 graduating class are attending fifty colleges and universities, including Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Princeton, Washington (St. Louis), and the Universities of California and Illinois.
Student Body and Conduct
There are 175 boys and 146 girls. Fifty percent of the students are boarders, while the remaining 50 percent are day students. Reflecting in part the school's diversity, students come to Lake Forest Academy from seventeen states and thirteen other countries. Thirty percent of the students are members of minority groups, including African American, Asian, and Hispanic.
Students are expected to behave according to prescribed standards. Violations that may lead to dismissal of a student are dealt with by the Head of School. All other violations are handled by the Dean or the Judiciary Board, a group composed of students, faculty members, and administrators.
A class president and 8 representatives from each class, forming four student committees, compose the Student Council. The council plans activities, allocates funds, makes recommendations to the Office of the Headmaster, and serves as a forum for students' concerns.
Academic Facilities
Corbin Center is the hub of academic life, with its classrooms, science labs, lecture hall, language lab, photography lab, art studio, computer center, and the school library, which contains 22,000 volumes. Reid Hall houses the writing center and the English department, as well as administrative offices. The auditorium/theater and Hutchinson Commons (the dining room) are housed in an adjacent building. A student center is located in another building.
Boarding and General Facilities
Four dormitories constitute the living quarters for boarding students. Two students share each room, and every dormitory has a commons room for informal gatherings. Each dorm has faculty members in residence. An infirmary is located on the campus. A new Fine and Performing Arts Center opened in October 2001. All students must leave the campus for the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring vacations.
Athletics
Students at all ability levels are required to participate in athletics in order to experience team involvement and competition. Interscholastic sports for the boys include football, soccer, golf, cross-country, ice hockey, basketball, swimming and diving, wrestling, volleyball, tennis, baseball, and track. Sports for the girls include tennis, cross-country, field hockey, golf, volleyball, ice hockey, basketball, cheerleading, swimming, and diving, softball, soccer, and track. In addition, the physical education program offers opportunities to participate in aerobics, weight training, and various intramural sports.
Glore Memorial Gymnasium has a pool and a Universal weight room. The campus has football, soccer, baseball, and field hockey fields, as well as a track, an indoor ice arena, practice fields, and four tennis courts.
Extracurricular Opportunities
The proximity of Lake Forest Academy to Chicago provides a wide variety of opportunities for students to participate in cultural events. Trips are made to many of the major theatrical and musical productions that come to Chicago, as well as to museums and exhibits. Other activities on campus include working on the staffs of the yearbook, newspaper, and literary magazine and being involved in various clubs (computer, poets and writers, photography, academic quiz bowl, ski, bridge, and video). Traditional annual events include Homecoming, International Fair, the Prom, Winter Fest, and three plays.
Daily Life
Classes are held from 8:30 to 3. Time is set aside each week for club and class meetings and assemblies. Student-adviser meetings are held three times a week. Students have a 2-hour supervised study hall in the dormitory Sunday through Thursday nights.
Weekend Life
Both boarders and day students are encouraged to join in weekend activities. Trips are planned every weekend, often to events in Chicago. Trips include visits to various concerts, museums, restaurants, shows, and sports events. Seasonal weekend trips include skiing, camping, biking, and sailing on Lake Michigan. Transportation is provided to nearby shopping centers, where students may shop, eat, or see a movie.
Costs and Financial Aid
In 2002-03 charges were $17,850 for day students and $25,500 for boarding students. Books cost approximately $450 for the year, and there were additional fees for music lessons and tutoring. For boarding students, an allowance of $25 to $30 per week is recommended. An initial deposit is due with the signed Enrollment Contract. Parents then have the option of paying the entire tuition by June 15 and receiving a discount, paying the total amount on August 1, or using a ten-month payment plan available through Academic Management Services.
Financial aid is awarded to qualified students based on parents' financial need. In 2002-03, 37 percent of the students received more than $1.7 million in financial aid. Financial aid is renewed on a yearly basis; parents must submit the Parents' Financial Statement to the School and Student Service for Financial Aid in Princeton, New Jersey.
Admissions Information
All applicants to Lake Forest Academy are considered by the Admission Committee on the basis of their academic record, a personal interview, recommendations, and the result of the SSAT. Lake Forest Academy admits students of any race, nationality, religion, or ethnic background to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students, and the school does not discriminate on the basis of race in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, or school-administered programs.
Applicants usually take the SSAT. Since other factors are taken into consideration, no minimum score is required, but students generally rank in the upper half. The same holds true for grades achieved in school. Approximately 60 percent of all applicants are accepted for admission.
Application Timetable
Lake Forest Academy's application deadline is March 1, though early submission of materials is strongly encouraged. Waiting lists form as soon as a class is fully enrolled. In addition to taking the SSAT, students must file an application and transcript release form with a $50 application fee, submit personal and teachers' recommendations, and visit the campus for a tour and an interview. The Admission Office is open for interviews and tours Monday through Friday from 8 to 4 during the academic year and during the summer. Under special circumstances, interviews may be arranged for other times.
Then a concrete block fell on Harry's head. He died instantly.