On Sept. 9, 1929, Fenwick High School opened its doors to 200 students, most of whom were freshmen, all of whom were male. Yesterday, school, now no longer all-male, celebrated eight-and-a-half decades of private education.
According to their press release, in 1929, the faculty consisted of 11 Dominican priests. Today, they boast four Golden Apple teachers on the faculty — more than any other Catholic school in Illinois. The list of honorable alumni includes an astronaut, Rhodes scholars, and Pulitzer Prize winners. In 1992, the first coed freshman class was admitted.
Yesterday they revived an old tradition for one day. Before 1960, students were only allowed to use the main entrance on Washington Boulevard twice: once as freshmen on the first day of school and again as seniors upon graduation. For the first time in nearly two generations, students once again entered the building through the doors on Washington.