The Mary Louis Academy
Encyclopedia
The Mary Louis Academy, also known as TMLA, is a private Catholic college preparatory academy, restricting admission solely to young women. The Mary Louis Academy is located in the affluent community of Jamaica Estates, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. TMLA's 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) suburban campus encompasses 8 separate buildings situated on private grounds, crowning the top of one of the highest hills in Queens, hence TMLA's interscholastic nickname "The Hilltoppers."

The Mary Louis Academy was founded in 1936, by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, NY, as the fruition of their late General Superior, Mother Mary Louis's, dream to found an academy for young women in Queens. Archbishop Thomas Edmund Molloy
Thomas Edmund Molloy
Thomas Edmund Molloy was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Brooklyn from 1921 until his death in 1956.-Biography:...

 had a hand in the birth of TMLA due to his strong personal conviction that the girls of the Diocese of Brooklyn deserved an academy all their own which would foster all of their individual talents and guide them to success.

History

For over seventy years, the Academy's tall, brick and limestone Collegiate Gothic main building on Wexford Terrace has been a distinctive part of the Queens skyline. Despite the increasing number of buildings, it is an architectural landmark that can be seen clearly from the Long Island Railroad. This is very appropriate because it was while traveling on the Long Island Railroad in the early 1930s, that Mother Mary Louis, General Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph, first gazed upon the beautiful hilltops of the countryside of Jamaica Estates and selected that as the ideal site for a school. Although Mother Mary Louis passed away on May 22, 1932, her dream of establishing an academy for young women in the urban enclave of Jamaica Estates lived on in the hearts and minds of her congregation of sisters.

When the decision was made to build this academy for girls in Queens, the Sisters of St. Joseph came upon an obstacle, this property (the Adikes Estate) had already been purchased by the Passionist priests of Immaculate Conception Parish, with the intent to build a high school seminary for boys upon the spot! Archbishop Molloy intervened and convinced the Passionists to sell the estate to the Josephites, for exactly what they had paid for it themselves. Thus began Archbishop Thomas Molloy's intense belief in the importance of TMLA.

The Sisters of St. Joseph officially acquired the hilltop Adikes Estate in 1935, and the existing Spanish-Mediterranean style mansion became the convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...

 for the Sisters who were to staff this "Private School for Girls." The new Academy was initially to be named Mother Fontbonne Academy, in honor of the foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Le Puy, France. Archbishop Thomas Molloy stepped in with the suggestion that the Academy be named in memory of Mother Mary Louis, who had been such a driving force for education in New York. Sister Mary Angelica Clarkin CSJ,PhD, the first principal, applied for the official Academy charter in the name "Mother Mary Louis Academy." When the charter was delivered, it arrived with the first two letters, as well as the last, in the word MOTHER conspicuously absent from its name. Whether a slip of a clerk's pen or an act of divine providence, the word "THE" was permanently affixed to the name of The Mary Louis Academy.

The first students were fifteen young women who were greeted by a faculty of eight sisters for the first day of school on September 14, 1936. Classes were held in the parlor of the mansion now known as the Mary Louis Convent, which presently adjoins the Academy, while plans for the permanent Academy building were formulated. During this time two wings were also added to the Convent, housing a Refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...

 and a Spanish-Mission style Chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...

.

The completed Academy building, housed at the address of 176-21 Wexford Terrace, took shape over a period of two years and finally opened its doors on October 16, 1938. The beautiful Collegiate Gothic masterpiece, now known as the "Main" building, was and is a structural testament to both art and architecture, one that has witnessed more than seven decades. The builder of TMLA, James Nelson, when his daughter was born during the construction of the Academy building, not only immediately registered her as The Mary Louis Academy's first prospective student, he named her for the Academy! Mary Louis Nelson graduated from TMLA in 1955!

The stated purpose of The Mary Louis Academy was to educate young women to be leaders in society and make a positive contribution to the world. In order to achieve this purpose, a demanding academic program was introduced. This program included many of the subjects taught today, with the notable exception that Latin was then required for all students. TMLA is one of the few schools in the area which still offer Latin, a valuable asset in future medical and law school training.

Less than twenty years after its founding, the school's population had outgrown the building. All available space - the Alumnae Room, the lay faculty dining room, and several music rooms had already been converted to classrooms. But, it was not enough.

