The McCallie School
Address
500 Dodds Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404 Chattanooga , Tennessee United States
Coordinates	35°01′38″N 85°15′56″W / 35.0272391°N 85.2656187°W / 35.0272391; -85.2656187
Information
Type	Private all-male secondary, Christian non-denominational
Motto	Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.
Established	1905
Headmaster	A. Lee Burns, III
Grades	6–12
Campus	120 acres (48.6 ha)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Blue and White
Mascot	Blue Tornado
Rival	Baylor School
Yearbook	The Pennant
Website	www.mccallie.org

The McCallie School is a boys college-preparatory school located on Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. The school was founded in 1905 and now has 322 boarding students in grades 9–12 and 657 day students in grades 6–12.^[1]

History

Original school building in the Winter of 1906/07

Brothers Spencer Jarnigan and James "Park" McCallie founded the school in 1905, which remained under the control of the family until a board of trustees assumed management of the school in 1937.^[2]

Founded as an all-boys school, McCallie became a military school in the wake of World War I, with students wearing uniforms and participating in military drills.

In 1970, McCallie dropped its military program as a result of admission challenges during the Vietnam War.^[2]

Like most schools in Tennessee, the McCallie School was formerly racially segregated. While the school's board of trustees agreed to allow the admission of African-American students beginning with day students in 1969 and boarding students in 1970,^[3] the school did not admit its first African-American student until 1971.^[4]

McCallie has a close relationship with Girls Preparatory School (GPS). One of the co-founders of GPS was Grace McCallie, sister to Spencer and Park. McCallie has maintained a formal coordinate program with Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga since 1985. Students at the two schools participate in a variety of organized social events and coordinate some academic programming, particularly in music and theater.

aerial view of campus

Candlelight Concert

Video & Filmmaking

McCallie and GPS Spring Musical "Mamma Mia"

Boarding Life

A Brief History of Boarding at McCallie

• McCallie has always been a boarding school, with the first dorm being Founder's with 8 initial students. But in 1907 after a record enrollment of 110 students and a fire that destroyed the frame of Founder's, the school required an additional dormitory. That Summer, our founders borrowed $6,000 and added a $5,000 loan from an unnamed benefactor to construct two-story Douglas Hall on Kyle Street. Named after the family of Reverend McCallie's wife, it accommodated 35 boys and also served as the headmaster's office and Park's residence. Later in the early 1950's the school constructed North and South Hutch, along with Maclellan Hall (originally a Freshman dorm before being used as a bookstore and post office.) Later in 1962, Belk Hall was dedicated as the Senior dorm, and at the same time Founder's home was being renovated to allow for more housing, giving the building its iconic pillars. And finally when work on Belk and Founder's was completed, the school tore down Douglas Hall, and constructed Caldwell Hall on its site. Later to address the growing boarder population, Pressly Hall was dedicated in 2007, and Burns Hall was dedicated in 2010. And now the boarding population makes up half of the school community, with it continuing to grow each year, and it cementing its place as a critical part of our school's culture.

