High school fraternities and sororities

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High school fraternities and sororities, also called secondary fraternities and sororities, were inspired by and modeled after Greek-letter organizations which became prevalent in

universities during the nineteenth century.[1] Omega Eta Tau, formed in 1859 as Torch and Dagger in Council Bluffs, Iowa, is the first known high school fraternity.[2] It was followed by Gamma Sigma, Alpha Zeta, Alpha Phi, Sigma Psi, Alpha Chi Sigma, Pi Phi, Gamma Delta Psi, Eta Kappa, and more.[2]

The establishment of other fraternities was fairly slow, gaining momentum between 1890 and 1900 as older organizations added chapters and new Greek letter organizations were established.[3] Most high school fraternities were located at schools in and near New York City and Chicago, with San Francisco being a third location.[3] San Francisco's Girls' High School had seven sororities by 1905.[3]

Although there were many local high school fraternities and sororities with only one or two chapters, many secondary fraternities founded in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries grew into national organizations with highly evolved governing structures. In the early 20th century, many fraternities that formed in the

Pacific Coast.[3] In this era, President William Rainey Harper of the University of Chicago contacted the 464 largest secondary schools in the United States; 120 of the 306 reporting schools had one to six fraternities and many also had a sorority.[3] With this growth came pushback against these "secret societies" and their "obnoxious" practices.[3]

Some state and local governments banned fraternities and sororities in public schools. The states of Indiana, Kansas, and Minnesota and the city of [[Madison, Wisconsin, adopted regulations in 1907.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Reading, Pennsylvania; Superior, Wisconsin; and Waltham, Massachusetts, passed regulations in 1911.[3] As a result of these regulations, many Greek letter organizations ceased to exist and were replaced by local clubs; at some schools, fraternities went underground or changed to community-based organizations.[3][4][5] This favored the survival of smaller or local organizations over the larger national fraternities that continued to operate in the open.[3]

In response to the anti-fraternity sentiment and policies, the Grand Inter-Fraternity Council was formed in February 1909.[3] Its purpose was "to promote the usefulness of preparatory and high school fraternities; to place before the public the objects of these organizations and create a body by which all grievances between fraternities, school and civil officials can be fairly terminated."[3] Its founding members were organizations that were at least ten years old and had more than five chapters.[3] In 1910, the council included 25 fraternities that represented 31,455 members.[3] By 1912, 46 fraternities had joined the council.[3] Its counterpart for sororities was the Junior Pan-Hellenic Congress.[6]

In December 1927, Gamma Sigma was the first high school fraternity to established a chapter outside of the United States and the first international high school fraternity, establishing its Alpha Zeta chapter in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.[2] Theta Kappa Sigma sorority was established at Stamford Collegiate Institute in Niagara Falls, Ontario in 1932. By 1969, there were forty high school fraternities and sororities in the United States and Canada.[2]

The following is an incomplete list of secondary and high school fraternities and sororities.