In 1955 construction began on an addition, initially to be named DeChantal Wing, but ever after known simply as "The Wing." When, in 1957, the new wing was opened, the capacity of the school was doubled. The original cafeteria, "DeChantal Hall", became the Music Complex, and many classrooms, a new Biology Laboratory, a new cafeteria, a Home Economics Complex and a new locker room were added. The new construction also added a third wing to the convent, with a breezeway connecting it to the Academy's new wing, in order to house the additional Sisters needed to staff the enlarged Academy.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Academy knew many more changes in curriculum and the use of physical space. These came as a response to the educational climate of the times and the revision of the secondary school curriculum by the New York State Department of Education. Resource Centers were created, a new Art Studio was constructed on the campus, and the Library was enlarged.

As a response to the needs of the 1980s, Computer Science was introduced, and a Computer Room was created. The school applied for and was granted accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The original Board Room was renovated and designated as the Academy's student Chapel to provide a sacred space that welcomes both faculty and students.

In the 1990s, focusing their vision toward the education of today's young women who must meet the challenges of the 21st century, two state-of-the-art computer laboratories were added and the Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science Laboratories were completely renovated and technologically updated. In addition to the new laboratories, computers were added to the resource centers, every classroom and the Library.

During this new millennium, the Auditorium underwent a period renovation with restored lighting, refinished stage, new flooring, cushioned seats and air conditioning. The General Office was also completely redesigned and historically renovated. The Home Economics Complex was redesigned into additional classrooms and the Biology Laboratory was completely renovated.

In 2004 TMLA expanded once more absorbing, and totally renovating, the adjacent wing of the convent building. This expansion provided more classrooms as well as additional academic and counseling offices.

Upon the recommendation of the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...

, the Office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...

, Mayor of the City of New York, approved the naming of Wexford Terrace between Edgerton Boulevard and Dalny Road, Mother Mary Louis Way, in honor of Mother Mary Louis Crummey CSJ, founder and namesake of The Mary Louis Academy. The 18 month long process culminated with a dedication ceremony on May 1, 2009. It was under Mother Mary Louis' guidance that the Sisters of St. Joseph first conceived the dream of an advanced academy for the young women of the City of New York and its environs.

Each year in TMLA's history has brought some advancements and changes. A visitor who has not seen the school for twenty years or more will behold a familiar place that has undergone many evolutions.

Academics

The Mary Louis Academy's goal is to educate the world's future leaders. TMLA encourages every young woman to realize her own unique talents and gifts. For this reason, TMLA women enjoy a rigorous academic curriculum in an atmosphere that produces educational excellence and respect for all.
  • Student : teacher ratio of 13:1
  • An average class size of 25
  • Honors Courses, as well as Advanced Placement courses, in all the collegiate academic disciplines
  • An affiliate program with St. John's University through which seniors earn college credit while attending classes at TMLA
  • Every year 100% of TMLA's graduates go on to college
  • 100% of every graduating class receive the New York State Regents Diploma.
  • Every year more than 92% of The Mary Louis Academy's graduates are awarded the New York State Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation, the State of New York's highest academic standard.
  • State-of-the-art science laboratories for Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science and Biology
  • Two full state-of-the-art computer laboratories.
  • "Smartboard" technology in every classroom.
  • Over 100 brand new computers throughout the campus.
  • TMLA's young women enjoy the support and direction of the same dedicated guidance counselor for all four years.
  • Juniors and Seniors have an additional full time college counselor, dedicated to guiding them individually through every aspect of the collegiate admissions and decision making process
  • The top ranking Juniors and Seniors enjoy the benefit of TMLA's "Ivy/Elite College Initiative" through which they are given the opportunity to take overnight trips to tour Ivy League
    Ivy League
    The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...

     and other Elite colleges and universities, and meet with representatives of the institutions so as to make an indepth, informed decision as to which school they would like to attend.
  • All Juniors and Seniors enjoy the unique availability of a nationally renowned SAT preparation course offered on campus at TMLA.
  • Students are annually among those recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program
    National Merit Scholarship Program
    The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955...

    .


The Mary Louis Academy is Chartered by the State of New York, Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...

 and sponsored by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph

Athletics

The Mary Louis Academy, in keeping with its belief in nourishing every single facet of a young woman's life, offers the largest and most comprehensive all female athletic program in the City of New York. TMLA sponsors 29 athletic teams in 13 separate areas of interest, including Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Dance, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Volleyball.

