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Saint Frances Academy (Baltimore)

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Saint Frances Academy is an independent Catholic high school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1828 to educate African-American children, it is the first and oldest continually operating Black Catholic school in the United States.

ST FRANCES ACADEMY ATHLETICS
Address
Map
501 East Chase Street

Baltimore
,
Maryland
21202

United States
Coordinates39°18′8″N 76°36′30″W / 39.30222°N 76.60833°W / 39.30222; -76.60833
Information
TypePrivate
MottoProvidentia Providebit
(Providence will provide)
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
(Oblate Sisters of Providence)
DenominationCatholic
Established1828; 196 years ago (1828)
FounderMother Mary Lange, OSP
OversightOblate Sisters of Providence
CEEB code210185
Head of schoolDeacon Curtis Turner, Ed.D.
Teaching staff14
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment260
Average class size18
Student to teacher ratio15:1
Campus size2.96 acres (1.20 ha)
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Blue & White   
Athletics: Black & Gold   
Slogan"We can. We will. We must."
AthleticsMIAA, IAAM
MascotPanthers
NicknameSFA
Team namePanthers
RivalEverybody
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[1]
YearbookThe Counsellor
School fees$0
Tuition$12,400 (2024–25)
AffiliationCatholic school
NCEA School ID1026047
Websitewww.sfacademy.org

History

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Early years

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On June 13, 1828, the Oblate School for Colored Girls opened for its first year at 5 St. Mary's Court in Baltimore's Seton Hill neighborhood, northwest of downtown, near St. Mary's Seminary and College. The seminary was then located on North Paca Street; founded in 1791, it was the first Catholic seminary in the United States.[2][3] It was established with the mission to teach "children of color to read the Bible". But teaching enslaved children was prohibited by law.[4]

The following year in 1829, the school operated from 610 George Street and then 48 Richmond Street (now West Read Street), a few blocks away.[5] In 1832 the school graduated its first class, with ceremonies.

By 1853, the school changed its name from the Oblate School for Colored Girls to the Saint Frances School for Colored Girls, named after St. Frances of Rome (1384–1440). The title was later shortened to the Saint Frances Academy.[6]

In 1871, the school moved to its current location in inner East Baltimore at 501 East Chase Street. This is now within the Johnston Square neighborhood.

Modern era

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In the 20th century, the school focused on higher grades. It started admitting boys in the 1970s.[7] The school now offers a traditional, co-educational, college-preparatory curriculum for students in grades nine through twelve.

An honors program is available to select students. All students complete a community service component. Independently owned and operated by the Oblates, the school is approved by the Maryland State Department of Education and is accredited by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the regional agency of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

The student population is still predominantly African-American.

Bill and Camille Cosby donations

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In 2012, Camille Cosby, an alumna of a school in Washington run by the Oblates, and her husband Bill Cosby made a donation to assist St. Frances Academy in building a community center in East Baltimore.[8] The community center was originally named after both her and her husband, but his name was removed after the revelation of multiple sexual offenses by him.[9]

Athletics

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Football

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The football program was founded in 2008, with one initial $60,000 contribution coming from Gilman School coach Biff Poggi.

In the late 2010s, St. Frances' football program became the subject of controversy in Maryland. After Poggi took over as head coach in 2017, he began aggressively recruiting talented players from inside and outside Maryland, to a greater degree than other private schools in the state. Within a few seasons, St. Frances became effectively unbeatable by their traditional opponents in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) (which they won in 2016 and 2017), regularly defeating them by wide margins.[10]

Before 2018 those teams told St. Frances they would no longer play them, citing safety concerns as many of St. Frances' recruits were well outside the typical height and weight range for high school players and more in line with college football teams. Some St. Frances supporters believe the opponents' real motives were racial, since there had been no complaints when predominantly white teams such as Gilman had been similarly successful in earlier seasons. The team won the MIAA championship before the season even started, as those opponents who refused to play had to forfeit their games. The school scheduled intrasquad scrimmages, opponents from as far away as Canada, and road trips to the South for the players' benefit.[10]

Poggi departed the program in July 2021. The St. Frances team continued its winning ways, finishing the following season in the top 5 of MaxPreps' 10 national rankings.[11]

