How has USM’s history influenced our school today?

By Mr. Will Piper ‘96

The History

of USM

The history of the school you are in

Peter Engelmann- USM’s Founding Father

• Lived from 1823-1874
• Believed that critical thinking and learning how to think was an essential part of education.
• German English Academy founder and Head of School in 1851
• Also one of the founders of the Milwaukee Public Museum

Milwaukee University School

• The German English Academy was renamed “Milwaukee University School” in 1917 due to the United States’s conflict with Germany in World War One
• Both boys and girls attended Milwaukee University School starting in 1920
• Milwaukee University School was located on Milwaukee’s East Side on Hartford Avenue
• The colors of MUS were blue and white

Milwaukee University School on Hartford Avenue on the East Side

The Thompson Trophy:

• The Thompson Trophy was a special citizenship award given out by MUS
• Inscribed on the trophy are six lines: “Not what you get, but what you give/Not what you say, but how you live/Give the world the love it needs/Living a life of noble deeds/Strong for the right – the good – the true/These are the things worthwhile to you.”
• This inscription in many ways was similar to the Common Trust which represents the values we hold most dear at USM.
• The legacy of the Thompson Trophy lives on today with the Frank Spigner Service and Leadership Award which is given each year to a senior who exemplifies the inscription of the trophy
• The Thompson Trophy was lost for several years… we’ll find out what happened to it later in this presentation

Milwaukee Country Day School

• Milwaukee Country Day was an all-boys school that opened in 1917 in Whitefish Bay, where the Jewish Community Center is currently located.
• The motto of Milwaukee Country Day was “Be A Great Boy”
• The colors of MCD were green and gold

The South Campus of USM

Milwaukee Downer Seminary

• Milwaukee Downer Seminary was founded way back in 1848 as an all-girls school with 80 students. It originally was a college, but then separated into an independent boarding and day school
• The colors of MDS were red and white

Milwaukee Downer Seminary

The Merger of 1963

• In 1963, Milwaukee University School, Milwaukee Downer Seminary and Milwaukee Country Day merged to become University School of Milwaukee– a historic merger between three American independent schools
• The goal of the merger was to provide a larger enrollment, greater breadth and depth of curriculum, a strengthened faculty, and overall excellence as a result of common leadership
• While the merger made sense in a lot of ways, the longstanding rivalry between MCD and MUS, especially in sports, created some challenges at first

MUS- MCDS Rivalry

• The boys at MCDS and MUS were longtime sports rivals, and had some initial challenges getting along. The Country Day seniors protested the merger by bricking up the entrance to the south campus by Santa Monica Boulevard
• However, as the boys learned to work together and dominated other teams in the Midwest Classic Conference, people soon got along well.

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The Era of Two Campuses

• From 1964-1985 University School was split on two campuses… North Campus (where USM is today) and South Campus (where the Jewish Community Center and Milwaukee Jewish Day School are today)
• The Upper School mainly attended classes on South Campus and the Lower and Middle Schools were on North Campus
• In 1985 the Upper School was moved to North Campus and all three divisions were, for the first time ever, under one roof as University School of Milwaukee.

The Common Trust:

• The Common Trust is a commitment that binds us all together as USM students, families, faculty, staff and alumni.
• The Common Trust was developed in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s by a group of veteran USM faculty members
• Since then, the Common Trust has served as our commitment to how we relate to one another and the school, and is a hallmark to the traditions of USM

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We the members of the University School of Milwaukee community commit to and practice the Common Trust. We agree to relate to one another and the school with respect, trust, honesty, fairness, and kindness.

Improving USM for Our Next Generation:

USM is a school that has a rich history and many wonderful traditions. We are so lucky to be able to attend this great place that continue to help kids grow, learn and be their best selves.

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Sources:

USM at Twenty-Five : 138 Years of Tradition by Dr. Ken Smith

Will Piper ‘96, assistant director of alumni relations and reunion giving

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