May Queen
School Song
Literary
Magazine
Webster Groves
Loretto Academy
St. Louis

History of Nerinx Hall
   
   
When Webster College applied for affiliation with the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities, the Sisters were required to conduct the college and the high school courses in separate buildings. Although the Sisters were inclined to discontinue their high school program in Webster Groves, area residents prevailed and the high school department moved into the Old Lockwood mansion in 1924. The new high school was named Nerinx Hall, after Father Charles Nerinckx, founder of the Sisters of Loretto Standing at the Foot of the Cross. Lockwood House 1997
   
Through the years, the Lockwood House was enlarged by annexes until new buildings were constructed on the grounds. In 1947 a gymnasium was erected and in 1953 the school moved out of Lockwood House into a new school building. Even this new building saw many renovations through the years, including completing the rectangle around an inner courtyard, reconstruction of the gymn after a fire in 1985 and remodelling completed in September of 1996. In 1994, the growth marked a full cycle: Nerinx expanded back into its original space with classrooms and offices created once more in the old Lockwood House. The Theatre / Fine Arts annex opened with the 2007 / 2008 school year with the first games being played on the renovated field soon after. Cornerstone
   
   
Modeling Loretto Habits
   
To celebrate the first day of the school 75 years before on Sept. 9, 1924, the Administration modeled the three styles of habits worn by the Sisters of Loretto since their origins in 1824. The earliest style is on the right and features embroidered logos representing a suffering heart. The style worn by the nuns when they opened Nerinx is worn on the left. The style in the center is the habit worn by the nuns until they adopted lay clothing in the 1960's.
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May Queen Tradition
1938-1970
     
 
     
  May Day was an annual celebration held in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Sodality at Nerinx Hall. The student body would vote for a queen from the Junior class and also vote for two maids from each class. This group made up the May Queen and her Court. On May Day, there would be a procession down a traditional white carpet stretched out in the backyard of the Lockwood House. The ceremonies would start with the retiring Queen leading the Seniors down the white carpet to fill in the front rows.
     
  Then the Senior Maids would walk, followed by the Junior Maids, Sophomore Maids and Freshman Maids. After all the maids came the May Queen, who crowned the Loretto Sisters' statue of Mary with a crown of flowers. One girl would perform the traditional Rose Dance and then the Freshman would do the May Pole Dance.
     
 
     
  This tradition ended because the school was afraid that it was beginning to lose its meaning and that the activity was no longer really dedicated to Mary.
     
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"To Nerinx Hall goes the song...."
     
  The ALMA MATER song was written by Doris Coughlin Pittman (Sr. Jeremy SL). The year is unknown. The earliest appearance found on record is in the 1945 yearbook. No changes have been made to the music since the time that she wrote it, though vocal arrangements have been made to accompany the music. Recently the Music Director, Mr. Ross Bell, rearranged the piece for four voices performing in a concert.
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Student Literary Magazine
     
  The name of the literary magazine was Aulikos (Greek for “Hall”), and it kept that name until 1979. In 1979 Mrs. Lytton, an English teacher, proposed the name "Inklings”. The Inklings were originally a group of writers who taught at Oxford University and met in a local pub. An inkling is “the glimmer of an idea”. Inklings is published annually by the students.
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