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Shipley Innovations: The Constancy of Change

Melissa Tassoni & Trina Vaux '63
1932
Shipley Incorporates as a Non-Profit
Under the economic strains of the years leading up to the Depression, School Principals Eleanor Brownell and Alice Howland incorporated The Shipley School as a non-profit, thus shifting the School’s financial burden to a board of trustees.
 
1941
Dairy Operations at the Farm Discontinued
Acquired in the 1920s, the Gladwyne property included a working farm: 30 acres and livestock providing milk, meat, eggs, and produce, as well as playing fields. Ultimately, it became impractical and much of the acreage was sold, leaving the playing fields still in use today.
 
1962
Shipley Adopts Non-Discrimination Policy
After years of careful lobbying by Headmistress Margaret Bailey Speer, the board adopted a policy to admit students “without regard to race.” Shipley’s first African-American student was admitted in 1964 into the class of 1965.
 
1972
First Boys admitted to Shipley
With a national trend of declining enrollment in single-sex schools and the success of the pilot program which brought six boys to Shipley in 1971, the School’s Board of Trustees approved a decision to become a coeducational school starting in the 1972-73 academic year.

1982
Boarding Department Closes
Interest in Shipley’s boarding department had been diminishing since the 1960s. In spite of measures taken to increase enrollment, in 1980, Shipley’s board made the difficult decision to close the boarding department by 1982, an unpopular decision among many alumnae.

2017
Campaign for Shipley Completed
The multi-phase Campaign for Shipley: Foundations for Success raised over $50 million, with $9 million designated for Endowment and the rest going to significant Upper Campus improvements, allowing for more flexibility in the School’s academic program.
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The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.