Lausanne Collegiate School (/lɑːzæn/;[1] previously Lausanne School for Girls) is an independent, coeducational college-placement school in Memphis, Tennessee. With grades for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, the school has a sizable international population, with foreign nationals comprising 1⁄3 of the student body, representing 68 different countries.
With a 97-year history beginning in 1926, the previously single-sex boarding school has become a co-educational day school with grades Pre-K – 12. An International Baccalaureate (IB) school since 2009, Lausanne adopted the program for all grades in 2018. In 2017 it partnered with Fujian's Xiamen #1 School to open another fully-IB school in Xiamen, China.
The international school has adopted contemporarily-new methods and attitudes throughout the years. The current campus has specially-designed playground equipment, supports several academic and athletic teams, and was a filming location for 1993's The Firm.
History
Lausanne heads
Logan Malone (–1991)
Toni Watson (1991–92)†
George P. Elder (1992–)
Stuart McCathie (2005–present)
†=interim
Originally a single-sex school,[2] the Lausanne School for Girls[3] first opened its doors in 1926.[1] At its outset, the school was jointly managed by Emma DeSaussure Jett, Sophia Alexander Gardner, Bessie Statler, and Florence Goyer Taylor. The school was first located at 1649 Central Avenue, in a home previously called the "Cary House"; The Commercial Appeal called the building especially suited to schooling with the possibility of expanding it in the future.[4] Lausanne began accepting both sexes of students for the 1966–67 academic year.[5]
Boarding
Lausanne credited a Mrs. L. K. Thompson for the school's history of boarding students. Thompson, a "benefactress whose name was almost synonymous with the school", had friends in Little Rock, Arkansas, who wanted their children enrolled at Lausanne. After putting up the girls in her attic, similar demand led the school to construct a dormitory.[5]
Lausanne's co-educational transition was also the heyday of its boarding program,[6] whose numbers hovered around 100. The 1970s saw a decline in demand for boarding schools, and when Lausanne's number dropped, some dormitories were transformed into classrooms. By the 1990–91 academic year, Lausanne had 285 students and only 18 boarders—four of whom were from East Asia;[5] in early 1992, it was the only girls' boarding program in Shelby County, Tennessee.[7] Six months later, with only eight boarders, Lausanne ended its history of boarding; four seniors were diverted to private homes for their last year of school. Though it was estimated that 18 boarders would be financially sufficient to re-board students, Headmaster Elder was doubtful of the program's odds for resurrection.[6]
Leadership
In July 1991, Lausanne headmaster Logan Malone resigned his position to join the Mid-South Foundation for Medical Care. For the 1991–92 academic year, board member Toni Watson served in Malone's stead while a full-time headmaster was headhunted. On July 1, 1992, New Orleans native[7] George B. Elder (born 1946 or 1947)[2] took the top spot at Lausanne. Elder expressed interest in broadening awareness of Lausanne, shedding its "school for girls" image, and increasing enrollment. The Lausanne board of directors expressed excitement about Elder's experience (headmastering four previous schools), "his fund-raising ability, which is always a consideration for a private school; his attitude; his interest in athletics and the theater. He just has it all."[7] Elder's first year at Lausanne saw 64% increased enrollment.[2]
Beginning in 2018, all Lausanne students from pre-kindergarten up began participating in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP),[11] a curriculum where, instead of focusing on students regurgitating correct answers, "the teacher's role is about helping the students come up with the right question". Compared with college-level work, Lausanne's admissions director—Laura Trott—said that the IBDP is "not about just one class or checking off one box [...] It's really understanding that all those strong reading and writing skills tie in with all those mathematical skills and critical-thinking skills."[12]
Prospective students must take an exam and score within a certain percentage, and make it through an interview process.[9] In 1992, annual tuition could run as high as $5,500 (equivalent to $11,470 in 2022).[2]
Faculty and staff
Administration
Stuart McCathie painting with pre-kindergarten students (Sep. 2016)
For the 2021–2022 academic year, Lausanne had 875 students enrolled (280 in the lower school, 230 in the middle school, and 365 in the upper school). Discounting parents, Lausanne students are from 68 different nations:[1]
In summer 2006, Lausane developed its own house system for middle-schoolers; the sub-units were named Cottingham, Lendenwood, Massey, and Monmouth.[16]