Social fraternities

Organization Symbols Founding date and range Founding institution Foundation location Status References
Alpha Chi Sigma ΑΧΣ Inactive [2]
Alpha Phi ΑΦ 1876 Colgate Academy Hamilton, New York Active [7][8][a]
Alpha Zeta ΑΖ December 8, 1869 Union Classical Institute Schenectady, New York Active [3][7][8][b]
ATOPHI (Alpha Tau Omega Phi) ΑΤΩΦ November 2, 1988 West Philadelphia High School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
 Active [9]
Delta Sigma ΔΣ 1897–198x ? Lewis Institute
Chicago, Illinois
 Inactive [c]
Delta Theta ΔΘ 1896 Polytechnic Institute
Brooklyn, New York
 Inactive [d]
Eta Kappa ΗΚ Inactive [2]
Eta Kappa Phi ΗΚΦ before 1898 Inactive [7][e]
Chi Sigma Chi ΧΣΧ 1890 New York Military Academy Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York Inactive [f]
Gamma Alpha ΓΑ 1914
Baton Rouge High School
 Baton Rouge, Louisiana Active
Gamma Beta Phi ΓΒΦ
Williston Seminary
 Easthampton, Massachusetts Inactive [7]
Gamma Delta Psi ΓΔΨ April 13, 1879 – c. 1995; 2008
James Hillhouse High School
 New Haven, Connecticut Inactive [2][10][g]
Gamma Eta Kappa ΓΗΚ 1883 Lowell High School
San Francisco, California
 Inactive [7][8][3][h]
Gamma Sigma ΓΣ October 1869
Brockport State Normal School
 Brockport, New York Active [2][7]
Kappa Alpha Pi ΚΑΠ 1904–196x ?
Chicago, Illinois
 Inactive
Lambda Sigma ΛΣ Michigan Inactive [7]
Omega Delta ΩΔ 1950 c. 1950–196x ?
La Salle Senior High School
 Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [11]
Omega Eta Tau ΩΗΤ 1859–1861, 1866–1880, 1893 Council Bluffs, Iowa Active [i]
Omega Gamma Delta ΩΓΔ 1902
Brooklyn, New York
 Active [12][j]
Omicron Kappa Pi ΟΚΠ November 1893
Lewis Institute
Chicago, Illinois
 Inactive [7][8][k]
Phi Chi ΦΧ San Francisco, California Inactive [3]
Phi Kappa ΦΚ 1919 Southern University Preparatory School Greensboro, Alabama Active
Phi Lambda Sigma ΦΛΣ February 12, 1892 Clinton Academy Clinton, Missouri Inactive [13][l]
Phi Sigma Chi ΦΣΧ November 28, 1900 Zanesville, Ohio Inactive
Pi Delta Koppa ΠΔϘ 1889 Michigan Military Academy Orchard Lake, Michigan Inactive
Pi Phi ΠΦ 1878–198x ? Rochester Free Academy Rochester, New York Inactive [2][7][m]
Sigma Phi Omega ΣΦΩ 1902 Sewanee Military Institute Sewanee, Tennessee Inactive [n]
Sigma Psi ΣΨ 1950 c. 1950–196x ?
La Salle Senior High School
 Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [2][11]
Tau Kappa Delta ΤΚΔ 1924 Pottsville Area High School Pottsville Pennsylvania Active
Theta Kappa Omega ΘΚΩ November 13, 1872 – 196x ? California Military Academy Mayfield, California Inactive
Upsilon Lambda Phi ΥΛΦ April 5, 1916 Inactive

Social sororities

Organization Symbols Founding date and range Founding institution Foundation location Status References
Alpha Sigma ΑΣ California Inactive [3]
Beta Delta ΒΔ 1926 Shreveport, Louisiana Active
Delta Chi ΔΧ 1950 c. 1950–196x ?
La Salle Senior High School
 Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [11]
Delta Iota Chi ΔΙΧ California Inactive [3]
Eta Phi ΗΦ
Albany Normal School
 Albany, New York Inactive [7]
Gamma Theta ΓΘ 1931
Baton Rouge High School
 Baton Rouge, Louisiana Active
Lambda Theta Phi ΛΘΦ California Inactive [3]
Omega Nu ΩΝ 1897 San José High School San Jose, California Active [3][14]
Theta Chi Omicron. ΘΧΟ 1950 c. 1950–196x ?
La Salle Senior High School
 Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [11]
Theta Kappa Sigma ΘΚΣ 1932 Stamford Collegiate Institute Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Active
Xi Gamma Rho ΞΓΡ 1950 c. 1950–196x ?
La Salle Senior High School
 Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [11]

Jewish fraternities

Organization Symbols Founding date and range Founding institution Foundation location Status References
Aleph Zadik Aleph אצא 1924 Omaha, Nebraska Active
Phi Beta ΦΒ 1920 Inactive [15][o]
Phi Sigma Beta ΦΣΒ June 22, 1910 – 1914 DeWitt Clinton High School
New York City, New York
 Inactive [16][p]
Pi Upsilon Phi ΠΥΦ Inactive [17][q]
Sigma Alpha Rho ΣΑΡ November 18, 1917 – c. 2014, December 2022 West Philadelphia High School West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Active [18][19][r]

Jewish sororities

Organization Symbols Founding date and range Founding institution Foundation location Status References
B'nai B'rith Girls
 1944 Omaha, Nebraska Active
Iota Phi ΙΦ Inactive [20]
Sigma Theta Pi ΣΘΠ 1909 c. 1909 Inactive [17][21][22][s][t]