Dramatics at McCallie

History of the McCallie Theater Department^{[5] [6]}

• March 4, 1907. The McCallie Dramatics Club is organized following the presentation of their students' first play, Between the Acts.
• Fall of 1923. In the Fall portion of the Dramatics Club, a two-act play, Up Caesar's Creek, is presented by the younger McCallie students. The play is presented for the training it provides to the boys. Without charge to the public, the play is presented at Pine Breeze, Benny Oakes, and before the parent-teacher association of the Missionary Ridge School.
• Spring of 1924. As a final play for the school year, the older McCallie students, assisted by young ladies of the city, present a play named A Strenuous Life. Both the casts of Up Caesar's Creek and A Strenuous Life are directed by Mr. Johnsonius.
• December 5th, 1931. From The Pennant calendar "At last the play, The Prince Chap  is put on after much effort by Mr. Dunlap. It was a wow, everybody said."
• February 19, 1937. The annual McCallie play, Seventeen, is presented in the school auditorium; actors include A. L. Burns and W. L. Pressly.
• Fall of 1960. The McCallie Dramatics Club presents A Man Called Peter.
• Winter of 1960. The McCallie Dramatics Club, under the direction of Mr. T. F. Walker, presents a total of four plays. Students perform two-night performances and members of the faculty make performances in McCallie daily assemblies. The plays are Camp Keep-Off, Circumstances Alter Cases, Why am I a Bachelor?, and A Mad Breakfast.
• Fall 1961. "The Rainmaker" was the Dramatics Club's first presentation of the year on December 1. Mr. and Mrs. Walker directed, with assistance from Ralph Thornbury, props; Pat Thomas, sound effects; Bob Renwick and George Harrison, set moving; John Ellis, and George McCall, lights.
• Fall 1965. "The Little Foxes" was the Fall theater production and follows the rise and fall of an avaricious Southern family. The show was performed during Patron's weekend. Both the Fall and Spring plays this school year were directed by Mr. and Mrs. T.F. Walker, with sets being designed by Mr. Jay Grow.
• Spring 1966. The Spring play "Our Town" was a parable of life and death. Seniors featured in the productions were Henry Williams, Joe Conger, Tim Taunton, Randy Ball, and Allan Stalvey.
• Fall 1966. The Dramatics Club, along with the ladies of GPS, presented two plays for the 1966-1967 school year, both directed by Mr. and Mrs. T.F. Walker, along with Mr. J.H. Warncer, with Ted Lannom making the sets. The Fall play was Holiday for Lovers, shown during "Patron's Weekend", which was about an average American family traveling throughout Europe.
• Spring 1967. The second play that school year was Spring Fever, a farce depicting life in a boarding house of a small college.
• Fall 1968. The Dramatics Club presented two comedies this school year, and in the Fall that play was "Mr. Barry's Etchings", directed by Mr. Tom Walker, and Mr. Stan Gillespie. This play ran during Patron's Weekend.
• Winter 1969. In February the 18th century comedy "She Stoops to Conquer" was presented. The Pennant noted how "Actors were given costumes appropriate for that era.", and that great performances were given by Robert Chambers, Herb Pritchett, Matrty Stofner, Tom Howell, Jean Gilderslieve, and Gale Graham.
• Fall 1975. The Hunter Theater opened with the Petrified Forest in the fall and winter of 1975. The theater department performed the bi-centennial production Our American Cousin. Mr. Royer was the director for both the Petrified Forest and Our American Cousin.
• February 17-19, 1983. The play See How They Run is performed in the Hunter Theater for a run of three nights.
• Fall of 1994. The fall production of the McCallie's drama department is My Three Angels. The plot centers around humor and murder.
• Winter of 1994. The McCallie drama department, under the direction of Mr. Royer, performs Catch-22. The first performance on Friday night at the Hunter Theater is so well attended that additional rows of chairs are brought in to accommodate the audience.
• Spring of 1995. A musical production, South Pacific, takes place at Girls Preparatory School's (GPS's) Frierson Theater. The cast consists of the talents of 80 McCallie and GPS students serving in acting roles, orchestra, and as stage crew.
• Spring of 1995, the student-directed play, The Life and Death of Almost Everybody, is produced, raising theological questions about God and man's relationship with him. Student directors are Will Leonard and Josh Sanders.
• October 21, 2004. McCallie's Ridgedale Gym is converted into the Walker Black Box Theater (named after long-time theater teacher T. F. Walker). It opens with The Petrified Forest, the same play that opened Hunter Theater in 1976.
• Fall of 2019. Romeo and Juliet is produced at McCallie, while Antigone is produced at GPS.
• Spring 2020. Night of the Living Dead is canceled at McCallie due to COVID-19, along with The Sound of Music.
• For the 2020-2021 school year, all coordinate productions with GPS are canceled, which makes all plays during this time completely male. In the Fall of 2020, The Dumas Project, an original play written by Mr. Stevie Ray Dallimore, is produced. The play blends the social issues of 2020 with the French hero Dumas in the 18th century, to create a play with great social commentary.
• Spring of 2021. Night of the Living Dead is performed by the McCallie theater department after previously being canceled the prior year due to COVID-19.
• Spring of 2022. At McCallie, the Spring play is Love Sick, with the lead actor being Ben Johnson. The Spring musical held at GPS, having been canceled two years prior, is The Sound of Music, with Fletcher Ard as the male lead.
• Fall of 2022. At McCallie, Our Town is produced with Morgan Wills as the lead actor. The drama production, Radium Girls, performed at GPS boasts an array of talented actors. GPS's Ellie Odle is the female lead and McCallie's Duke Parker is the male lead.
• Winter of 2022. The 9th annual 10-minute play festival is produced in McCallie's "Black Box" with 8 student-written plays being produced.
• Spring of 2023. At GPS, the Spring musical production is Mamma Mia, with Chase Raynor as the male lead. At McCallie, the comical play Puffs with Dandy Reynoso Diaz as the male lead.

