An Interview with Mr. Castle

Before Episcopal went coed, it looked very different from how it does today. The school was much smaller, having almost half as many students. Additionally, the school used to have the Rats System. Mr. Castle best described the Rats System as a form of institutionalized hazing, where the "Old Boys," juniors and seniors, would make new students perform a set of duties. These duties included ringing the class bell, knowing the entire football schedule, holding doors for all returning students, etc. The Rats System was also enforced by the school and those who violated the system would be forced to meet in front of the monitors. While the Rats System was abolished in the late 80s, many did not agree with this change, and some tried to keep this tradition alive. Due to these old traditions, Mr. Castle described the school as having, "a very all-male vibe."

Another big difference in campus life, before coeducation and Mr. Castle's time, was that the dorms were not divided by grade whatsoever. There were no freshman dorms or sophomore floors, everyone was mixed together.

When the school's transition to coeducation was announced in the January of 1991, there were many members of the community,  including students and faculty, who were opposed to the change. Tradition has always been a big deal in the Episcopal world, so it makes sense for some to be upset. However, for the number of people that did not want coeducation at Episcopal, there were just as many people that did. Mr. Castle remarked, "there were some who certainly wasn't in favor of it, but there were plenty who were super excited about it."

Mr. Castle has had a unique experience with coeducation because he has experienced it's integration in two different ways: as a student and as a teacher. While he was studying at Washington and Lee, they went coed, and then once he began teaching at Episcopal the same thing happened. Coeducation at W&L worked out great for Mr. Castle, as he eventually met his future wife at the university. Although he does not recall his exact reaction, he was still supportive of Episcopal's decision due to his own experiences at Washington and Lee. 

Compared to W&L, Mr. Castle believes that Episcopal handled the coed transition better. However, he did note that the First 48 did have a few rough experiences throughout their time at EHS. Nevertheless, Castle remembers the First 48 has a very resilient group and big contributors to the EHS community. The main difference between Episcopal being an all-boys school and a coed one was that it originally did not feel like a coed school. Episcopal felt like an all-boys school that just happened to accept girls. The all-male culture that had already been a part of the school for over 100 years definitely took time to break down. However, all good things take time, and these issues were eventually sorted out as more and more girls came in. Mr. Castle remembers that "It took time for the girls to feel like a part of the community and not just these students that the school had added."

Now that Episcopal was coed, the males at school were now obligated to act differently in class. They had to be a little more respectful, and be on "better behavior." Classes prior to coeducation had more of a "locker room" feel, where the boys felt like they could say things that most likely could not be said in a public, coed place. Guys now had to think a little more about their words before saying them. I believe that this change was for the better because, in the real world, you will be expected to behave in a respectful and kind fashion. Regardless of gender, boys and girls generally behave better when members of the opposite sex are in the room learning with them. 

The dynamic certainly changed a lot over the next couple of years. During the 1991-92 school year, besides the arrival of girls, much change was happening on campus. The Barlow Henderson building, commonly known as Hummel-McGuire was opened, and the Harrison-Anderson building was renovated. Originally, all the girls lived on Evans, but in the coming years more and more girls enrolled in Episcopal and they began living on Anderson and Harrison. Before all these new girls came in, many classes at EHS did not have a single girl, and Mr. Castle says, "It was definitely possible to move your way through the Episcopal academic day and never have a girl in your class." The influx of girls and the guy-girl ratio becoming more even definitely changed the dynamic. Girls were a more common part of Episcopal life and there were now senior girls. In fact, only five years after coeducation was implemented, six out of the members of the Honor Committee were girls, including the chair.  In the 6 years following the start of coeducation, there were two female head monitors, one in '93-94 and another in '96-97.

Although the Episcopal's transition to coeducation was generally smooth, there were a few things that they could have done better. For starters, the girls weren't treated completely as equally as the guys. For instance, the girl's dorms were alarmed, but the guy's dorms were not. While this choice was a matter of safety, not some other motive, it still showed that the school viewed the girls in a different way from the guys. 

However, the school did do a good job of trying to get more female faculty on campus. Many female faculty members were hired in anticipation of the First 48's arrival on campus. On the other hand, the school did not really hire a wide variety of female faculty. The school hired young female teachers and administrators but did not hire very many females that were sort of in the middle of their respective careers. But the school did make a considerable effort to hire more female faculty during the first few years of coeducation. 

Culture is the biggest difference between the First 48's experience at Episcopal at the experience of a girl currently attending or having recently graduated EHS. When the First 48 arrived, they were join a community that had been all-male for over 100 years. When something like that goes on for so long, it doesn't just change overnight. The First 48 were exposed and inserted into a culture that was built by and tailed for males. The pre-coed culture was very homophobic and definitely "all-male." It was up to the First 48 to pave the way for future girls. Now, girls at Episcopal are just as much a part of the community as boys. There is a shared community and culture at Episcopal, which is constantly evolving and changing. 

"[Coeducation] to me is one of the most important decisions in the life of the school."