- Boston Latin Academy
Infobox Secondary school
name = Boston Latin Academy
motto =
established =1877
type = Public Coeducational Secondary
affiliations =Boston Public Schools
affiliation =
principal = Maria Garcia-Aaronson
teaching_staff = ~ 80
enrollment = ~ 1800
students =
grades_label =
grades = 7-12
address = 205 Townsend St
city =Boston
state =Massachusetts
country =United States
district =
colors =Black andgold
colours =
athletics =
mascot =
emblem =
yearbook =
newspaper =
website = [Website http://boston.k12.ma.us/BLA/home.htm]
picture =Boston Latin Academy is a
public exam school school in the Boston Public School system for students from 7th to 12th grade. Founded in 1877 as Girls' Latin School, the school is currently located in the Dorchester section ofBoston ,Massachusetts .History
Boston Latin Academy was founded in 1878 as Girls’ Latin School. The founding of the school was the result of citizen and parent participation and the intention to establish college preparatory training for girls. A plan to admit girls to Public Latin School was formed by the Massachusetts Society for the University Education of Women and Henry Durant, president of
Wellesley College .A committee was formed to discuss the issue. A petition with a thousand signatures was presented to the School Board in September 1877. The board referred the question to the subcommittee on high schools.
Meanwhile a group of parents met with the headmaster of Public Latin School and asked that their daughters be admitted. Although the headmaster was willing to teach the girls, he thought it best to wait for the sub committee's decision. Ultimately the subcommittee recommended that a separate Latin School for girls be established.
Girls’ Latin School opened on West Newton Street in Boston’s South End in 1878. The school had only 40 pupils in its 3 classes. The first class graduated in 1881 with 6 members. The number of students grew each year. When the number of students exceeded 350 in 1898, the school committee moved the first four classes to a building in Copley Square while the fifth and sixth remained in the old building. In 1908, Girls’ Latin School moved into a new building, shared with Boston New School located on Huntington Avenue in the Fenway.
The school remained there until 1955, when Teachers’ College expanded, forcing Girls’ Latin School to relocate to the former Dorchester High School for Girls building located in Codman Square.
In 1979, the School Committee recognized a state law that ended sex discrimination in the two Latin Schools. Soon after, boys were accepted into the school and the name was changed to Boston Latin Academy.
In 1984, Latin Academy moved back into the Fenway area, this time to Ipswich Street, across from
Fenway Park . It remained there until the summer of 1993, when it moved back again, this time to its present location in the formerBoston Technical High School , located on Townsend in Roxbury.Latin Academy has adopted a nurturing environment contrary to that of its sister schoolBoston Latin . Though Latin Academy is nurturing, a great number of students transfer out due to the difficulty of the courses. In 2006 Boston Latin Academy had 247 graduates, the largest class in its history.In 2008, there was a severe lockdown in the school. The first lockdown was initiated on the day of Wednesday, March 12th after a live bullet shell casing was found in the sink of a 3rd floor boy's bathroom. The school remained on lockdown for about two hours until the school had been checked from top to bottom.Academics
Boston Latin Academy's curriculum is deeply rooted in the classics. Students are requried to take rigorous college preparatory classes and a required four years of Latin. Over 20 different types of Advanced Placement classes are offered along with a myriad of Honors classes. Boston Latin Academy has a long tradition of academic excellence and has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as an Outstanding American High School and by America’s Best Redbook Schools for Overall Excellence. Some characteristics of the school are
*Excellence in academics with a high rate of college placement
*Dedicated faculty who challenge and encourage students
*Honors and Advanced Placement Courses
*Exemplary Peer Tutoring Programs
*Supportive Alumni Association through BLAA
*Active and supportive Community Booster Club and School Parent Council
*Generous and supportive Business Partner
*Students who represent Boston’s multicultural, multiracial populationAthletics
Currently Latin Academy offers a wide variety of sports.
*Football
*Boys Soccer
*Girls Soccer
*Girls Volleyball
*Boys Cross Country
*Girls Cross Country
*Girls Basketball
*Boys Basketball
*Girls Hockey
*Boys Hockey
*Coed Swimming,
*Girls Track
*Boys Track
*Baseball
*Softball
*Boys Volleyball
*Girls Track
*Boys Track
*Girls Golf
*Boys Tennis
*Girls TennisAdmissions
To gain admissions to Boston Latin Academy a student must take the ISEE admissions test which is administered in early November. Students must also be residents of Boston. Entrance is allowed in the 7th and 9th grades. Cheerleading is also a sport included in Boston Latin Academy. Some of the above sports are non-exsisting in the choice of extra-curricular activities for Boston Latin Academy for the 2008-2009 school year.
ee also
*
Boston Latin School
*John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics & Science External links
* [http://www.boston.k12.ma.us/bla Boston Latin Academy's website]
* [http://www.boston.k12.ma.us/schools/RC615.pdf Boston Public Schools' Profile PDF for Boston Latin Academy]
* [http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1079664&srvc=rss]
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