Fontbonne Academy

Fontbonne Academy is a private Roman Catholic college preparatory high school for girls, located in Milton, Massachusetts, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. It was started in 1954 by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The school was fully accredited in 1959 by the New England Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. Accreditation has been consistently renewed for ten-year periods. In January 2019, Fontbonne Academy changed its name to Fontbonne Early College of Boston.

Fontbonne Academy
Address
930 Brook Road

Milton
,
(Norfolk County)
,
Massachusetts
02186

United States
Coordinates42°15′34″N 71°3′34″W
Information
TypePrivate, All Girls
MottoRespect ∙ Responsibility ∙ Reconciliation ∙ Reverence
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic,
Sisters of St. Joseph
Established1954
Head of schoolMaura Spignesi
Faculty66
Grades9–12
Enrollment311 (2016)
 • Grade 958
 • Grade 1081
 • Grade 1191
 • Grade 1281
Average class size18
Student to teacher ratio9:1
Color(s)Navy blue and gold   
SongAlma Mater
MascotDucks
Team nameDucks
AccreditationNew England Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
Tuition$16,200
AlumniGina McCarthy
Admissions DirectorChristin Schow
Athletic DirectorEllen Sullivan
Director of Advancement and Alumnae RelationsJackie McKenna
Websitewww.fontbonneacademy.org

Enrollment

Enrollment has multiplied from 97 students in 1954 to just under 400 in 2011. The student body is drawn from more than 45 cities and towns throughout the Boston area, MetroWest, and the South Shore. The school has a seven-acre campus with the original building that has been updated over the years to include science, technology and language labs. The building had a facelift in 2010 and installed many energy-saving improvements throughout. Fontbonne Academy boasts a 100% college acceptance rate. The Class of 2013 averaged $175,000 per student in grants and scholarships to four-year colleges.

History

Founded in 1954, the academy takes its name from Mother St. John Fontbonne, who re-established the congregation in France after its suppression during the French Revolution. Under her leadership, the first Sisters came to the United States. In Boston, the congregation taught in archdiocesan parochial schools, and also founded and conducted its own ministries, of which Fontbonne is one. As a sponsored ministry, Fontbonne Academy furthers the Sisters' charism — a direct outgrowth of the order's experience in revolutionary France — of reconciliation, unity and non-violence in the school's academic programs, spirituality, and co-curricular activities.

Employment discrimination controversy
Main article: Barrett v. Fontbonne Academy

In July 2013, Fontbonne Academy rescinded a job offer made to Matthew Barrett, who had been offered a position as food services director, after Barrett listed his husband as his emergency contact on his hiring paperwork. Barrett, represented by attorneys from GLAD, filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination in January 2014.[2] The case moved to Massachusetts Superior Court, and on December 16, 2015, Judge Douglas H. Wilkins ruled in Barrett v. Fontbonne Academy that the Academy had violated the state's anti-discrimination laws.[3] The parties agreed to a confidential settlement in May 2016.[4]

Alma mater

The school song was written by Therese Higgins, CSJ (lyrics) and Berj Zamkochian (music).

Notable Alumnae
  • Elizabeth Hayes Patterson – Professor Emerita and Associate Dean of Georgetown University Law Center (Class of 1963)
  • Gina McCarthy - Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency (Class of 1972)
  • Lois Roach – Boston-based director with the Lyric Stage Company of Boston. (Class of 1979)
  • Tara O'Brien – Broadway actress, part of the Original Broadway Cast of Victor/Victoria (Class of 1986)
  • Jen Mergel - Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (Class of 1994)

Memberships

References
  1. NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  2. Valencia, Milton (January 30, 2014). "Gay married man says Catholic school rescinded job offer". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  3. Labbe, Mark (December 25, 2015). "Court rules Fontbonne discriminated against food service worker in same-sex marriage". Boston Pilot. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  4. Herndon, Astead W. (May 10, 2016). "Catholic school, gay man settle discrimination lawsuit". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
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