Brief History of The Leelanau School

In the summer of 1923, Cora and Skipper Beals founded a camp for boys on the shores of Lake Michigan in Glen Arbor and named it Camp Leelanau. Both were on the faculty of Principia College, a Christian Science School, in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1929 the camp’s success prompted some male campers to ask the Beals if they would consider opening a nine-month high school program. The Beals agreed and The Leelanau School was born.

From the beginning, the boys were involved in more than just “preparing for college”. The Beals valued the preparation for life. To them, teaching was an around-the-clock, all-encompassing mission. The boys were taught the value of mental and manual work, spiritual and scientific lessons, and an appreciation for the environments they encountered. These values remain an integral part of our program.

By the early 1940s, it was clear that a sister school was needed and The Pinebrook School for Girls was founded.

Mr. Beals died in 1942, and the administrative reins passed to Helen and Arthur Huey, both of whom had been involved in the school during the Beals’ tenure. Under the Hueys’ leadership, the Schools grew significantly, while maintaining the same sense of purpose and direction.

The Leelanau Experience developed from the wisdom and foresight of these four outstanding educators who, for Leelanau’s first forty years, carefully and lovingly guided the values associated with The Leelanau School.

In its original structure under private ownership, Leelanau was not able to solicit tax-deductible gifts, and this made fundraising for the school difficult. In 1963, the Hueys donated land just south of the original location in an area that includes the Leelanau Library and Auditorium. The Schools were consolidated into a non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Trustees.

In 1987, the camps were separated from the school and continue today as summer camps for Christian Scientists at Port Oneida, only a few miles north of the school.

In September, 2004, The Board approved an official refinement of its focus to serving students with language-based learning differences, and ADD/ADHD – students whom Leelanau has served best since 1929.

In recent years, the alumni interest in their school has grown considerably, and each summer brings an increasing number of alumni back to school to reminisce about their years at Leelanau and to receive a sense of the school today. From 1929 through the present and into the future, a common experience of having a secondary school education in the woods of Northern Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan, and along the banks of the Crystal River, unite all generations of Leelanau students.

Students and their families continue to choose Leelanau because of its: location, college preparatory curriculum, recognition as a school which successfully helps kids who struggle in a traditional learning environment, strong science program and caring, dedicated faculty committed to providing a nurturing environment for each child. Leelanau has been a special place for over 3,000 young people and has survived because it is a school fully committed to helping each student achieve his/her full potential.