Thea Bowman Leadership Academy

Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
Location
Gary, Indiana
USA
Information
Type Charter
Established 2003
Authorizer Ball State University
Faculty 70
Enrollment 1300
Affiliations Chicago Illinois American Quality Schools
Website K-6 Official Site

Thea Bowman Leadership Academy is a 13 year (K-12) charter school in Gary, Indiana. The academy is named after Sister Thea Bowman, an African-American, Roman Catholic nun, teacher, and scholar, of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. The school is authorized by Ball State University, was established by the Drexel Foundation for Educational Excellence, Inc., and is managed by American Quality Schools, Inc.

History

Thea Bowman Leadership Academy first opened as a K-6 charter school on August 18, 2003.[1] With each passing year, Bowman Academy added an additional grade level. As of the 2009-2010 academic year, the school had expanded its program to accommodate all thirteen grade levels, from kindergarten through 12th grade. Students who entered the program as 6th graders in August 2003 comprised the school's first class of graduating high school seniors in June 2010.

The K-6 Thea Bowman Leadership Academy occupies the building that once housed Holy Angels School, a Roman Catholic school associated with the adjacent Cathedral of the Holy Angels, which is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary. The current building opened in 1966 as Holy Angels School, and was renamed in 1994 as Sister Thea Bowman School,[2] but was ultimately closed in 2002 by the diocese though the current school is in no way affiliated with the Cathedral and diocese.[3]

In 2008, Bowman Academy began construction on a new building to accommodate students in grades 7 through 12. The new Thea Bowman Leadership Academy High School was dedicated on April 23, 2009,[4] and is fully operational for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Athletics

During the 2010-2011 school year, Thea Bowman Leadership Academy's boys basketball team won the Class 1A State championship, in only its 2nd year of tournament play.

References

  1. ↑ Thompson, Anne (2003-04-25), "Meeting will give details on Thea Bowman Academy", Post-Tribune (IN)
  2. ↑ Cathedral of the Holy Angels, History of Holy Angels Parish, Gary, IN
  3. ↑ Waterhouse, Sharlonda L. (2002-06-22), "Sister Bowman school closes", Post-Tribune (IN)
  4. ↑ DeNeal, Lisa (2009-04-23), "Bowman dedicated anew", Post-Tribune (IN)

5. State of Indiana Teacher Licensing Department (Indiana Department of Education)

External links