For a second consecutive year, students in Mrs. Petr's freshman art class designed Christmas cards for the Blakefield community. View their artwork in the video below:

Congratulations to seniors Aidan Bissell-Siders and Jack Morton who were recognized as Academic All-Americans by the National Speech & Debate Association this week for their outstanding performance in both academics and forensics.

Recipients must maintain a GPA between 3.7 – 4.0, earn an ACT score of 27 or higher and/or a combined SAT score of 2,000 or higher, hold a National Speech & Debate Association degree of Superior Distinction or higher within the Honor Society (750 or more degree points earned through speaking competition and/or service activities), and they must demonstrate outstanding character and leadership. Only 11 other Dons have ever received this recognition in the history of the program. 

View the entire press release.

The Loyola Blakefield Swim Team started its annual 100 Mile Swim at 8 a.m. on Dec. 22 and finished the 6,600 laps by 11:50 a.m. on Dec. 23. Students took turns swimming a combined 100 miles for nearly 28 hours straight to support the Timothy O. Pierce '60 Scholarship Fund in memory of Mr. Tim Pierce, who served many roles throughout his 38-year career at Loyola Blakefield, but perhaps is most remembered for his presence on the pool deck as Loyola Blakefield's swimming coach. If you'd like to make a gift to the scholarship fund, visit loyolablakefield.org/piercescholarship.

Watch WMAR-TV's coverage of the event here.

This Friday, our basketball program will be taking part in the 3^rd Annual Coaches vs. Cancer: Suits and Sneakers Weekend fundraiser, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. In the first two years of this event, the Loyola basketball program raised over $6,000 for the American Cancer Society.

During the school day on Friday we are inviting all faculty, staff, and students to wear sneakers with their normal school attire to show support for the cause. The basketball teams will also be collecting optional donations in the dining hall during lunch periods. That evening, JV will take on St. Frances Academy at 5:15 p.m. in the Joseph E. Peters '55 Performance Gym and varsity will play at 7 p.m. There will be a food stand from which all profits will go directly to the basketball program's fundraising efforts.

We hope you will join us in our efforts to raise awareness and help fight cancer again this year by coming out to watch some exciting high school basketball on Friday night while cheering on your Dons!

From February 4 through April 18, Loyola Blakefield is hosting five international students (Pablo Artal, Nicolás Craig, Andrés Espinoza, Diego Rojas, and Diego Salazar) from Colegio San Luis, a Jesuit high school in Antofagasta, Chile. During this time, each student will live with a Loyola host family, attend classes at Loyola, and take part in several clubs and activities. They have their own schedules which have been designed specifically to meet their needs.  

Their goals are threefold: to acquire more skills and confidence in using the English language; to gain a better cultural understanding of the U.S.; and to interact with as many local students as possible.  To aid them in the transition, each student has also been assigned a Spanish-speaking advisor.

Please take some time to welcome our guests when you see them on campus.

Congratulations to Michael Abromaitis '58 who was recently named the 2016 Rev. Joseph M. Kelley, S.J., Medal recipient.

Working in law for more than 40 years, Mike Abromaitis is currently an attorney with Wright, Constable & Skeen, LLP, where he specializes in corporate/business law, nonprofits, estates, and trusts. He graduated from Loyola University in 1962 and the University of Maryland Law School in 1967. Additionally, he completed his Master of Laws at Georgetown University in 1971 and an MLA at Johns Hopkins in 1990. During his time at Loyola, he was a member of the football team. 

He has served on numerous boards of local nonprofits, including Loyola Blakefield, Baltimore Opera Company, Walters Art Gallery, and Notre Dame Preparatory School. He also served as an Infantry Company Commander in the U.S. Army and was Airborne and Ranger qualified. He is the proud recipient of the Korean Defense Service Medal. Mike has received the papal honor of "Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem." He was also accepted into membership of Legatus, a referral and education group which recognizes Catholic business leaders throughout the country.

In addition to his professional career and involvement in local charities and nonprofits, Mike has been an ardent supporter of the mission of Loyola Blakefield and a mentor to many fellow Dons. In nominating him for the award, a classmate stated that Mike “has proudly carried the ‘Men for Others’ banner in each and every of his many meaningful endeavors. He is a Don we all can emulate and proudly claim as one of our very best!” 