High school honor societies

Main article:
Honor Society § Secondary school honor societies

High school secret societies

Main article: High school secret societies

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Was formed as a local literary society in 1870.
  2. ^ The fraternity was originally organized Alpha Beta Debating Club, a literary and debating society at Union Classical Institute, later known as Schenectady High School. It did not add a second chapter until seventeen years later.
  3. ^ Originally begun as an athletic fraternity, its focus became purely social as it expanded throughout the United States. By the 1980s, most chapters of the fraternity had become dormant.
  4. ^ The fraternity chartered chapters in towns throughout the mid-Atlantic states, the upper midwest, and as far away as California.
  5. ^ Had chapters in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  6. ^ At its peak, the fraternity included over thirty chapters.
  7. ^ The fraternity was defunct by 1995. It was revived in 2008.
  8. ^ Formed as a literary society at Boys High School, now the Lowell High School.
  9. ^ Formed as Torch and Dagger. It was renamed Omega Eta Tau in 1900 when it began expanding nationally.
  10. ^ In the 2010s, it was recast as "a fraternity for men" with a focus on citywide alumni and graduate clubs.
  11. ^ Formed at the Chicago Academy, later known as the Lewis Institute.
  12. ^ Expanded to normal schools and is still active as a collegiate educational fraternity.
  13. ^ Pi Phi spread to more than 110 chapters before lapsing into solely alumni chapters in the 1980s.
  14. ^ At least thirty chapters of the fraternity were founded in other states throughout the Southern United States.
  15. ^ Not to be confused with the professional fraternity for the creative and performing arts.
  16. ^ The fraternity was re-established as Tau Delta Phi collegiate organization in 1914.
  17. ^ Its Sigma chapter was at Syracuse.
  18. ^ The fraternity formed from the Soathical Club. In December 2022, the fraternity was reactivated with a new chapter in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
  19. ^ Not to be confused with the international sorority with a similar name, Sigma Thêta Pi, founded in 2003, nor the local Christian fraternity at Howard Payne University, founded in 2004.
  20. ^ Its Upsilon chapter was in the Twin Cities.

References

  1. ^ Owen, William Bishop. "The Good of High School Fraternities" The School Review, vol. 14, no. 7 (1906): 492.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Atkinson, Joseph William (1969). Gamma Sigma: The First One Hundred Years. Gamma Sigma Fraternity International. p. 11 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Cooper. W. J. The High School Fraternity: Report of the Committee of High School Teachers Association. Reprinted from the Sierra Educational News, vol. 9, no. 1 (January 1913). San Francisco: High School Teachers Association, 1913. via Hathi Trust.
  4. ^ Owen, William Bishop. "The Problem of the High School Fraternities". The School Review, vol. 14, no. 7 (1906): 492–504. JSTOR, . Accessed 3 May 2025.
  5. ^ Perkins, Glen O. "The Elimination of Fraternities and Sororities in the Tucson High School". The School Review, vol. 31, no. 3. (March 1923): 224–226.
  6. ^ "Sorority Directory". Banta's Greek Exchange Directory. 10 (4). 1922 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Baird, William Raimond, ed. American College Fraternities, 5th edition. New York: Wm. Raimond Baird, 1898. pp. 362-365. via Hathi Trust.
  8. ^ a b c d Sheldon, Henry Davidson. Student Life And Customs. New York: D. Appleton, 1901. p. 297-298. via Hathi Trust.
  9. ^ The Record (yearbook). West Philadelphia High School,.1990
  10. ^ Educational Manual Gamma Delta Psi Fraternity International (PDF). Gamma Delta Psi Fraternity International. November 2019. p. 3. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e La Salle Senior High School Yearbooks. Niagara Falls, New York: 1950s and 1960s.
  12. ^ "High School Frat Organizes as Club; Omega Gamma Delta Adopts Plan". Brooklyn Eagle. 1915-02-13. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-05-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "History". Phi Lambda Sigma. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  14. ^ "About Us". Omega Nu Sorority. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  15. ^ Schneiderman, Harry, ed. (1941). American Jewish Yearbook September 22, 1941, to September 11, 1942 (PDF). Vol. 43. Spring Branch, Texas: The Jewish Publication Society of America.
  16. ^ "History – Tau Delta Phi". Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  17. ^ a b "Sigma Theta Phi Group to Hold Annual Meeting", The Jewish Daily Bulletin, June 26, 1934, p. 7. via Jewish Telegraph Society, accessed 27 Jan 2020.
  18. ^ "The History of Sigma Alpha Rho". Sigma Alpha Rho Fraternity. Archived from the original on 2003-08-11. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  19. ^ Solway, Ezra (March 8, 2023). "100-year Jewish fraternity reactivates, aims for South Jersey chapter". Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  20. ^ "Media - Documenting Maine Jewry". Maine Jews. Retrieved 2023-08-02. Their 1960 convention program lists several chapters in the New England area
  21. ^ Adler, Cyrus; Szold, Henrietta (1920). American Jewish Year Book. Vol. 22. Jewish Publication Society of America.
  22. ^ "Sigma Theta Pi Sorority Conclave, 1940". University of Washington University Libraries. Retrieved 2023-08-02.

Bibliography

  • Brown, J. Ward. American Secondary School Fraternities. New York: Maske Brown Company, 1913.
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