Waldron Mercy Academy

In 1861, Sister Mary Patricia Waldron, who was 26 at the time, and ten Sisters of Mercy landed in Philadelphia where many of the Sisters became ill, 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.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.amchs.org/barryaward/sistersofmercy.html|title=Sisters of Mercy of the Americas|website=www.amchs.org|access-date=2016-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924024046/http://www.amchs.org/barryaward/sistersofmercy.html|archive-date=2016-09-24|url-status=live}}

By 1946 the boarders had gone, and Waldron Academy was an all-boys school taught by the Sisters of Mercy. Lay faculty and staff joined in the 1950s, and soon after Waldron added a preschool and 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.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

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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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20150708_Firing_of_teacher_in_same-sex_marriage_roils_Catholic_school.html |title=Firing of teacher in same-sex marriage roils Catholic school |access-date=2018-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015051121/http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20150708_Firing_of_teacher_in_same-sex_marriage_roils_Catholic_school.html |archive-date=2015-10-15 |url-status=dead }}

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.{{cite news |title=A Catholic Mother Reflects on Furor Over Philly Teacher in Same-Sex Marriage |url=https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/a-catholic-mother-reflects-on-furor-over-philly-teacher-in-same-sex-marriag/ |first=Joan Frawley |last=Desmond |date=July 21, 2015 |access-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923000938/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/a-catholic-mother-reflects-on-furor-over-philly-teacher-in-same-sex-marriag/ |archive-date=2015-09-23 |url-status=live }} Many teachers and parents in the school community disagreed with the decision and voiced their support for the teacher,{{cite web|url=http://www.phillymag.com/g-philly/2015/07/08/gay-teacher-fired-waldron-mercy-academy-margie-winters/|title=Parents Outraged Over Firing of Lesbian Teacher at Waldron Mercy Academy|date=8 July 2015|access-date=2018-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516043134/https://www.phillymag.com/g-philly/2015/07/08/gay-teacher-fired-waldron-mercy-academy-margie-winters/|archive-date=2018-05-16|url-status=live}} 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."{{cite news | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/warren-hall-pope-francis_55ad6324e4b0caf721b39e2c | work=Huffington Post | title=Gay Priest Fired From Chaplain Job Asks Pope To Meet LGBT Catholics In U.S | date=July 20, 2015 | access-date=2018-10-26 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115093343/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/warren-hall-pope-francis_55ad6324e4b0caf721b39e2c | archive-date=2016-01-15 | url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2015-07-16/news/64454387_1_pope-francis-chaput-catholic-church|title=Archives - Philly.com|website=The Philadelphia Inquirer|access-date=2018-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082659/http://articles.philly.com/2015-07-16/news/64454387_1_pope-francis-chaput-catholic-church|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://uno.flocknote.com/note/407882|title=Flocknote|website=uno.flocknote.com|access-date=2018-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109192334/https://uno.flocknote.com/note/407882|archive-date=2016-01-09|url-status=live}}

In September 2015 Winters was invited to a reception held at the White House with President Barack Obama to welcome Pope Francis on his visit to the U.S.{{cite web|url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lesbian-teacher-fired-by-catholic-school-invited-to-white-house-to-help-welcome-pope-francis/|title=Lesbian teacher fired by Catholic school invited to White House to help welcome Pope Francis|date=22 September 2015|access-date=2018-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307211315/http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lesbian-teacher-fired-by-catholic-school-invited-to-white-house-to-help-welcome-pope-francis/|archive-date=2016-03-07|url-status=live}}

In 2016 a team of three boys in fourth grade won the Toshiba ExploraVision competition's region 2 competition. In 2015 a team of three third grade girls won the national competition.{{Cite web|url=http://www.exploravision.org/news/toshiba-and-nsta-announce-2015-national-winners-exploravision-competition|title=TOSHIBA AND NSTA ANNOUNCE 2015 NATIONAL WINNERS OF EXPLORAVISION COMPETITION {{!}} ExploraVision|website=www.exploravision.org|access-date=2016-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924015244/http://www.exploravision.org/news/toshiba-and-nsta-announce-2015-national-winners-exploravision-competition|archive-date=2016-09-24|url-status=live}} 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.[http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326055622/http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf |date=2009-03-26 }}, accessed 5 December 2009.{{cite news |title=5 area schools win U.S. Blue Ribbon honors |author=Graham, Kristen A. |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=2009-09-16 |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/59430582.html |accessdate=2009-12-05 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} This is the highest honor bestowed on a US school.[http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17475750&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6 CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819233705/http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17475750&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6 |date=2007-08-19 }}, 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."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."

• Philip Aloysius Hart, U.S. Senator from Michigan (D) from 1959 until 1976.{{cite news |title=HART, Philip Aloysius, (1912 - 1976) |publisher=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000291 |accessdate=December 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406204353/http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000291 |archive-date=2011-04-06 |url-status=live }}
• Bill Kuharich, former vice president of player personnel, Kansas City Chiefs.{{cite news |title=Hardy: We want all four |publisher=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/otl/agents/hardy.html |date=April 22, 1999 |access-date=December 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802013604/http://espn.go.com/otl/agents/hardy.html |archive-date=2010-08-02 |url-status=live }}
• M. Night Shyamalan, director, The Sixth Sense.{{cite book |title=The Catholic world report |volume=12 |year=2002 |publisher=Ignatius Press |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GfAtAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Waldron+Mercy+Academy%22 |accessdate=2009-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026195906/https://books.google.com/books?id=GfAtAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Waldron+Mercy+Academy%22 |archive-date=2018-10-26 |url-status=live }}
• Brian Tierney, former CEO and publisher, The Philadelphia Inquirer.{{cite news |title=Life with Brian |publisher=American Journalism Review |url=http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4149 |date=August–September 2006 |accessdate=December 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613014431/http://ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4149 |archive-date=June 13, 2010 |url-status=dead }}
• Rob McElhenney, American actor, screenwriter and producer.

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Cite web |title=Search for Private Schools - School Detail for WALDRON MERCY ACADEMY |url=https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&Zip=19143&Miles=5&SchoolPageNum=5&ID=01188555 |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=nces.ed.gov |language=EN}}

• {{Official website|http://waldronmercy.org/}}

{{Lower Merion}}

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Category:Catholic elementary schools in Philadelphia

Category:Schools in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Category:Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania

Category:Educational institutions established in 1885

Category:Sisters of Mercy schools

Category:1885 establishments in Pennsylvania