Benilde-St. Margaret's

For other schools of a similar name, see St Margaret's School (disambiguation).

Benilde-St. Margaret's School
Pietas ∙ Veritas ∙ Scientia Duty ∙ Truth ∙ Knowledge
Location
St. Louis Park, Minnesota, (Hennepin County), United States
Coordinates	44°57′30″N 93°20′43″W
Information
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Patron saint(s)	Saint Bénilde Romançon Saint Margaret of Scotland
Established	1907
President	Dr. Bob Tift
Principal	Dr. Sue Skinner
Faculty	95
Grades	7–12
Enrollment	1,171  (2008)
Grade 7	132
Grade 8	151
Grade 9	237
Grade 10	234
Grade 11	217
Grade 12	200
Average class size	21.6
Student to teacher ratio	11.4:1
Color(s)	Red and White
Athletics	26 varsity sports
Athletics conference	North Suburban Conference
Mascot	Red Knight
Accreditation(s)	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Athletic Director	Jerry Pettinger
Website	www.bsmschool.org

Benilde-St. Margaret's School, named after Saint Bénilde Romançon and Saint Margaret of Scotland, is a Catholic, co-educational private school for grades 7–12 located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, that draws its over one thousand students from throughout the Twin Cities Metro Area. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

History

Benilde-St. Margaret's was originally a secondary school formed by a merger in 1974 between St. Margaret's Academy, a Catholic secondary school for girls in Minneapolis, and Benilde High School, a Catholic secondary school for boys in St. Louis Park. Its present building was originally that of Benilde High School.

St. Margaret's Academy

St. Margaret's was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1907 as St. Margaret’s Academy. The campus for this all-girls school was located near the Basilica of St. Mary in downtown Minneapolis and included two mansions and a carriage house that had been built in the 1880s. By 1959 the old school had become inadequate in size – for every 100 girls accepted, about 200 were turned away. The Sisters of St. Joseph, who had anticipated such a problem, had purchased twenty-eight acres, and by 1960 a new school was built on Upton Avenue, near the Eloise Butler Wildflower Gardens and Wirth Park.

Benilde High School

Christian Brothers and Sisters, under the direction of Brother Mark Sullivan, built a boys' school in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park in 1956 because De La Salle (the first all-boys Catholic high school in the west metro) was full.

Merger

Both schools operated independently until the 1970s, at which time enrollment began to decline and costs began to escalate. In 1974, the St. Margaret’s facility was sold to the Minneapolis school system, and the merged Benilde-St. Margaret's School opened its door at the former Benilde High School site. One hundred ninety students graduated in its first class.

The school has undergone two major additions since the merger; a new gym in 1986, along with a new chapel, theatre, arts center, and classroom wing in 2001.

Academics

BSM Statistics
	BSM Average	MN Average	National Average
ACT	25.2	19.2	20.1
ACT Writing Test	6.0	4.7	N/A
ACT English/Writing	20.4	19.3	N/A
SAT Critical Reading	602	398	501
SAT Math	602	476	515
SAT Writing	604	373	493

Junior High School

In 1989, a junior high was added, and one hundred seventh- and eighth-graders were enrolled in the first year. Students receive laptops in order to do their work over the school year here. The principal of the Junior High is Dr. Carol McNamara. The Dean of the Junior High is Dave Platt.

The Community of Benilde-St. Margaret's

Benilde-St. Margaret's Community Video

Activities

The school competes in the North Suburban Conference, in the Minnesota State High School League. The school's TV broadcast is Knightline News and newspaper is the Knight Errant. The Knight Errant has won several awards and the website, bsmknighterrant.org [1], in 2009 received one of seven National Pace Maker Awards for progressive journalism. Speech is also quite popular, with 100 students participating in the season of 2009-2010.

Team State Championships
Season	Sport	Number of Championships	Year
Fall	Soccer, Boys	5	1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2011
	Cross Country, Boys	4	1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 (Catholic State HS Champs)
Winter	Alpine Skiing, Boys	1	2004
	Alpine Skiing, Girls	1	2000
	Hockey, Girls	2	2002, 2004
	Dance Team, Girls	6	1985, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011
	Hockey, Boys	2	1999, 2001
	Basketball, Girls	2	2006, 2010
	Basketball, Boys	3	1963 & 1964 (Catholic State HS Champs), 2008
Spring	Golf, Boys	2	1963 (Catholic State HS Champs), 2003
	Lacrosse, Boys	3	2007, 2010, 2011
Total		31

Individual State Championships
Season	Sport	Number of Championships	Year
Fall	Swimming & Diving, Girls	10	1978, 1978, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2002, 2003, 2003, 2004, 2004
	Tennis, Girls	1	2005
	Cross Country, Boys	2	1999, 2000
Winter	Wrestling	6	1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1967, 2010
Spring	Golf, Boys	1	2003
	Track & Field, Boys	7	2000, 2000, 2001, 2001, 2010, 2011, 2011
Total		27

Notable alumni

• Andrew Alberts, NHL Vancouver Canucks
• Ian Anderson, musician.
• Devean George, NBA Los Angeles Lakers.
• Sean Lumpkin, NFL New Orleans Saints.
• Larry Mikan, NCAA Minnesota Golden Gophers, NBA Cleveland Cavaliers
• Father H. Timothy ("Tim") Vakoc – the first U.S. military chaplain to die from wounds received in the Iraq War.
• Ian Wexler, soccer player - He played professional soccer with Longford Town F.C. in the League of Ireland where he played the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
• Jordan Taylor, NCAA University of Wisconsin-Madison 2008 Mr. Basketball award winner. Lead the Badgers to the Sweet 16 in 2011 March Madness.
• Bailey Dodds, NCAA University of Denver (transfer from Sacred Heart University) Winner of the 2010 Mr. Lacrosse Award. Lead the Red Knights to the 2010 MSHSL State Championship. Holds the state record for most points in one season.

External links

• Benilde-St. Margaret's Official Website