The Crest N
early four decades ago, young women became part of the fabric of Culver, and Culver has never been the same. Sharing a beautiful 1,800-acre campus with Culver Military Academy since 1971, Culver Girls Academy (known for a time as Culver Academy for Girls after it first opened its doors in September 1971) has made its own special mark in secondary education. As the girls enrollment has increased in numbers, from just 77 in 1971 to more than 300 today, Culver Academies has become an even more exciting place to learn and to grow. The young women created distinctive successes, symbols and traditions of their own, and adapted the best examples of the Culver Legion and the already well-established school for boys. One of the most powerful emblems of Culver Girls Academy is the CGA Crest. Like a coat-of-arms from the banners of medieval heraldry, the Crest is adapted from the insignia of the Culver Legion, and is divided into four quadrants, each showcasing meaningful icons representative of a CGA education: a linked chain and leaf signifying strength of friendship; an open book and blazing torches signifying knowledge and tradition; a pair of broadswords and a set of perfectly balanced scales signifying strength and justice; and a star and laurel wreath signifying service and success. Taken together, these symbols represent the underlying framework for the values and leadership experiences emphasized as part of a Culver Girls Academy education. For the girls of Culver, an embroidered CGA Crest has evolved into a prized possession that must be earned by each young woman before it is sewn onto her blazer. It is presented to her at the Crest Ceremony, a very important milestone for a girl at Culver. The CGA Crest is not just given to a girl; wearing the Crest represents her commitment to challenge herself to live up to and exemplify the school’s values, virtues, and ideals. In another sense, the CGA Crest today is a unifying symbol for the students of Culver Girls Academy: weaving them together with their classmates and uniting them in spirit with those alumnae and faculty daughters who preceded them at Culver and who pioneered guiding principles and distinctive traditions for a remarkable school for girls that prepares young women as responsible, active citizens who will become the leaders of tomorrow.
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| THE CREST
“Anything a boy can do, a girl can do better.” – Encouraging words spoken to Greta Hughes CMA ’59, one of Culver’s first two female graduates, by her father Art Hughes, a CMA English instructor and Fine Arts chair.