MICDS (Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School) is a secular, co-educational, independent school home to more than 1,250 students ranging from grades Junior Kindergarten through 12. Its campus is located in the St. Louis suburb of

Ladue Ladue is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,989. Ladue has the highest median household income of any city in Missouri with a population over 1,000. Ge ...

. Each of the school's three divisions operate somewhat independently as a “school within a school”. The Lower School, also referred to as The Ronald S. Beasley School, or “Beasley” for short, is for students in grades junior kindergarten through 4. The MICDS Middle School, grades 5 to 8, is in the former Mary Institute facilities. The Upper School on the former Country Day School campus serves grades 9 through 12.

History

William Greenleaf Eliot, founder and chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, established predecessor institutions to MICDS in the 1850s as part of the university. A boys' school, Smith Academy, was founded in 1854, and was later attended by Eliot's grandson, the future poet

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

. A sister school for girls, Mary Institute, was founded in 1859 and was named for Eliot's late daughter Mary Rhodes Eliot, who had died at 17. In its early years, Mary Institute moved twice within the city of St. Louis; its third building, at the corner of Lake and Waterman, is now New City School. Smith Academy closed in June 1917, in part due to the proliferation of private elementary schools and public secondary schools in the area. Three months later, St. Louis Country Day School opened in northwestern St. Louis County. Inspired by the

Country Day School movement The Country Day School movement is a movement in progressive education that originated in the United States during the late 19th century. Country Day Schools sought to recreate the educational rigor, atmosphere, camaraderie and character-building ...

nationally, it was not related to Smith, although a number of former Smith students enrolled that first year. St. Louis Country Day School's campus was in a bucolic setting reached by electric streetcar, far removed from the noise and grit of the city. Mary Institute moved to its Ladue campus in 1931 and became independent of Washington University in 1949. By the 1950s, the tranquility of the Country Day campus was disrupted by the growth of the adjacent Lambert–Saint Louis International Airport. St. Louis Country Day School moved to a new campus next to Mary Institute in Ladue in 1958, and eventually sold its old campus to the airport. Eliot's grandson,

Nobel Nobel often refers to: *Nobel Prize, awarded annually since 1901, from the bequest of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel Nobel may also refer to: Companies *AkzoNobel, the result of the merger between Akzo and Nobel Industries in 1994 *Branobel, or ...

laureate

, who attended Mary Institute's kindergarten and Smith Academy, spoke at Mary Institute's centennial in 1959. Although various connections, including theatrical cooperation, had existed between Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School for years, academic coordination between Mary Institute and Country Day began during the 1970s and culminated in the 1992 merger of the schools. St. Louis Country Day headmaster John Johnson, who coordinated the merger, became head of the combined schools. The school observed its sesquicentennial during a celebration that ran from May 11, 2009, to May 11, 2010. In 2013, MICDS opened a

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

building on the Upper School campus that contained classrooms, an auditorium, a hearth room, and student commons. The space also contains conference rooms, a faculty office space and work center, a robotics garage, and a science lab for independent research. The building is certified as

LEED Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

Athletics

MICDS teams have won 32

state championships The Brazilian states football championships are the professional adult male soccer competitions in Brazil that take place between January and April for the Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and South regions. In some states from the North Reg ...

and 41 district championships. The school has one of the few high school cycling teams in St. Louis. They competed in the Tour De St. Louis in 2009; two MICDS riders finished with the peloton. MICDS has an athletic rivalry with the nearby John Burroughs School. MICDS observes its Homecoming on the weekend when all the teams play Burroughs; there is a traditional bonfire and pep rally to inspire team spirit. MICDS also has a cross-state rivalry with The

Pembroke Hill School The Pembroke Hill School (usually referred to as Pembroke Hill) is a progressive, inclusive, secular, coeducational, independent preparatory school for about 1,200 students in early years (age 2 years) through high school, separated into four se ...

in Kansas City. Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee

Marv Levy Marvin Daniel Levy (; born August 3, 1925) is an American former football coach and executive who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for seventeen seasons. He spent most of his head coaching career with the Buffalo Bills, lea ...

began his coaching career here in 1951, staying for two years. The women's varsity field hockey team won the Midwest Championships in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Men's water polo finished third in state in 2014. The Men's lacrosse team has won eight state championships, including six straight championships since 2014 under head coach Andy Kay.

Athletic facilities

In 2016, MICDS began construction on the O'Hara field and stadium, which replaced Ellis Field. It is used for football, lacrosse, and soccer. The same year, MICDS also began construction on The Steward Family Aquatic Center, which features a pool with a bulkhead in the center, allowing two teams to practice at the same time. The pool is also longer and the lanes are wider. It is also deep enough to allow the diving team to practice on campus. In 2011, a donor offered to fund the construction of an ice hockey arena, but the city of Ladue rejected the proposal and the arena was never built. The team practices off campus.

Notable alumni

Business

* Morton May, Chairman, May Department Stores * John McDonnell, Chairman,

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William F. Ruprecht William F. Ruprecht (born 1956) served as CEO of Sotheby's from 2000-2014, when he was succeeded by Tad Smith. Education and early work life Ruprecht was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1956. His mother was a painter and his father was a businessm ...

, CEO,

Sotheby's Auction House Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

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, Chairman and CEO of Neuberger Berman

Government and Politics

* John Danforth,

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

and Episcopal priest * Thomas Eagleton,

and Democratic Nominee for Vice President of the United States *

William McChesney Martin, Jr. William McChesney Martin Jr. (December 17, 1906 – July 27, 1998) was an American business executive who served as the 9th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1951 to 1970, the longest serving in that position. He was nominated to the post ...