Due to the high demand for competitive opportunities by student-athletes, TMLA has been afforded membership in two separate Athletic Conferences: the Brooklyn/Queens CHSAA and the Nassau/Suffolk CHSAA.

In recent years the athletic program has developed a cooperative program with the Academy's Guidance Department and Administration to monitor and increase the number of student-athletes applications to colleges and universities which offer scholarships in both academics and interscholastic athletic achievement. This program has resulted in increased scholarship awards annually.

Alumnae

  • Mary Gordon, The Official New York State Author 2008-2010, in addition to being the prestigious McIntosh Professor of English at Barnard College
    Barnard College
    Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...

    .
  • Susan James Kropf, Retired President and Chief Operating Officer - Avon Products
    Avon Products
    Avon Products, Inc. is a US cosmetics, perfume and toy seller with markets in over 140 countries across the world and sales of $9.9 billion worldwide as of 2007.-Business Model:...

  • Myra Turley
    Myra Turley
    Myra Turley is an American film and television actress, best-known as "Dale" in the 1995 sitcom,Muscle, and as "Madeline Evelley" in Clint Eastwood's Academy Award-winning movie Flags of Our Fathers....

    , Film & Television Actress - Flags of Our Fathers
    Flags of Our Fathers
    Flags of Our Fathers is a New York Times bestselling book by James Bradley with Ron Powers about the five United States Marines and one United States Navy Corpsman who would eventually be made famous by Joe Rosenthal's lauded photograph of the flag raising at Iwo Jima, one of the costliest and...

    , Mad Men
    Mad Men
    Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...

  • Helena Kane-Finn, Ph.D. - U.S. Foreign Minister to Germany - United States Department of State
  • Maureen Scannell Bateman, Esq - Retired Executive Vice-President - State Street Corp. General Counsel - Manhattanville College
    Manhattanville College
    Manhattanville College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, located in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 it was known initially as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart...

  • Patricia Reilly Giff
    Patricia Reilly Giff
    Patricia Reilly Giff was born on April 26, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. She is an author and teacher. She was educated at Marymount College, where she was awarded a B.A. degree, and St. John's University, where she earned an M.A. and Hofstra University, where she was awarded a Professional Diploma...

     - Children's Author - Newberry Medal winner
  • Marilyn Hanold
    Marilyn Hanold
    Marilyn Hanold is an American model and actress. She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its June 1959 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Bruno Bernard....

     Neilson, Screen Actress and Fashion Model - Twentieth Century Fox
  • Marie Ciorciari, Vice-President – ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

    -ABC Sports
  • Dr. Patricia Ryan Recupero, President & CEO - Butler Hospital
    Butler Hospital
    Butler Hospital is a private, non-profit, psychiatric and substance abuse hospital for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors, located in Providence, Rhode Island. The hospital is affiliated with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and is the flagship for Brown University's...

    /Professor of Medicine - Brown Medical School
    Brown Medical School
    The Warren Alpert Medical School is the medical school of Brown University, located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. First established in 1811, the school was suspended after sixteen years of operation by university President Francis Wayland. The medical school was reinstated in 1975...

  • Janice Curreri, Program Officer Fulbright Scholarship -- Middle East - U.S. Department of State
  • Patricia Hynes,Esq, President - New York City Bar Association
  • Laura Pula Cook,Esq, Executive Vice-President - Twentieth Century Fox
  • Patricia Fili-Krushel, Executive Vice-President - NBC Universal
    NBC Universal
    NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...

  • Caroline Dorsa, Executive Vice-President & CFO - PSEG
  • Diane Salvatore, Former Editor-in-Chief - Ladies Home Journal
  • Patricia Castel Skarulis, VP & Chief Information Officer - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
    Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
    Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...

  • Geraldine Otremba, PhD, Senior Advisor to the Librarian of Congress - Library of Congress
    Library of Congress
    The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...

  • Regina Pitaro, Managing Director - GAMCO Investors
    GAMCO Investors
    GAMCO Investors, Inc formerly known as Gabelli Asset Management Company is a provider of investment advice and brokerage services to mutual funds, institutional and select investors. One of the companies key elements of their success is the investment research publishing. It is listed on the New...

