Benilde-St. Margaret's School

1907 - The history of Benilde-St. Margaret's begins with the founding, in 1907, of St. Margaret's Academy by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The campus for this all-girls school, located near the Basilica of St. Mary in downtown Minneapolis, included two mansions and a carriage house that had been built in the 1880s by two Minneapolis business magnates. Part of the charm of this school was its buildings filled with winding staircases, a ballroom, and a fireplace in every classroom. By 1959 the old school became inadequate in size – for every 100 girls accepted, about 200 were turned away. The Sisters of St. Joseph, who had anticipated such a problem, had purchased twenty-eight acres, and by 1960 a new school was built on Upton Avenue, near the Eloise Butler Wildflower Gardens and Wirth Park. (HistorySMA1 photo)

1956 - While the Sisters of St. Joseph were building their new school, the Christian Brothers, under the direction of Brother Mark Sullivan, were constructing a boys' school - Benilde High School, which opened in 1956. The school would be located in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park. (HistoryBSM photo)

Both Benilde and St. Margaret's enjoyed prosperity until, like many other schools in the 1970s, enrollment began to decline and costs began to escalate.

Benilde was, however, faced with an even more frightening situation. The Christian Brothers would be leaving, and this much-loved boys’ school would have to close. Within days, a "Save Benilde" committee was formed. Prayers were finally answered when the Benedictine community of St. John's Abbey agreed to provide an administrator as well as faculty members.

1974 - In 1974, the St. Margaret's facility was sold to the Minneapolis school system, and Benilde-St. Margaret's High School opened its door at the former Benilde High School site. One hundred ninety students graduated in its first class.

1989 - In 1989, a junior high was added BSM, and one hundred seventh and eighth graders helped to move Benilde-St. Margaret's into a new era of education in the 1990s.

In May of 1998, Benilde-St. Margaret's was named by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, a title that can be recognized for five years. In honor of this award, the entire school was wrapped in blue ribbon for a day.

On the heels of this celebration was another the following year for the 25th Anniversary of the merger forming BSM.

2000 - In 2000, an aggressive capital campaign entitled "Enriching Our Legacy of Excellence" began under the leadership of James F. Hamburge. As part of this one-and-a-half-year project, a new chapel, library, classroom wing, performing arts center, and both senior and junior high administrative office spaces were built.

Dr. Bob Tift took the reins as president in 2002, after serving as interim president for one year. He helped BSM embark on its next campaign, officially started in 2008 – Raise the Red. Raise the Red was responsible for the new athletic complex, which made its debut in Fall 2010. The athletics fields project included an artificial turf stadium in a more centralized position, a gatehouse with restrooms, upgraded track and field facilities, renovated baseball and softball fields, improved practice fields, consolidated wetlands (improving their environmental integrity) and increased parking.

The fifth president of Benilde-St. Margaret's School, Kevin Gyolai, Ph.D., took the helm in July of 2014. Dr. Gyolai was committed to maintaining BSM's tradition of academic excellence, strong sense of community and vibrant faith traditions. He put BSM’s 2020 Strategic Plan into action before departing in 2016.

In February of 2017, Adam Ehrmantraut, Ed.D, became BSM’s sixth president. Dr. Ehrmantraut is a proven professional educator with almost twenty years of experience serving as a teacher, assistant principal and principal. In fact, he began his teaching career in the late 1990's here at Benilde St. Margaret's as a social studies and business teacher. Dr. Ehrmantraut is excited to return to a place he considers home and is committed to helping our faculty and staff develop each Red Knight’s fullest potential in body, spirit and mind.

Today - BSM is a premier Catholic, college-preparatory experience in the Twin Cities, serving 1,200 students in grades 7 through 12. We have an active alumni organization with many activities sponsored throughout the year. The Benilde-St. Margaret's community is grateful to its alumni for their continued support and for the role they have played in establishing a strong tradition of excellence.
 

We want your transition from home to the BSM community to be as complete and smooth as possible. That’s why all of our international students begin their experience in August, the start of our academic year.
All international students receiving academic credit will be admitted based on their transcripts and the TOEFL or TOEFL® Junior™ test, an in-person or Skype interview, as well as other standards stated in the International Student Policy. A copy of your passport is required with an Application for Admission.