Lovett School

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Coordinates: 33°51′42″N 84°27′09″W / 33.86178°N 84.452573°W / 33.86178; -84.452573
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The Lovett School
Lovett School visitor center
Address
Map
4075 Paces Ferry Road

Atlanta
,
Georgia
30327

United States
Coordinates33°51′42″N 84°27′09″W / 33.86178°N 84.452573°W / 33.86178; -84.452573
Information
MottoOmnia ad Dei Gloriam
Religious affiliation(s)Non-denominational
Established1926
Head of schoolMeredyth Cole
ChaplainRev. Steve Allen
Faculty269
Teaching staff210.4 (FTE) (2019–20)[1]
GradesK–12
GenderCo-educational
Number of students1,611 [1] (2019–20)
Student to teacher ratio7.7 (2019–20)[1]
Campus size100 acres
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)   Blue and white
MascotThe Lovett Lion
RivalThe Westminster Schools (Atlanta, Georgia)
AccreditationsSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Independent Schools
PublicationLovett Magazine
NewspaperThe OnLion
YearbookThe Leonid
Tuition$27,675- $32,130
Websitelovett.org

The Lovett School is a coeducational, kindergarten through twelfth grade independent school located in north Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

In September 1926, Eva Edwards Lovett, an educator who emphasized the development of the whole child, officially began the Lovett School with 20 boys and girls in first through third grades at a former home in Midtown Atlanta. By 1936, Lovett became a day school, with a move to a wooded campus north of the city off West Wesley Road.

In 1960-61, Lovett opened at 4075 Paces Ferry Road--Lovett's current location--with an enrollment of 1,024 students, representing all grades except the 12th.

In 1962, Lovett's first senior class graduated, all having been accepted at colleges and universities of their choice.

By 1964, both the elementary and high schools were accredited by the Georgia Commission of Accreditation (and each year subsequently), and the Upper School was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Aggressive campus building projects continued through the 1960s, 70s and 80s, bringing to campus the Kilpatrick Stadium, Loridans House, Smith Natatorium, Vasser Woolley Library, Fuqua Center, Wallace Gym, Hite Wellness Center, and more.

In 1992, Lovett's philosophy was re-written, a mission statement was developed, and the school also purchased 320 acres of cloudforest, known as Siempre Verde, in Ecuador for the purpose of establishing a research and education center.[2]

in 1999, the school was named an "independent school of distinction" in its Fall 1999 interim review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The school celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2000-01 with events such as a history exhibition and a reunion for former alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the school. That year, Lovett also embarked on its 75th Anniversary Campaign to raise funds for a construction and improvement plan. The fundraising goal for Phase I of that project was $55 million. Phase II of the project was started in 2003 under new headmaster William S. Peebles IV. It was completed in 2009 and included a new middle school and community center.[citation needed]

In 2017, the school announced that Meredyth Cole would replace retiring Headmaster William S. Peebles IV at the end of the 2017–18 school year.[3]

Integration struggles[edit]

In 1963, the Lovett School became the focus of a desegregation controversy when it rejected the applications of three black students. In 1963, Coretta Scott King contacted the school and asked if it had a racially nondiscriminatory admissions policy.[4] When the school responded that it would admit a black student, her son, Martin Luther King III applied. However, there was not a guarantee that any particular student would be admitted. [5] King was rejected. The Episcopal Diocese then distanced itself from the school.[4]

At the center of this long ago debate were the school's ties to the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, which had been established in 1954. The national Episcopal Church had issued directives to its member dioceses to integrate their institutions; the Lovett School's refusal to do so placed the bishop of Atlanta, the Rt. Rev. Randolph Claiborne Jr., in a difficult situation.[6] After a number of pickets at the school organized by the Episcopal Society for Cultural and Racial Unity, the diocese and school attempted to resolve the situation by severing ties with each other. In later years, the school reportedly revised its admission policy with regards to race. Today, the school features many multicultural programs.[7]

Notable alumni[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for The Lovett School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Neergard, Lauran (August 18, 1993). "'Forever green' School buys forest to preserve, study". Newspapers.com. Grand Island, Nebraska: The Grand Island Independent. p. D1. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Lovett Names New Head of School". www.lovett.org. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  4. ^ a b Webb, Clive (2005-07-21). Massive Resistance: Southern Opposition to the Second Reconstruction. Oxford University Press. p. 108. ISBN 9780198039563.
  5. ^ Kruse, Kevin M. (2013-07-11). White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism. Princeton University Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-1400848973.
  6. ^ Shattuck, Gardiner H. Christian Witness and Racial Integration in the Deep South. ISBN 0813127726.
  7. ^ "Multicultural Programs".
  8. ^ "Alumni Artists in the News". The Lovett School. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  9. ^ Baker, Donald P. (24 August 1987). "Pair Accused In Murders Shared Paths". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  10. ^ Thrash, Maggie (September 5, 2017). "I Went to the Nazi Beer-Pong High School, and That's Exactly Why I Write Satire". Book Riot. Retrieved 2018-02-22.

External links[edit]

Media related to Lovett School at Wikimedia Commons

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