In 2020, arising from the widespread Black Lives Matter movement, concerns about inequity, and the 2020–21 United States racial unrest, Lausanne formed a task force with the purpose of creating an inclusive environment at the school. Lausanne, whose "student population was nearly 50% people of color — and among the highest percentages for a Memphis independent school", was spurred by alumni who felt the school wasn't doing enough to hire non-whites (who by February 2021 only amounted to 11% of the staff), and needed to only contract with similarly inclusive vendors.[17]
Extracurriculars
Academic
Cedar Springs Homeschool vs. Lausanne at the 2016 Science Bowl
Capitalizing on its still-increasing numbers of male students, Lausanne started its American football program with the 1992–93 academic year. By July 29, 16 boys had already applied for the new team.[19] The team won their seasons in 2013 and 2014, and made their inaugural visit to the playoffs in 2015, losing to state champ St. George's Independent School "in the Division 2-A quarterfinals to finish 8-4." In 2016, Lausanne had three players being scouted by the United States Military Academy and Naval Academy.[9]
Campus
Discovery Center (front), lower school (center-rear), and EPAC (right)
Lausanne's Memphis campus has 30 acres (12 ha) of land,[1] and its first buildings were built in the 1960s.[20] In 2008, Lausanne was a recipient of an American Academy of Dermatologygrant for the construction of "shade structures" to protect students from damaging ultraviolet radiation.[21]
International Outdoor Discovery Center
When planning to replace an existing playground for its lower school students (pre-kindergarten through fourth grade)[20] in the campus' front, Lausanne desired not only a globally-themed installation, but also an enhancement to the school's curb appeal. Lausanne contracted with Landscape Structures after that company best-translated Lausanne's themes into a real-world proposal.[22] The final design was partly the contribution of the Lausanne graduating-class of 2024.[20]
Groundbreaking happened in early summer 2015,[20] and was finished by that August. Featuring replicas of Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and the Taj Mahal,[22] the International Outdoor Discovery Center (IODC) has 14 different structures representing international locales laid out on a surface designed after a Rand McNallyworld map. Lausanne told the Memphis Business Journal that "the playground structures provide 61 individual play events with 95 themed custom elements, 70 of which are unique to the site at Lausanne".[20]
Director of operations at Lausanne, Stewart Crais, praised the IODC after its opening, expecting the space to last at least 20 years.[22] The playground replaced by the IODC was reinstalled at Promise Academy.[20]
Xiamen, Fujian
After an "extensive search across the U.S." for schools using the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP),[11]Fujian's Xiamen #1 School approached Lausanne in September 2014 about partnering to open another IBDP school in Xiamen, China. The partnership was facilitated by Lausanne's relationship with the Confucius Institute. According to Lausanne headmaster Stuart McCathie, "[Xiamen #1 School] were looking for a school that had an international population, an enviable college placement record, the IB program and that was located in the U.S. And through that metric they found us". Facing a maximized enrollment, and looking for additional revenue streams, Lausanne agreed to the partnership.[12]
Announced by Lausanne chairwoman Noma Anderson in 2016, the new "Xiamen #1 Lausanne International School" had a construction budget of US$50million (equivalent to about $61M in 2022), was scheduled to open in August 2017, and was expected to eventually support 1200 students. Once open, the new international school would offer teacher and student exchange programs between the Memphis and Fujian institutions,[11] as well as five- and seven-day boarding.[12]
Legacy
In 2022, Niche ranked Lausanne the third-best private high school in Tennessee. In October 2023, it moved to first place. Nationally, it ranked 248th.[23]
Several scenes of 1993's The Firm were filmed at Lausanne, which stood in for the private school at which character Abby McDeere teaches. Production crews fenced-off the school's playground prior to Christmas 1992, and semi-trailer trucks began arriving at West Massey Road on January 5. Actors Jeanne Tripplehorn and Gene Hackman were on-campus for shooting. Headmaster Elder asked for filming to take place during the academic year to allow for a school assembly with cast and crew; the film's producer agreed to meet with students and bring a cast member with him.[35]
^Burfeind, Daniel B. (August 2008). "Making the outdoors safer for communities: AAD shade structure program grant recipients". Dermatology Nursing. Jannetti Publications: 336–337. ISSN1060-3441.
^ abc"Taking global education to the playground: Landscape Structures designs a space to play and learn for diverse school in Tennessee". District Administration. 54 (4): 21. April 2018. ISSN1537-5749.
^Akers, Greg (December 1, 2011). "The Future Is Now". Memphis. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023. The Artist: Andrew VanWyngarden. The Album: 'Self-Titled'
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