  • Nancy Matta, Senior Vice President of Investments - UBS
  • Gailmarie Goldrick, Senior Vice-President – Wells Fargo
    Wells Fargo
    Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...

  • Kerry Unflat Cable, Director of Finance & Administration – Harvard University
    Harvard University
    Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

  • Eileen Keating Sullivan, Executive Director – UBS
  • Stacy Genovese Williams, Technical Director - Good Housekeeping Institute
  • Audrey Schlaepfer, Senior Vice-President - Macy's
    Macy's
    Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...

  • S. Linda Bevilacqua OP, PhD, President - Barry University
    Barry University
    Barry University is a private, Catholic university, which was founded in 1940 in Miami Shores, Florida, a suburb north of Downtown Miami. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami....

  • Regina Brady, Chief Administrative Officer – Barclays Capital
    Barclays Capital
    Barclays Capital is a global British investment bank. It is the investment banking division of Barclays plc which has a balance sheet of over £1.2 trillion . Barclays Capital provides financing and risk management services to large companies, institutions and government clients. It is a primary...

  • Marisa Matteoni Harney, Managing Director – Bank of America
    Bank of America
    Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...

  • Dr. Helen Shields Aparo, Professor of Medicine - Harvard Medical School
    Harvard Medical School
    Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....

  • Patricia Ziegelbauer Blair, Chief Calligrapher - The White House
  • Elizabeth Healey Boldis, 1st Vice-President – UBS:Paine Webber
    Paine Webber
    Paine Webber and Company was an American stock brokerage and asset management firm that was acquired by the Swiss bank UBS AG in 2000. The company was founded in 1880 in Boston, Massachusetts, by William Alfred Paine and Wallace G. Webber. Operating with two employees, they leased premises at 48...

  • Geraldine Boylan, Retired General Counsel - New York Stock Exchange
    New York Stock Exchange
    The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...

  • Deirdre O'Connor Martini, U.S. Trustee - U.S. Department of Justice
  • Susan Leary, Chief Financial Officer - National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
  • Dr. Esther Sampayo, Chief Resident – Montefiore Medical Center
    Montefiore Medical Center
    Montefiore Medical Center, in the Bronx, New York, is the University Hospital for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The hospital, named for Moses Montefiore, is one of the 50 largest employers in New York State . In 2011, Montefiore Medical Center was ranked as #6 of the 180 New York City...

  • Lynn Fredericks, Director of Neuroscience - Novartis
    Novartis
    Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...

     Pharmaceuticals
  • Frances Yellen Muzio, Chief Operating Officer - EBA
    EBA
    The abbreviation EBA may refer to:* Early Bronze Age* Eastern Basketball Alliance, American basketball league started in 1996* Eastern Basketball Association, defunct basketball league * Elite Beat Agents, a video game for the Nintendo DS...

  • Josephine Santos Pappa, Vice-President & Chief Administrative Officer - Met Life
  • Dr. Michele Mauro, Medical Director - Southgate Animal Hospital
  • Hannah Sexton Young, Retired Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer - General Re
    General Re
    Gen Re is a leading property/casualty and life/health reinsurance company and is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc.-History:General Reinsurance Corporation’s history began in 1921 when two Norwegian companies, Norwegian Globe and Norwegian Assurance, merged and took the name General Casualty and...

  • Mary McBride Florin, Managing Director – Calyon
    Calyon
    Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank is Crédit Agricole's corporate and investment banking entity. With a staff of 13,000 employees in 58 countries, Crédit Agricole CIB is active in a broad range of capital markets, investment banking and financing activities...

  • Dr. Kristin Waldron, Neurologist/Former Chief Resident - NYU Medical Center
  • Tracey West, Esq., Professor – Harvard University Law School
  • Dr. Ruthann Rizzi, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Student Counseling Services – University of Massachusetts Medical School
    University of Massachusetts Medical School
    The University of Massachusetts Medical School is one of five campuses of the University of Massachusetts system and is home to three schools: the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Graduate School of Nursing; a biomedical research enterprise; and a range of...

  • Ellen Callinan Fischler,Esq, Professor of Law – Georgetown University Law School
  • Consuelo Lamphere PHR, Deputy Director-Human Resources - Dechert LLP
  • Sr Marianne Trouve, FSP, - Daughters of Saint Paul
  • Allison Lynch, Speech Language Pathologist, HeartShare Human Services, New York, NY
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