Basketball

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  • Men's Basketball (MIAA A Conference Championships): 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2018–19.[12]
  • Women's Basketball (IAAM A Conference Championships): 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019-20[13]

Notable alumni

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Dr. Sandra Williams Ortega

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Archived from the original on 2009-07-12. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
  2. ^ Banks, Willa Young. "A Contradiction in Antebellum Baltimore: A Competitive School for Girls of 'Color' within a Slave State". Maryland Historical Magazine. Vol. 99, no. 2. Maryland Historical Society. pp. 132–163.
  3. ^ Morrow, Diane (2002). Person of Color and Religious at the Same Time. University of North Carolina Press.
  4. ^ Moore, Ralph Jr.; Flowers, Willie (2020-02-08). "Mother Mary Lange's Sainthood: If Not Now When?". Afro. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  5. ^ "The Oblate Sisters of Providence and Early African American" (PDF). Maryland Historical Society. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  6. ^ "The Oblate School for Colored Girls: Historical Background" (PDF). Maryland Historical Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-01-20. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  7. ^ SFA. "St. Frances Academy Historic Narrative". Retrieved 2007-05-08.
  8. ^ Hare, Mary Gail. "Baltimore school honors the Cosbys", Baltimore Sun, April 20, 2012
  9. ^ Green, Erica L., "Baltimore Catholic school to name community center after Bill and Camille Cosby", Baltimore Sun, March 30, 2012
  10. ^ a b Stanley, Tiffany (January 28, 2019). "The Lost Season". Washington Post Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  11. ^ "High school football rankings: St. Frances Academy moves to No. 5 in MaxPreps Top 25 after 34-24 win over IMG Academy - MaxPreps". MaxPreps.com. 2021-11-22. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  12. ^ "MIAA A Conference Basketball Championships". Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  13. ^ "IAAM A Conference Basketball Championships". Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  14. ^ "As Billie Holiday biopic celebrates Golden Globe win for lead actress, a look back at the jazz legend raised in Baltimore". Baltimore Sun. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  15. ^ "Riding the black history trail, again". The Catholic Review. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  16. ^ "Kingsley Jonathan". cuse.com. Syracuse Orange.
  17. ^ "nia-clouden". ESPN.com.
  18. ^ "Defensive Player of the Year: Eyabi Anoma St. Frances". The Baltimore Sun. December 15, 2017. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Bean, Josh (3 January 2019). "Center of attention: Alabama signee Darrian Dalcourt made position switch in high school". AL.com. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  20. ^ Dunn, Kathrine (17 April 2018). "St. Frances All-Metro linebacker Shane Lee commits to Alabama". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Adrian "Ace" Baldwin Jr. - 2022-23 - Men's Basketball". Virginia Commonwealth University.
  22. ^ SamuraiFoochs (December 18, 2019). "WR Jahmal Banks Signs With Wake Forest". Blogger So Dear. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  23. ^ "St. Frances defensive end Chris Braswell commits to Alabama". Baltimore Sun. November 25, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  24. ^ "St. Frances running back Blake Corum named Gatorade Maryland Football Player of the Year". The Baltimore Sun. December 6, 2019.
  25. ^ Sang, Orion (23 May 2019). "Michigan football picks up 3rd commitment from St. Frances Academy for 2020". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  26. ^ "Traeshon Holden - Football". Alabama Athletics.
  27. ^ "Angel Reese". USA Basketball.
  28. ^ Page, Fletcher. "UGA football lands four-star OLB Jamon Dumas-Johnson". Online Athens. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  29. ^ McFadden, Ryan (11 December 2021). "St. Frances senior LB Jaishawn Barham, one of nation's top recruits, commits to South Carolina". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Derrick Moore". University of Michigan. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  31. ^ Staff reports (2020-01-20). "Colonial Forge football standout Elijah Sarratt transferring to St. Frances Academy". Inside NOVA. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  32. ^ "Carlton 'Bub' Carrington, one year removed from St. Frances in Baltimore, becomes an NBA Lottery pick". High School On SI. 27 June 2024.
  33. ^ Danois, Alejandro (2023-12-12). "St. Frances quarterback Michael Van Buren picks Mississippi State". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
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