Loyola Blakefield

For other places with the same name, see Loyola High School (disambiguation).

Loyola Blakefield
"Roll, Dons, Roll"
Address
500 Chestnut Avenue Towson, Maryland, (Baltimore County), 21204-3704 United States
Coordinates	39°24′13″N 76°37′36″W
Information
Type	Private, for boys and young men
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic, Jesuit
Established	1852
CEEB Code	211030
President	Rev. Thomas A. Pesci, S.J.
Principal	Anthony Day
Asst. Principal	Charles Levering, John McCaul
Chaplain	Rev. Joseph Michini, S.J.
Grades	6–12
Enrollment	1,000  (Average)
Color(s)	Blue and Gold
Slogan	Men for Others, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Song	Loyola Alma Mater
Fight song	"Come On You Dons to the Fight"
Athletics conference	MIAA
Sports	Lacrosse, Soccer, Football, Wrestling, Water Polo, Swimming, Squash, Tennis, Ice-Hockey, Basketball, Volleyball, Cross-Country, Indoor Track, Track & Field, Golf, Rugby
Mascot	The Loyola Don
Nickname	Dons
Rival	Calvert Hall
Average SAT scores	2200
Publication	The Blakefield Magazine
Newspaper	'The Loyolan'
Yearbook	The Loyola
Tuition	$16,075
Dean of Students	John Stewart
Admissions Director	Michael Breschi
Athletic Director	Michael Keeney
Website	loyolablakefield.org

Loyola Blakefield is a Catholic, college preparatory school established by the Society of Jesus, to educate men for others. The ideal Loyola graduate is a man of integrity who, because he strives "to find God in all things," is open to growth, dedicated to academic excellence, religious, committed to diversity, and loving. Loyola Blakefield is located in Towson, Maryland.

Students from Baltimore County, Baltimore, Harford County, Carroll County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County and Southern Pennsylvania attend the school.

History

In 1851, Archbishop Francis Kenrick asked the Jesuits to oversee the formation of a school for laymen that would incorporate the Jesuit standards of excellence and build new men conscious of a religious purpose. His request was prompted by the 1852 closure of nearby St. Mary's College. The construction of Loyola High School began on Charles Street in Baltimore, Maryland in early 1852, and on September 15, 1852, the doors opened to young men.

In the early 1930s the growing and cramped high school began to look toward moving north of the city. In 1933, with the support of the Blake family, Loyola purchased the land known today as Blakefield in Towson, Maryland. In 1941, the students moved to the new campus. Between 1981 and 1988, a Middle School was gradually introduced, and in recognition of the two levels of education, Loyola High School officially became known as Loyola Blakefield.

Loyola Blakefield has seen many changes and enhancements these past few years, some of them striking, such as the construction of Knott Hall which houses the student commons and dining hall, athletic center, and alumni areas, the Burk Hall academic wing, the renovations to the 60-year-old science laboratories, and the construction of an additional section to Wheeler Hall.

The mission and philosophy remain the hallmarks of the Jesuit education at Blakefield, the benchmarks by which true educational success can be measured. There are over nine hundred students today at Loyola Blakefield in grades six through twelve.

Academics

Loyola Blakefield maintains a strong academic program, in keeping with Jesuit tradition. Among the Catholic schools in Baltimore it is the best in terms of its average graduating SAT scores, number of National Merit Finalists, AP exams taken, and other standard metrics of success. Loyola students frequently attend the nation's leading universities and undergraduate scholarship programs. Members of its alumni community have gone on to earn additional academic honors such as the Rhodes Scholarship.

While the curriculum, emphasizing liberal arts and holistic development, is standard for all students there is increasing flexibility in course selection as one moves from the sixth through the twelfth grades. Some extremely popular electives include Visual Arts, Classical Languages, History of Music, and a wide variety of AP courses.

The Loyola Forensics team is a standout club and team at the school. The team, which was led by English instructor Tom Durkin and is currently led by Science teacher Charles Donovan, was the champion of the National Catholic Forensic League in 2005, and repeated the feat in 2010. The team has also garnered great success on the state and district levels- having captured the state title for the majority of the past two decades and the Chesapeake District title in 2011.

Athletics

The sports teams at Loyola Blakefield have been historically successful, most notably in football, lacrosse, swimming, basketball, and cross-country. Loyola Blakefield competes in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) for all interscholastic sports; in addition to the MIAA, the basketball team is also a member of the Baltimore Catholic League.

