St. Mary's and Loyola : Working Together
for Educational Excellence

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Knott Foundation Gift Supports St. Mary’s School Partnership

Loyola’s partnership with St. Mary of the Assumption School began with the creation of a simple homework help initiative in September 2006. Since then, the partnership has grown to include collaboration on projects from art workshops and athletic clinics to long-term strategic marketing and development initiatives.

With a generous gift from the Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Foundation, the partnership has been able to sustain its programming at St. Mary’s through the 2007-08 academic year. The gift has made a great impact on Loyola’s ability to create more enrichment opportunities at St. Mary’s as well as to provide buses for field trips, teaching supplies and additional staff to coordinate the partnership, which includes more than 100 Loyola College student and faculty volunteers.

“Loyola College is deeply grateful to the Knott Foundation for this significant gift, which has allowed us to continue a partnership that is making a profound difference in the lives of students at both St. Mary’s and Loyola,” says Loyola College President Brian Linnane, S.J.

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About the partnership
Established in September 2006, the partnership between St. Mary of the Assumption School and Loyola College in Maryland offers students, faculty and staff from both institutions a wealth of opportunities to learn from each other through academic enrichment activities, tutoring sessions, field trips, athletic programs and more. Inspired by Loyola's Year of the City initiative, designed to help the College reaffirm its ties to its home city of Baltimore, this partnership encourages members of the Loyola Community to nurture their relationships and stand in solidarity with their neighbors. Programs envisioned include:

• Homework assistance through the Loyola Homework Help program where St. Mary's students receive personal attention by Loyola students three times per week
• Structured tutoring program in Math and Reading once per week
• Student-teaching assistant support from Loyola students every morning
• Speech and hearing screenings at Loyola's Belvedere Square Clinical Centers, and follow-up evaluations when indicated at very low cost
• Speech Pathology/Audiology program for Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 year old classes
• Reading assessments by Loyola graduate students
• Collaboration between Loyola and St. Mary's on new Marketing initiatives for the school
• Assistance with a Strategic planning process
• Enrollment and need-based scholarships to Loyola's Saturday Scholars/Summer Scholars  literacy programs for students needing reading support
• Field trips and research projects led by Loyola science students and faculty
• Field trips and fine arts workshops led by Loyola Fine Arts students
• After-school sports instruction from Loyola student-athletes
• Technology advancements which include continuous migration of Loyola computers to St. Mary's and revitalizing the school's website
• After-school child care provided by Loyola students
• Many one time projects such as: involvement in the BFASA Hats & Gloves Drive, MBA office's supply drive, participation in the BSA Fashion Show, Student Development Bake Sale, SGA tuition drive, furniture exchange, invitations to varsity basketball games, soccer clinics, Engineering Design contests, Biology lab projects with Loyola's Tri Beta club, and much more!

About St. Mary's
Affiliated with St. Mary of the Assumption parish, a Roman Catholic church in North Baltimore's Govans neighborhood, St. Mary of the Assumption School serves close to 170 children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The school opened its doors in 1874. For more information on St. Mary's, please visit the school's website. You can also contact the school at 410 435 5850 and speak with the Principal, Mrs. Liz Phelan.

About Loyola College in Maryland
Loyola College in Maryland is a Catholic, Jesuit comprehensive university comprising a College of Arts and Sciences and The Sellinger School of Business and Management. Established in 1852, Loyola enrolls 3,500 undergraduate and 2,630 graduate students from across the country. Committed to the educational and spiritual traditions of the Society of Jesus and the ideals of liberal education and the development of the whole person, the College strives to inspire students to learn, lead and serve in a diverse and changing world.

How to get involved
Loyola students, faculty, administrators, and staff can all find ways to contribute to the partnership's success. For more information on how you can help, click here or contact Amy Maher, Coordinator of the St. Mary's/Loyola partnership, by e-mail or at (410) 617-2699.