Please join us in honoring Michael at this year’s Kelley Medal Breakfast on March 16 at 8:00 a.m. in Bunting Dining Hall. Registration will soon be available here.

Named in honor of Rev. Joseph M. Kelley, S.J., the Kelley Medal recognizes his dedication and commitment to educating Loyola students in physics and mathematics for nearly 40 years. As such, the Kelley Medal is regarded as the highest form of recognition given to a Loyola alumnus. It recognizes an alumnus who is outstanding by reason of distinction gained in business, profession, or by his outstanding participation in ecclesiastical or civic affairs. In addition, the alumnus is recognized for how his personal, family, and public life serves as a role model and example to the students and graduates of Loyola Blakefield. The medal was first presented in 1962 to the late Edward J. Donnelly ’33, the first lay member of the Loyola Blakefield Board of Trustees. 

On the evening of Saturday, February 6, more than 800 members from the Loyola community gathered in Knott Hall for A Taste of Blakefield, where they experienced some of the best food and drink the Baltimore-metro area has to offer. Special thanks go out to event chairman Ben Yingling ’02, James McCeney ’98 of Bridges Wine Company who donated multiple cases of wine for the grab-bag fundraiser, Matt McErlean, P’17, for providing the music, all of our loyal vendors for their generous contributions, and the many volunteers who worked diligently to make sure the night ran smoothly.

A note from Loyola Blakefield Alumni Association President Tim Sullivan '89:

"The Alumni Association proudly plays a very active role in life at Blakefield. Whether we are hosting service projects, coordinating golf tournaments or pick-up basketball leagues, providing business networking opportunities for fellow graduates, or putting on fundraisers, our goal is to help foster and support the spiritual, mental, and moral welfare of our beloved alma mater. For example, the funds raised at events likes A Taste of Blakefield support an endowed scholarship fund benefiting the sons of our fellow alumni for whom a Loyola education would be otherwise unattainable. Your support makes this possible, and we are very grateful. Hope to see you next year!"

On Feb. 6, Loyola Blakiefield's Jazz Combo Blue and Jazz Combo Gold performed at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston for the 2016 Berklee High School Jazz Festival. Jazz Combo Blue came in 2^nd place out of five schools in their division, and Jazz Combo Gold placed 7^th out of 14 schools in their division.  

More importantly, however, is the fact that the ratings of both combos fell in the range of "excellent" based on national high school music festival rating scales. In addition, the judges were extremely impressed that, although typically high schools perform music from major publishers at these festivals, Jazz Combo Gold performed their own original arrangements and Jazz Combo Blue performed their own original songs and arrangements, all of which were created by ear.

Congratulations to these Dons on their very successful performances. Photos courtesy of Kristin Vogel, P '19, and Betsy Moran, P '16, '17.

The American Red Cross Student Blood Drive took place on Thursday, Feb. 11, in the Four-Court Gym where 78 students along with some parents and faculty members donated enough blood to help save 219 lives. 

Some highlights included sophomore Damian Stifter making a donation in honor of his mother, whose life was recently saved thanks to donor blood, senior Tanner Selby making a double red donation, and Mr. James Katchko reaching his 9-gallon milestone, meaning he's given 72 pints in his lifetime. Also, David Olinde, owner of Smoothie King, long-time American Red Cross donor, and proud supporter of Loyola Blakefield, has donated 120 smoothies during the last five student blood drives at Loyola. 

Thanks to the support of our community, Loyola Blakefield continues to run one of the most successful high school blood drives in the area, year after year. 

Several teams from Loyola Blakefield recently concluded an exceptional round of competition in the seventh season of CyberPatriot – the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition.

With results from the state round of CyberPatriot in, we are proud to report that Loyola has won the state of Maryland for the third year in a row. Another team of Dons captured 2nd place in the state and Loyola will have five total teams in the regional round next weekend. The three wild card slots were secured by finishing in the top 36 nationally.

Out of the original 3,300+ teams that took part in the competition, there are 146 remaining. Following the Regional/Category Round and Middle School Division Semifinals Round February 19-21, top teams in the Open and All Service Divisions’ Platinum Tier and the top three Middle School Division teams nationally will advance to the CyberPatriot VIII Finals Competition in Washington, DC.

Additionally, our middle school team made the top 50% and now faces the challenge of making the top 3 to advance tot he national finals.

