(l to r): Melissa Virella ‘05, Former Ferry Hall Headmaster John Bird, and Brooke Wesley Chapman ‘06 at LFA, 2005
2004-05 Melissa
Virella
“When I was the Ferry Hall prefect, it was a brand-new position at LFA. There was no recipe for what to do, or any guidelines to follow. The school was introducing some new traditions at that time—the Ferry Hall Prefect, the House System, House Cup competitions. It wasn’t until my senior year that I knew anything about Ferry Hall. I think, as prefect, I was a symbol for the Ferry Hall alumnae; they seemed happy and grateful to be represented at LFA. I’m so glad to hear that the program has taken off and that it means so much to the girls at LFA today to be selected to represent Ferry Hall. I had no idea the program would grow the way it has. I feel lucky to have been a part of making that happen; it was sort of an accidental honor for me. I wish I had known back then that the position would become so important and so coveted.” — Melissa Virella ’05, Chicago, Ill.
2005-06 Brooke
Wesley Chapman
“Before I was selected to be the Ferry Hall Prefect, the only contact I had had with Ferry Hall alumnae was as a volunteer for the phonathon. A lot of women were not happy to hear from me; they felt forgotten as alumnae. But that was in the beginning, when we were just starting to recognize Ferry Hall [more fully]. “I remember sitting with Nancy How Speer and Cecily Barnett Meers at a Women of Distinction dinner my senior year. ‘These are amazing women,’ I remember thinking. They talked about what boarding school was like in their day, what traditions continued, and how they had to go to Mass—not negotiable! Then, a couple of years ago, I rode the bus with the ladies over to the old campus during Reunion Weekend. We were looking through a ‘day in the life’ schedule from their time at Ferry Hall. They used to take all of their meals together. I laughed: I used to roll into Hutch and grab a bagel and cookie in the morning. “Now, as an alumna and a member of the Alumni Advisory Board, I get to sit in on meetings with alumnae of all generations. It’s great to see the light in their faces as Ferry Hall becomes more remembered today. Their legacy lives on—and what a legacy they’ve left. I always thought they were great women; I wanted to be like them one day. For me, Ferry Hall women had it all. They took what they learned at Ferry Hall and maintained careers and families. I learned about their history and where part of today’s LFA came from. I doubt I would be so involved with LFA today if it weren’t for my experience as [a liaison] on the Ferry Hall Advisory Board. I saw how much work and discussion goes into making decisions at a school. I want to be a part of this, to help move things forward.”
Brooke Wesley Chapman ’06 with her husband, Ryan, and their daughter, Sydney (top) Brooke Wesley Chapman ’06 with life trustee Nancy How Speer ’59 at the Ferry Hall Women of Distinction Celebration 2006
— Brooke Wesley Chapman ’06, Deerfield, Ill.
FERRY TALES
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