ONE YEAR LATER

The Luetkemeyer Athletic Center

In just one short year, the Luetkemeyer Athletic Center Calvert’s first designated athletics building has become an invaluable asset to our School community, allowing Calvert to enhance co-curricular opportunities for students and families alike. Since opening in 2022, the athletic center has hosted countless physical education classes, afterschool games and practices, weekend leagues, and squash matches within its walls, firmly ingraining itself in the daily hustle and bustle of Calvert School.

Funded through the recent Calvert 125 campaign and a leadership gift from Susie and Jack Luetkemeyer ’53 , the Luetkemeyer Athletic Center boasts 10 regulation squash courts, an observation gallery, a well-stocked fitness center, and a large turf field. After a year of work, construction on the facility concluded in the summer of 2022, making the 2022-2023 school year its first on Calvert’s campus.

The School opened it in style.

On September 7, Head Master Andrew Holmgren invited all students and employees into the facility for this year’s all-school kickoff assembly, a celebration of the start of school. Settled on the 13,000-square-foot turf field, more than 700 members of our School community listened as speakers Mr. Holmgren, Mr. Buck ’87 , and Ms. Crowley ushered in the new school year.

ONE YEAR ON CAMPUS: THE LAC

Just a few weeks later, a group of Calvert athletes, including alumni Parker Davis ’21 , Michael Edwards ’21 , Clara Dawn ’20 , and Princeton University squasher Alastair Cho ’15 , inaugurated the squash courts with their first official hits. Alastair smacked the ceremonial first ball played in the new facility, and Eighth Grader Julianne Dawn ’23 became the first Calvert student to use the courts.

On October 7, Calvert celebrated its 125-year history by dedicating the new facility and hosting a Founders’ Day festival that welcomed current families, alumni, and other friends to campus. On this day, the Luetkemeyer Athletic Center played a central role, hosting an exhibition match between University of Virginia squasher Cullen Little ’15 and Director of Squash Patrick Bedore on Hopkins Court before opening for an employee and alumni squash tournament.

Since that day, the Luetkemeyer Athletic Center has rarely stood empty.

Calvert Flag Football League

Immediately after opening in the fall, the facility enabled Calvert to offer several seasons of indoor sports for a variety of age groups and interests. To start, Calvert teachers Josh Angulo-Bartlett and Phil D’Adamo along with alums Jackson Angulo-Bartlett ’22 and Toby Rosenband ’22 coached an overwhelmingly popular flag football league for children aged 6-11 years. Practices began on weekday evenings and culminated in 10 Sunday games and a full slate of playoffs.

Winter Indoor Lacrosse League

Shortly after, Calvert School and Webster Lacrosse Academy Director John Webster ’82 teamed up to offer the Calvert Winter Indoor Lacrosse League (CWILL) for Seventh and Eighth Grade girls. Following a full season, the league concluded with a championship game between the gray and blue teams with the blue team ultimately claiming victory. Just as Jackson and Toby returned to help coach flag football, so did alumnae Reese Woodworth ’19, who acted as a CWILL coach, and Isabelle Webster ’13, who assisted during a visit from New York.

Bumblebees Lacrosse League

This spring, the Luetkemeyer Athletic Center opened its doors once again this time to some of the youngest would-be athletes and sports aficionados in the Baltimore community. The Bumblebees Lacrosse League, which launched in early April, is a coed program for children aged 3-6 years that aims to teach the basics of the sport in a fun, warm, and welcoming way. Before its season concluded in May, the program featured Sunday morning sessions for each age group under the guidance of Director of Athletics Sarah Dennison.

Between additional practices for Middle School sports, Fifth Grade clubs, and these new offerings, the Luetkemeyer Athletic Center has been a bustling hub of energy on campus – and that’s without including squash.

Calvert Squash

Moving away from the field house, the facility’s squash courts have seen more than their fair share of attention. Since coming to Calvert last summer, Coach Bedore has created a comprehensive extracurricular squash program that welcomes players of all ages and abilities.

Depending on a participant’s skill level beginner, intermediate, or elite these sessions offer hands-on instruction and competition up to three or four days per week.

Under the direction of Coach Bedore, students aged 6 years and up can improve their squash game among friends and friendly competitors. Even more advanced players can participate, with the Elite level reserved for established and dedicated players.

In addition to these workshops, Coach Bedore launched a series of single and multi-day camps for students to enjoy on days off, during winter break, and throughout the summer, and our young stu - dents aren’t the only ones spending time in this remarkable facility.

Employees are permitted to use the Luetkemeyer Athletic Center courts at designated times before and after students, and the facility is open for hosting community events, matches, and tournaments.

In February, the facility hosted two higher-ed powerhouses, the University of Virginia (UVA) and the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) for the first major collegiate competition on Calvert’s campus. This matchup saw the return of Cullen Little ’15 , who represented UVA.

Earlier that month, the athletic center was packed to the brim with students and teachers from several local schools, including Gilman and Roland Park Country School, for the Maryland Middle School Squash Championships. From February 6 to February 8, these teams battled it out in friendly competition. Some of these competitors returned for the Calvert GOLD Squash Tournament in late March, which featured play from alumna Clara Dawn ’20 and current student Howdy Colhoun ’24

Now, as Calvert eyes its second year with the Luetkemeyer Athletic Center, the School looks forward to continuing to build on these foundations to offer even more enhanced opportunities to the Calvert community.