Recent MIAA championships for the Dons include a three-way title in 2006, a two-way tie in 2007, and an outright winner in 2003. Recently, Loyola's 2008 football team became the first undefeated team since 1960 and the first team to win 11 games in a single season. The Dons 2001 squad was able to beat nationally ranked Gilman in Joseph Brune's final year as head coach. The football team also consists of a good student section.

The Loyola Blakefield football team also plays every Thanksgiving Day in one of the oldest continual national Catholic high school football rivalries against cross-town rival Calvert Hall College. The game, known as the Turkey Bowl, is held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Loyola had won the last six contests before being defeated by Calvert Hall in 2009 and 2010. The game is broadcast on television and radio by WMAR-TV.

The Loyola lacrosse program is among the school's most recognized. The lacrosse team won eight championships in the 1980s and recently won championships in 2001, 2007, and 2008. In 2007, they defeated Boys' Latin 10-6 in the MIAA championship game. In 2008, they defeated previously undefeated Gilman 12-11 in the championship game at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium in front of over 8,000 spectators. Loyola has produced numerous players who have continued on to play collegiate lacrosse, including National Lacrosse Hall of Famer John Stewart, and Peter Kimmel. Recent alumni Matt Pinto and Tim Sullivan are now amongst a talented teaching staff.

The soccer program won the Maryland Championship in 2001 and has produced Division I talent. Loyola soccer is currently coached by Lee Tschantret, a former longtime player in the Major Indoor Soccer League who won several championships with the Baltimore Blast.^{[citation needed]}

The Loyola basketball program reached regional prominence in the 1970s when it was led by head coach Jerry Savage, who has won over 600 games from 1969 to 2003. He produced several Division I players. Savage also coached the 1997 MIAA Championship team, the last championship of any sort for the Dons basketball program. Loyola has been in the most Baltimore Catholic League finals with 13 total and 6 championships. More recently, the program had several disappointing seasons and experienced a four-year period with four different head coaches. Currently, Josh Davalli, a former All-Metro player at Cardinal Gibbons in the mid-90's, serves as varsity head coach while also teaching in the Middle School.

The swimming and diving team, led by coach Keith Schertle, completed its 16th straight MIAA Championship season and top 10 national ranking in 2009. The program has produced numerous All-Americans (including seven in 2007), multiple Olympians and NCAA Division I competitors. Most notable are Patrick Kennedy of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team.^{[citation needed]}

After years of unsuccessful efforts, the water polo team finally won its first MIAA A Conference Championship in 2009, defeating rival Calvert Hall 7-6 in the championship game at the United States Naval Academy.^{[citation needed]}

Loyola's up-and-coming rugby program won the second ever MIAA A Conference Championship in 2008 against John Carroll 14-7. The Dons ended the season with only one MIAA loss, which they avenged against Spalding in the semifinal, 17-10.^{[citation needed]}

Cross country running and Track and field have recently gotten a turn in the spotlight, with some of the best athletes in the United States for high school.

Notable alumni

• Tom Clancy, author
• Jim McKay, Emmy-winning Olympic sports caster and host of the Wide World of Sports
• Ephraim Francis Baldwin, architect for B&O Railroad.
• J. Joseph Curran, Jr., former Attorney General of Maryland
• Nathaniel Fick, former USMC captain and author of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer
• Michael U. Gisriel, former member of the Maryland House of Delegates
• Jason La Canfora, NFL Network analyst
• Brendan Hines, actor in Fox's Lie to Me.
• James Cardinal Stafford, Apostolic Penitentiary, former President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and former Archbishop of Denver
• Thomas F. Monteleone, author
• Bruce McGonnigal, former National Football League player
• Carl Stokes, member of the Baltimore City Council
• Bill Stromberg, College Football Hall of Fame wide receiver
• Bradley M. Kuhn, free software activist
• Jack Casey, Christian Dior designer
• John Moag, former head of the Maryland Stadium Authority, was instrumental in bringing NFL football back to Baltimore
• Steele Stanwick, University of Virginia lacrosse player
• Chris Stover, John Weiffenbach, and John Finnegan of the legendary hardcore band Void (band)

External links

• Loyola Blakefield Homepage