, Federal Reserve Bank chairman *

Mark McCloskey Mark Thomas McCloskey is an American former personal injury lawyer practicing in St. Louis, Missouri, who attracted national attention in 2020 after he and his wife Patricia brandished firearms at protestors who walked past their house on a pri ...

, attorney and U.S. Senate candidate *

James W. Symington James Wadsworth Symington (; born September 28, 1927) is an American lawyer and politician who represented Missouri from 1969 to 1977 as a four-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to that, in the late 1960s, he served as Chief ...

, U.S. Congressional Representative * Pete Wilson, Mayor of San Diego,

and

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...

Alan Webber Alan M. Webber (born September 18, 1948) is an American entrepreneur, author, publisher, and politician serving as the 43rd mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico, since 2018. Webber succeeded Javier Gonzales. Considered a progressive Democrat, he suppo ...

, Mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico

Sports and Entertainment

Drew Baur Andrew N. "Drew" Baur (April 25, 1944 – February 20, 2011) was a co-owner of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Baur was a key member of the ownership group which purchased the team from Anheuser-Busch in March 1996. Baur served as the team's ...

, Owner, St. Louis Cardinals *

Graham Bensinger Graham Michael Bensinger (born August 17, 1986) is an American journalist and entrepreneur known for his eponymous show ''In Depth with Graham Bensinger''. Bensinger is known for interviewing a number of personalities in American sports, and won an ...

, sports broadcaster *

Sterling K. Brown Sterling Kelby Brown (born April 5, 1976) is an American actor. He has portrayed Christopher Darden in the FX limited series '' The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story'' (2016) and stars as Randall Pearson in the NBC drama series '' ...

, actor * Joe Buck, sports broadcaster *

Dwight F. Davis Dwight Filley Davis Sr. (July 5, 1879 – November 28, 1945) was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition. He was the Assistant Secretary of War from 1923 to ...

, founder of the

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international tennis competition and

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(attended CDS precursor Smith Academy) *

William DeWitt, Jr. William Orville DeWitt Jr. (born August 31, 1941) is an American businessman who is currently the managing partner and chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball franchise which competes in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Car ...

, owner, St. Louis Cardinals * Betty Grable (attended, did not graduate), actress and World War II pin-up girl * Jim Lee, comic book artist * Robby McGehee, 1999 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year * Vincent Price, actor *

Devon Windsor Devon Elizabeth Windsor (born March 7, 1994) is an American fashion model. Early life and education Devon Windsor was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She is the daughter of Charles and Lisa Windsor, and has one sister, Alexandra. Windsor ...

, model *

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, football coach at University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Arts, Sciences, and Education

William S. Barker William Shirmer Barker (born 1934) is an American church historian, educator, and leader. Barker studied at Princeton University, Cornell University, Covenant Theological Seminary, and Vanderbilt University. He taught at Covenant College before m ...

, president of Covenant Theological Seminary (St. Louis), 1977–1984 * Sally Benson, author of '' Meet Me in St. Louis'' and ''

Junior Miss ''Junior Miss'' is a collection of semi-autobiographical stories by Sally Benson first published in ''The New Yorker''. Between 1929 and the end of 1941, the prolific Benson published 99 stories in ''The New Yorker'', some under her pseudonym of ...

'' * Louis Daniel Brodsky, poet * Edmond La Beaume Cherbonnier, professor and scholar of religious studies *

Winston Churchill (novelist) Winston Churchill (November 10, 1871 – March 12, 1947) was an American best-selling novelist of the early 20th century. He is nowadays overshadowed, even as a writer, by the more famous British statesman of the same name, to whom he was not r ...

, author of Richard Carvel,

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, and The Crossing (Churchill novel), among others. * William Henry Danforth, chancellor, Washington University in St. Louis *

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National B ...

, poet (attended CDS precursor Smith Academy) *

Peg Fenwick Margaret "Peg" McCray, also known as Peggy Thompson, Peggy or Peg Fenwick and Peg Padover (November 9, 1907 – November 5, 1987), was an American screenwriter and playwright who worked in the U.S. and French film industries, best known for writi ...

, screenwriter and playwright *

Irving Fisher Irving Fisher (February 27, 1867 – April 29, 1947) was an American economist, statistician, inventor, eugenicist and progressive social campaigner. He was one of the earliest American neoclassical economists, though his later work on debt def ...

, economist, statistician, inventor, and Progressive social campaigner (attended CDS precursor Smith Academy) * Landon Jones, editor and author * Shepherd Mead, author, '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' * Nick Reding, journalist and author of '' Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town'' * Hadley Richardson, first wife of Ernest Hemingway *

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, author of '' Joy of Cooking'' * Frederick Seidel, poet * Peter Taylor, short-story writer and novelist * Sara Teasdale, poet *

Harry Weber (sculptor) Harry Weber (born 1942 St. Louis, Missouri) is an American sculptor. Early life Harry Weber was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1942 where he attended St. Louis Country Day School. He was educated at Princeton University where he studied art his ...

, Sculptor *

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, founder and editor-in-chief, '' Allure'' magazine; annual guest judge on the

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

reality television series ''

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'' * Sterling K Brown, Actor “ This Is Us (television), Black Panther (movie) Marshall (movie)”

References

External links

Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School
{{authority control Elementary schools in St. Louis County, Missouri Middle schools in St. Louis County, Missouri High schools in St. Louis County, Missouri Private K-12 schools in Missouri Private schools in St. Louis County, Missouri Educational institutions established in 1859 Private high schools in Missouri Private middle schools in Missouri Private elementary schools in Missouri 1859 establishments in Missouri Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum certified buildings