By Elizabeth Lowe
elowe@CatholicReview.org
The John Carroll School is celebrating its golden anniversary, marking five decades since the Archdiocese of Baltimore opened the first Catholic, co-educational high school in Harford County.
Cardinal Lawrence Shehan, then-archbishop of Baltimore, decided to construct an archdiocesan high school on 72 acres in Bel Air in the early 1960s. Named for the first archbishop of Baltimore, the school opened in September 1964 with 202 freshmen.
A look at John Carroll follows, with facts provided by the school and principal Madelyn Ball, who says “I love this school because it just has so much life to it.”
· Archbishop John Carroll was a churchman, scholar and patriot, hence the school’s mascot, the Patriot.
· The Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia were the school’s founding teachers.
· Twelve classrooms were added in 1984, a fine arts wing in 2000 and athletic facilities in 2003.
· John Carroll was recognized in 1995-96 as a National Blue Ribbon School, the U.S. Department of Education’s highest academic honor.
· Enrollment has more than tripled, to 670 students, with 50 hailing from 11 foreign countries through its International Student Program.
· The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Academy allows students to explore science-related fields and encourages job shadowing and internships.
· Seventeen fine arts offerings include drama, music, publications, ceramics and photography.
· Outreach includes seniors spending one week volunteering at a Honduras orphanage and the friend-to-friend program, created by a graduate, in which students work with clients from Gallagher Services for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities in Timonium.
· Anniversary celebrations kicked off in September with a Mass and the rededication of the former convent on campus, now St. Joseph Hall, home to 13 male international students.
· More than 8,000 alumni reside in all 50 states and 10 countries.
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