Waldron Mercy Academy

Waldron Mercy Academy is a K-8 Catholic private elementary school, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, located in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, USA. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and has twice won National Blue Ribbon School recognition (in 2001 and 2009) by the United States Department of Education.

History

Catherine McAuley, the Irish foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, and the women who joined her were the driving forces behind establishing learning institutions in the United States.

In 1861, Sister Mary Patricia Waldron, who was 26 at the time, and ten Sisters of Mercy landed in Philadelphia in order to serve the uneducated, poor, and the ailing in the city. Because many of the Sisters became ill themselves while aiding the sick in the city, Waldron bought an eight-acre retreat in Merion for their recovery. In 1885, the adjoining Morgan Estate was purchased. The 13-room stone house became St. Anne Convent, and the farmhouse held the Village School for the local farm children.

The Sisters of Mercy began Mater Misericordiae, an academy for young ladies and boys under 12 years of age, in 1885. In 1923, the male boarding students moved to a new school on the property—Waldron Academy for Boys.[1]

By 1946 the boarders had gone, and Waldron Academy was an all-boys school which was still taught by the Sisters of Mercy. Lay faculty and staff joined the ranks in the 1950s, and soon after Waldron had a preschool, as well as a co-educational Montessori program.

In September 1987 Waldron Academy for Boys and Merion Mercy Academy for Girls (lower school) merged and reopened as Waldron Mercy Academy, a Catholic co-educational school from pre-kindergarten to grade eight. Waldron Mercy Child Care, a year-round program for children ages three months to four years, was added to the school 15 years later.

The third floor attic, which used to keep the boarders' trunks, is now the Albert T. Perry Memorial Library, which has an art studio and a computer lab. The basement's "little gym" is now the Music Suite, and WMA's science lab prepares students for high school science classes.

Margie Winters controversy

In 2015, the Academy came under public scrutiny for firing of a teacher who is in a same-sex marriage because the school board of directors and the Sisters of Mercy decided that its Catholic identity would be in jeopardy.[2]

Margie Winters, the school's director of religious education, was dismissed from the Academy after a parent reported her directly to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for marrying her female partner in a civil marriage ceremony in 2007. Winters had informed school administrators when she was hired, and was told to not discuss the matter in school, which she says she abided by. A parent subsequently reported the fact that she had married directly to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In response, the principal asked her to resign. Winters declined to do so, and the school decided not to renew her contract.[3] Many teachers and parents in the school community disagreed with the decision and voiced their support for the teacher,[4] with several expressing anger and concern. Principal Nell Stetser said that "many of us accept life choices that contradict current Church teachings, but to continue as a Catholic school, Waldron Mercy must comply with those teachings." But she called urgently for "an open and honest discussion about this and other divisive issues at the intersection of our society and our Church." The Huffington Post said that the Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput had ignored such a call. Instead, Chaput had praised the "character and common sense [of school administrators] at a moment when both seem to be uncommon."[5][6][7]

In September 2015 Winters was invited to a reception held at the White House by President Obama to welcome Pope Francis on his visit to the U.S.[8]

Awards

In 2016, a team of three boys in fourth grade won the Toshiba ExploraVision competition's region 2 competition besting hundreds of teams and schools along the east coast. In 2015, a team of three third grade girls won the national competition besting all teams in the K-3 grade level.[9] Waldron has participated in the Toshiba ExploraVision competition for 12 years, winning multiple honors including national, regional, and honorable mentions for the last four years.

In 2001 and 2009, Waldron Mercy Academy was named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.[10][11] This is the highest honor bestowed on a US school.[12][13]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Sisters of Mercy of the Americas". www.amchs.org. Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2018-10-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Desmond, Joan Frawley (July 21, 2015). "A Catholic Mother Reflects on Furor Over Philly Teacher in Same-Sex Marriage". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  4. "Parents Outraged Over Firing of Lesbian Teacher at Waldron Mercy Academy". 8 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2018-05-16. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  5. "Gay Priest Fired From Chaplain Job Asks Pope To Meet LGBT Catholics In U.S". Huffington Post. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  6. "Archives - Philly.com". articles.philly.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  7. "Flocknote". uno.flocknote.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-09. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  8. "Lesbian teacher fired by Catholic school invited to White House to help welcome Pope Francis". 22 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  9. "TOSHIBA AND NSTA ANNOUNCE 2015 NATIONAL WINNERS OF EXPLORAVISION COMPETITION | ExploraVision". www.exploravision.org. Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  10. Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF) Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 5 December 2009.
  11. Graham, Kristen A. (2009-09-16). "5 area schools win U.S. Blue Ribbon honors". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  12. CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department Archived 2007-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
  13. Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005. "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
  14. "HART, Philip Aloysius, (1912 - 1976)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on 2011-04-06. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  15. "Hardy: We want all four". ESPN. April 22, 1999. Archived from the original on 2010-08-02. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  16. The Catholic world report. 12. Ignatius Press. 2002. p. 46. Archived from the original on 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  17. "Life with Brian". American Journalism Review. August–September 2006. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2009.

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