Hunter Theater (McCallie) 1976-2004

• Even though the Dramatics Club was founded in March 1907, for many years there was never a dedicated space for the theater program. Instead, they used different areas around campus, such as the third floor of North Hall (original academic building), a drama stage, and where the chapel was held until 1955. This continued for the first 69 years of the drama program's existence. That was until April 9th, 1976, which saw the dedication of the George Thomas Hunter Arts Center. As Martha Watkin noted in the 1976 Pennant "I've been in other plays at other schools, but their facilities just couldn't compare to this building." This building was one of three built during a campus makeover, which also saw the construction of Tate Hall (the Junior school building which has since been razed) and the modern academic building, Maclellan. The original building had a large lobby, which faced Maclellan and is currently divided into two separate areas (one part housing the Graphic Design department, and the other housing the band room's lobby.) The band room which is now in the building, was once the Hunter Theater's stage and was the home of the theater department until 2004 when Walker Theater opened.

Evans Center (GPS) 1998-present

• The Evans Fine Arts Center is one of the three theaters that McCallie and GPS use and it is located at GPS. It was established in 1998, by the Evans Foundation in honor of GPS alumnae Peggy Johnson Laney ‘58, Mollie Johnson Nelson ‘60, Nell Johnson Stone ‘61, Anna Johnson Chase ‘66, Margaret Austin Curtis ‘83, Mabs Curtis Sanok ‘85, Cynthia Mary Nelson ‘98, and in loving memory of Douglas A. Nelson. While as of 2023 the theater does not hold one of the two main productions, specifically the Fall production and Spring musical, the theater nonetheless acts as a classroom and rotates with the McCallie Black Box hosting the Winter short plays festival. Before it was repurposed for the 2023-2024 school year, the GPS Fall production was held in the Evans, while the musical was held in the Frierson.

The Scott Langley '68 Dramatics Collection

• Donated to the theater department the Scott Langley Drama Collection is a comprehensive collection of theater books, which is located in the rehearsal room. This collection is still updated to this day, and is one of the best assests of the theater department.

A Brief, yet Rewarding History of McCallie Theatrical Awards

• In a 1966 edition of The Pennant on page 108 we see that the first annual David C. Scarborough Dramatics Award was given to Henry Williams. This award appears to be the first theater award at McCallie, or at least the first one to be consistently given out.
• The Theater Award that is given out to students each year since 1992 is the T.F. and M.L. Walker Dramatics Award. While this award has often just been called the Walker Dramatics Award, it is officially the T.F. and M.L. Walker Dramatics Award. Named after longtime theater teacher Thomas F. Walker (also the person whom the Black Box is officially named after, hence Walker Theater.) The award started in 1992, and there was no major equivalent before this time, excluding the Scarborough award. The M.L. in the award's name is for Mr. Walker's wife, who served as the associate director of the McCallie players, the theatrical group of the school. Besides running the theater program Mr. Walker was also a Spanish teacher, and Mrs. Walker was in charge of helping students with reading through tutoring.

