How to celebrate the opening of The Loyola School’s fabulous new elementary school building?
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, suggested the Rev. Mario M. Powell, S.J.
Powell, echoing the words of Psalm 100, presided Sept. 10 at the annual Service of the Holy Spirit in St. Ignatius Church and afterwards at the blessing of the new school building just up the block.
The building had opened two weeks earlier to The Loyola School’s first fourth grade class and to students from kindergarten through third grade. The long-awaited completion of the facility on the corner of Mount Vernon’s Calvert and Madison streets brought to fruition years of work by the Rev. William Watters, S.J., the school’s founder and now its president emeritus.
“We rejoice because this building, the dream of Fr. Watters, is now a reality,” Powell said, reveling in the “joyful noise” of students, parents and teachers exploring sparkling new spaces and getting down to the work of the new school year.
“It is a joyful noise we hope to continue to hear on this corner for years to come,” added Powell, provincial assistant for secondary and pre-secondary education in the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus.
Some of that joyful noise came from fourth grader Penelope, who read expertly and eloquently from Scripture as part of the service. Afterwards, she said she loves her new homeroom and the rooms where she and her classmates go for lessons in Spanish, religion, art, science and music.
“Everything is spectacular,” said Penelope, a Loyola School student since she was 3. “100 percent recommended!”
Austin, a third grader who also started at The Loyola School as a preschool student, agrees with Penelope but is always particularly eager to go to lunch and to religion class with teacher Doreen Williams.
“We talk about God, and I love God,” Austin said.
In addition to homerooms and specialty classrooms, the school includes a library and maker space, a health suite, offices, areas for prayer and reflection, and an assembly room. School President James Fiore and the board of trustees surprised Watters on ribbon-cutting day with the news that the assembly room will be named “Watters Hall.”
“This moment represents so much more than bricks and mortar—it reflects a vision that began with Fr. Watters and has been brought to life through the dedication, prayers, and generosity of so many in our community,” President James D. Fiore said. He thanked Watters, school trustees, benefactors and all involved in shepherding the new building into existence.
“With this new space,” he said, “we expand our mission to provide a high-quality, Jesuit, Catholic education to more students—starting as young as 2 years old and continuing through fourth grade.”
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, City Council member Jermaine Jones, and representatives of Mayor Brandon Scott, state Comptroller Brooke Lierman, and state Senate President Bill Ferguson all came to the ribbon-cutting. They offered congratulations to the school community and to Watters.
“When you work with Fr. Watters, it’s not a matter of ‘if,” but a matter of ‘when,’ said archdiocesan schools Chancellor Gregory Farno, noting that the school opened in 2017 with just 18 preschool students. It begins this new school year with 145 and remains on a trajectory toward 200. Students are from low-income Baltimore City families and are supported by scholarships.
The new elementary building was constructed from an innovative design that preserved the facades and front portions of historic Mount Vernon townhomes at 104-112 E. Madison St., combined with new construction to their rear and a main entrance on N. Calvert Street.
The Loyola School’s 60 preschool students remain in the school’s original home at 801 St. Paul St.
Austin is looking forward to spending his final two Loyola School years in the new building.
“The school makes you very smart,” he said.
Written by Dennis O’Shea