Please congratulate the following team members on their advancement to the regional round:

1st Place MD: Team Refuse
Antoine Kallab
Brady Wright
Will Thornhill
Mike Maher
Nick Kristy
Dale Egbert 

2nd Place MD: Team Gold
Owen Haiber
Colin Lagator
Edward Burchell
Brian Radin
Tim Krach
Evan Novian  

Wildcard Slots: Team Black
Matt Bavett
Drew Haiber
Mark McCoy
Chris Ptak
Greg Peterson
Brenden Huegel 

Team Blue
Nigel Goldsborough
Jonah Corbin
Alex Wall
Michael Chaney
Joey Tempert
Matt Blodgett 

Team Turquoise
Henry Ballentine
Colin Bowes
Jack Connolly
Ainsley O’Garro
Michael Vaughn
Bobby Wescott 

Middle School Team
Brayden Libby
Henry Mackay
Manny Spanos
Gabe Pongchit
Grant Abbott
Kyle Zgorski

Established by the Air Force Association, the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program was created to excite, educate, and motivate students toward careers in cyber security and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future. CyberPatriot’s core program – the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition – challenges teams of two to six students across the United States, Canada, and from DoDD schools abroad, to find and resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated environments. Top teams from the preliminary online rounds win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC for the live National Finals Competition, where students compete for national recognition and scholarships. 

The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association. Our mission is to promote a dominant United States Air Force and a strong national defense, and to honor Airmen and our Air Force Heritage. 

Please congratulate the following students for their award-winning performances this weekend at the BCFL tournament at Western Tech:

Peter Pferdoert
Silver Medal in Dramatic Performance

Jon Pejo
Silver Medal in Impromptu Speaking
Honorable Mention in Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Aidan Bissell-Siders
Gold Medal in Impromptu Speaking
Gold Medal in Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Joey Ghirardelli
Honorable Mention in Children’s Literature
Honorable Mention in Oral Interpretation

Will O’Malley and Daniel Tadeo
Gold Medal in Public Forum Debate

Jack Morton
Honorable Mention in Lincoln-Douglas Debate

John Huebler
Honorable Mention in Lincoln-Douglas Debate

The 2016 LBAA Clothing & Backpack Drive for Paul's Place was a great success this past weekend as an entire Loyola bus was filled with items donated by our caring community. Thanks to Brett Holmes '07 & Brendan Moag '92 for organizing this event and to all those who came out to donate to help support families in southwest Baltimore.

Paul’s Place is a catalyst and leader for change, improving the quality of life in the Washington Village/Pigtown neighborhood and the surrounding Southwest Baltimore communities. Paul’s Place provides programs, services, and support that strengthen individuals and families, fostering hope, personal dignity and growth.

Congratulations to our middle school robotics team, the Blakefield DON-osaurs, who placed 3^rd out of 24 teams at the 2016 VEX Robotics Middle School State Championship on Saturday. View the tournament's full results here.

To conclude its season, the indoor track team finished 2^nd overall at the 2016 Jesuit Invitational hosted by Georgetown Prep on Feb. 19. Great performances were had by Jeff Moran (300m Dash), Frankie Legambi (3200m Run), and our 4x200 relay team.

The Class of 2018 took part in the sophomore retreat earlier this week at the O'Dwyer Retreat House in Sparks, MD. This was a great opportunity for students to discuss and reflect on their high school experience thus far and learn how they can improve upon it. They also heard from several alumni and faculty members speak about the grad-at-grad goals. Thanks to retreat leader and religious studies teacher Dr. Fred Wise and Director of Campus Ministries Brendan O'Kane for their help in making this another successful retreat for our Dons!

Seniors Jack Morton, Alex Wilson, and Evan Pham were recently named finalists for the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program, of which only 15,000 high school students were selected (less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors).

Additionally, Jack and Alex were named candidates for the 2016 United States Presidential Scholars Program. Their candidacy is based on outstanding performance on the ACT Assessment or the College Board SAT. Of the nearly 3.3 million high school seniors graduating this year, only about 4,000 students (0.1 % of students) were extended this invitation.

Jack Morton is currently a student ambassador involved in Loyola Forensics, It’s Academic, Junior Classical League, and DonZen. Evan Pham, also a student ambassador, is involved in It’s Academic and runs indoor and outdoor track. Alex Wilson serves as a Kairos leader, plays ice hockey, and participates in the cyber security club and ping pong club, of which he is the vice president.