T.F. and M.L. Walker Dramatics Award winners:

• 2023 – Dandy Reynoso Diaz
• 2022 – Ben Johnson
• 2021 – William Hanley and Mason Calhoun
• 2020 – Nate Dallimore
• 2019 – Willem de Waal Dryden
• 2018 – Micheal Maloney
• 2017 – Walt Buzzini
• 2016 – Liam Goldman
• 2015 – Carter Harbin
• 2014 – John Eric Miller
• 2013 – John Eric Miller and Jones Kolbinsky
• 2012 – Samy Lyons
• 2011 – Mark Taylor
• 2010 – Lee Cotton
• 2009 – Dylan Hays
• 2008 – John Harris
• 2007 – Nick Givens
• 2006 – Joseph May
• 2005 – Lars Nelson
• 2004 – Jared Pitcock
• 2003 – Daniel Clayton
• 2002 – Owen Sizemore
• 2001 – William Valadez
• 2000 – Adam Belvo
• 1999 – John Herndon
• 1998 – Trey McArver
• 1997 – Ban Salling
• 1996 – Christian Catlin
• 1995 – Bob Peterson
• 1994 – John David Harr
• 1993 – Alvin Chen
• 1992 – Brett Odom*

*Brett Odom was the first winner of the award.

Varsity Athletics

McCallie Football

McCallie's varsity sports teams compete in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) in football, cross country, track and field, basketball, golf, bowling, tennis, wrestling, baseball, squash, and soccer. In 2023, McCallie secured the tennis state championships and also placed runner-up in track and field.^[7] The school competes on the varsity level in non-TSSAA sports, including crew, lacrosse, swimming, diving, climbing, and ultimate frisbee.^[8]

The baseball coach is former Major League Baseball player Tim Costo.^[9]

Rankings

In 2016 McCallie was ranked as the top private high school in the state of Tennessee by Business Insider.^[10] In Niche's 2023 high school report, McCallie was ranked the number one boarding high school and best high school for athletes in Tennessee. Nationally, McCallie was ranked the 35th best overall all-boys high school and 123rd of 418 best boarding high schools.^[11]

Summer programs

Day & Boarding Camps

McCallie School offers seven boarding camps and 18-day camp options. Programs are offered in enrichment, sports, or leadership camps (for children aged five years old and up).^[12][13]

Notable alumni

• Sean Ryan '10: Olympic American athlete (competed in 2016 Summer Olympics in Men's 10 km Open Water Swimming)^[14]
• Michael Bingham '04: Olympic medalist in track and field^[15]
• Jon Meacham '87: Pulitzer Prize winner, former editor of Newsweek, contributing editor at Time, and best-selling author^[15]
• Giovanni Alberto Agnelli '82: CEO of Fiat Group^[16]
• Zach Wamp '76: Former member of the United States House of Representatives of Tennessee,^[17] former candidate for Governor of Tennessee^[18]
• Marshall Fletcher McCallie '63: United States ambassador to Namibia from 1993 until 1996 under President Bill Clinton
• Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. '58: Former Governor of South Carolina^[19]
• Ted Turner '56: Founder of CNN and Turner Broadcasting System, former owner of Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, and Atlanta Thrashers^[20]
• Bill Brock '49: Former United States Senator and Secretary of Labor^[21]
• Preston Henn '49: Founder of the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop and race car driver^[22]
• Pat Robertson '46: American media mogul, televangelist, political commentator, former Republican presidential candidate, former Southern Baptist minister, and founder and Chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and host of The 700 Club^[23]
• Howard Baker Jr. '43: Former Senate Majority Leader, White House Chief of Staff, and Ambassador to Japan^[24]
• John M. Belk '39: President of Belk Department Stores, Inc. ^[25]and former Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina
• Sonny Montgomery '39: Former member of United States House of Representatives for Mississippi^[26]
• James Rhyne Killian '21: Former president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Ralph McGill '17: Pulitzer Prize winner, anti-segregationist, and former editor of the Atlanta Constitution^[27]

References

External links

• School website
• The Association of Boarding Schools profile