Having heard of my contemporaries’ graduations and having attended many ceremonies of the younger generations, I know mine was unique.
The last three years of high school I attended a private girls’ school in Lenox, MA that was composed of about 70 students coming from all parts of the USA. Most of us were destined for college, while a few went home to jobs and eventually, to marriage.
The headmistress, Miss Aileen M. Farrell, a graduate of Oxford, ran a ‘tight ship’ and expected everyone to adhere to her rules — written and unwritten, but always understood. One might eventually come to love her, but one always respected her.
The outdoor setting for the graduation was ideal. Situated on a hill overlooking an ever-changing lake, which had a backdrop of Berkshire hills, the perfect weather completed this auspicious occasion. No parents attended the ceremony, nor did we wear white dresses. Our dinner uniform, consisting of a solid-colored dress with a matching collarless jacket, was sufficient for this intimate ceremony.
Miss Farrell was the only speaker and she talked of our successes and failures as a class and how we had worked together for our class’ benefit and for that of the school. She referred to plays we had presented and to our achievements academically and on the sports fields. (With two and a half hours devoted to sports every weekday afternoon our teams could hardly fail!) And she alluded to our uniqueness as a group and what she saw as our future. It wasn’t a long speech, and it didn’t leave me with a great feeling of accomplishment, just a sense that a part of my life had ended.
We lacked a school song and, as she was British, though an American citizen, we didn’t sing the Star-Spangled Banner either. I do recall exiting to a traditional, graduation march played on the piano. Afterwards we greeted our parents and other family members and, as Foxhollow was very British, had High Tea.
Looking back on those three years, I recognize what a marvelous education I had at Foxhollow. Miss Farrell taught English History and Literature as a combined subject and our Art History and Music Appreciation classes covered the same period of world history. I truly had a superior introduction to learning at Foxhollow. Sadly, when she retired, there was no one that could replace Miss Farrell. Also, the trend then was to co-education. Foxhollow closed in 1969.
A fortunate remnant of it is The Mount, Edith Wharton’s house, which is on the National Register of Historic Homes and is open to the public during the summer months.
Lois Learned
Southbury, CT © June 16, 2014
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