Out of the 15,000 finalists, only half will receive a $2,500 scholarship, which are awarded on a state-representational basis. Best of luck to these three Dons, and congratulations for making it this far.

On Feb. 29, the Loyola community came together to celebrate the annual Junior Missioning Mass where all juniors were anointed with oil on their hands signifying their task to actively serve God and the community by fulfilling their service requirements for graduation over the course of the next year. During Mass, senior Conor D'Andrea had the following to say to his peers about his week-long senior service experience in Baltimore City last summer:

"Throughout the week, we went to various charity centers. We did everything from weeding and washing dishes to keeping track of an army of children. What stood out to me the most while we were doing all of this were the people we were helping. Each one had their own interesting story to tell. While we were at the Franciscan Center, we met a group of military veterans. They were the victims of rampant drug and alcohol use. However, they were some of the most kind and humble people I have ever met.

By the end of the week, I truly felt like I had accomplished something, and upheld the title as a Man for Others. I also felt like I had seen a new picture of the world I had never seen before. The experience as a whole was incredibly humbling, and I felt pretty great about myself. Then I thought, Loyola isn't here to make you great. Instead, Loyola gives you the tools to make yourself great. One of the ways you can make yourself truly great is to give back, not just to Loyola, but to the world that has given you so much, and others so little."

Several teams from our Cyber Science program recently completed in the Mid-Atlantic Regional round of CyberPatriot– the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition.

We are pleased to report that Team Black (Matt Bavett, Drew Haiber, Mark McCoy, Chris Ptak, Greg Peterson & Brenden Huegel) captured 1st place in the region. They now advance to the national round.

Additionally, our Middle School Team (Brayden Libby, Henry Mackay, Manny Spanos, Gabe Pongchit, Grant Abbott, Kyle Zgorski) finished 1st in the state of Maryland and 8th overall in the nation out of 480 teams.

Overall, Loyola placed each of our teams in the top 120 nationally, with many placing in the top 35. Team Black is one of only 12 teams that has now qualified for nationals in April.

Established by the Air Force Association, the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program was created to excite, educate, and motivate students toward careers in cyber security and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future. CyberPatriot’s core program – the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition – challenges teams of two to six students across the United States, Canada, and from DoDD schools abroad, to find and resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated environments. Top teams from the preliminary online rounds win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC for the live National Finals Competition, where students compete for national recognition and scholarships. 

The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association, whose mission is to promote a dominant United States Air Force and a strong national defense, and to honor Airmen and our Air Force Heritage.

On Thursday, March 10, thirty-two members of the Class of 2020 were inducted into the Loyola chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS). The ceremony took place in Our Lady of Montserrat Chapel on campus. Please congratulate the following 8^th grade students:

Max Bleach
Ian Bodyk
Garrett Busse
James Connolly
William Cox
Ethan Delp
Dominic Dinoto
Christopher Doyle
James Funck
Jeremiah Hannon
Demetrios Karagiorgis
Haralambos Kokkinakos
David Lamarca
Ryan Lancaster
Brayden Libby
Chase Llewellyn
Henry Mackay
Kojo Marfo-Sarbeng
Mitchell McClure
Kirkley Moessbauer
Dylan Monaghan
Conor Nicholas
Andrew Prater
Brian Ronayne
Bryan Rose
Ethan Sawyer
Ryan Sawyer
Julian Schmugge
Daniel Sheeler
Emmanuel Spanos
James Ugarte
Nathan Whitman


In order to qualify for the Loyola chapter of the NJHS, students must excel in the following areas:

Scholarship
Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent standard of excellence.

Service
This involves voluntary contributions made by a student to the school or community, done without compensation.

Leadership
Student leaders are those who are resourceful, good problem solvers, and idea contributors. Leadership experiences can be drawn from school or community activities while working with or for others.

Character
The student of good character is cooperative; demonstrates high standards of honesty and reliability; shows courtesy, concern, and respect for others; and generally maintains a clean disciplinary record.

Citizenship
The student who demonstrates citizenship understands the importance of civic engagement; has a high regard for freedom and justice; respects the U.S. form of government (a representative democracy); respects the law for all citizens at the local, state, and federal levels; and demonstrates mature participation and responsibility in activities such as scouting, community organizations, or school clubs.