Loyola Blakefield

Loyola Blakefield is a Catholic, college preparatory school established by the Jesuits in 1852 to educate men to serve 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. It is a member of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore. Students from Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Harford County, Carroll County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County, and Pennsylvania attend the school.
== History ==
Upon reaching Maryland in 1634, the Jesuits carried out the objectives of their forefathers. They wanted to build new men, men who were conscious of a religious purpose. The Jesuits accomplished this in the way they knew best – through education. In 1851, Archbishop Francis Kenric 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. The construction of Loyola High School began on Calvert Street in Baltimore City, 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, and the renovations to the 60-year-old science laboratories in 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 nearly 1,000 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 and other standard metrics of success.
While the curriculum is standard for all students there is increasing flexibility in course selection as one moves from the sixth through the twelfth grades. Popular electives include Greek, Latin and a wide variety of AP courses.
The Loyola Forensics team is a standout club and team at the school. The team, which is led by English instructor Tom Tasselmeyer, was the champion of the National Forensics League in 2005.
==Athletics==
Loyola Blakefield participates in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) for all interscholastic sports, while the Basketball team participates in the Baltimore Catholic League in addition to the MIAA.
The athletics at Loyola Blakefield are historically successful, most notably in Football, Swimming, Cross-Country, and Lacrosse.
The football program is one of Baltimore's most revered. Recent MIAA gridiron championships for the Dons include a three-way title in 2006 and an outright winner in 2003, where the team was led by Brady Smith, currently a member of Boston College's nationally ranked squad. The Dons 2001 squad was able to beat nationally ranked Gilman in Joseph Brune's final year as head coach.
The soccer program has produced Division I talent in All-American goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald '06 Wake Forest, Defender Matt Reichenbach '06 Lafayette College, and Mike Lookingland '01 Bucknell. Mike Potempa '97 was named the Gatorade Maryland High School Player of the Year in 1996. He played on several Youth National Teams while attending Loyola. He went on to become an All-ACC player from 98-00 while playing at Clemson University. He was drafted 69th overall in the 2001 MLS Superdraft by the Los Angeles Galaxy, but retired due to injuries. He is currently an assistant coach at his college alma mater.
The Loyola Basketball program during the 1970s was regionally recognized as one of prominent status. Led by head coach Jerry Savage, he accumulated 600+ career wins from 1969 to 2003. He produced several D1 athletes, most notably Anthony Guy '78 and Pete Budko '77 who went on to the University of Kansas and University of North Carolina to play basketball. Loyola has been in the most Baltimore Catholic League finals with 13 total, and 6 championships. Savage also coached the 1997 MIAA Championship team, the last championship of any sort for the Dons basketball program. The program faced several disappointing seasons and also had a period of four years in which there were four head coaches. Josh Davalli, a former All-Metro player at Cardinal Gibbons in the mid-90's serves now as the current Varsity head coach, while also teaching in the Middle School.
The Swimming and Diving team, led by legendary coach Keith Schertle, completed its 14th straight MIAA Championship season and top 25 national ranking in 2007. The program has produced many All Americans (including 7 in 2007), multiple Olympians and NCAA division I competitors. Most notable are Patrick Kennedy of the 1984 US Olympic team and former University of Southern California captain Joe Curreri. 
Loyola Blakefield squares off every Thanksgiving Day, in the 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 has enjoyed tremendous success versus their arch-rival winning the last 5 consecutive years including 2007. They also hold a dominating record versus Calvert Hall in the series. The game is broadcast on television and radio courtesy of WMAR News.
==Notable alumni==
* Ephraim Francis Baldwin, architect for B&O Railroad.
* Louis A. Becker III, Associate Judge, Howard County, District 10, District Court of Maryland
* Luke K. Burns, Jr., Associate Judge, Carroll County Circuit Court, 5th Judicial Circuit
* Tom Clancy, Author 
* J. Joseph Curran, Jr., former Attorney General of Maryland
* Nathaniel Fick, Captain, USMC retired
* Bradley M. Kuhn, free software activist
* Mike Lookingland, Soccer player with Real Salt Lake and Baltimore Blast, 2001.
* Jim McKay, Sportscaster
*Donald S. Parker, former General Counsel of Fairchild Industries, Inc., Sprint International, and GlobalOne Telecommunications, Inc.
*James Cardinal Stafford, Major Penitentiary, former President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and former Archbishop of Denver
* Robert F. Sweeney, Chief Judge, District Court of Maryland
* Thomas F. Monteleone, author
* Bruce McGonigal, former National Football League player
==External Links==
*Official website for Loyola Blakefield
==Contact Information==
500 Chestnut Avenue; Towson (Baltimore), Maryland 21204, United States.
Category:Secondary schools in the United States
Category:Maryland Province
Category:Ignatius of Loyolaes:Loyola Blakefield