After more than nine decades as an all-boys military-style school, Marmion Academy is about to look a little different when the bell rings this fall. The Benedictine college-prep just outside Chicago will welcome female students to campus for the first time in its history, a shift arriving alongside new teams, fresh locker rooms and a strategic push that leaders say is about expanding opportunity while stabilizing enrollment.
First Girls, Seven Sports And Year 94
When Marmion opens its doors for its 94th school year, girls will be in the mix and the school expects to roll out seven girls sports programs as that inaugural class settles in. Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on dedicated locker rooms for female athletes while administrators juggle schedules, transportation and competition calendars, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Coaches Hired To Build Out The Playbook
Behind the scenes, Marmion has been busy assembling a full coaching staff to launch its new girls programs. The school has tapped Megan Wille for volleyball, Andrew Lifka for cross country and Anne Iwinski to lead soccer, among other hires. Its news page also lists fresh appointments for girls basketball, swim and wrestling as the academy locks in a slate of leaders to get the teams off the ground, per Marmion Academy.
What The First Class Will Look Like
The first girls basketball team is expected to be heavy on freshmen with a smaller group of sophomores, and early recruiting has drawn interest from roughly 40 to 50 incoming freshmen and 20 to 30 sophomores, local reporting shows. In the classroom, school leaders have sketched out a hybrid model: lowerclassmen will keep core courses single sex while taking coed electives, with juniors and seniors moving into fully coeducational classes.
"It was a decision that came after a long period of research, discussion and prayerful discernment with our stakeholders," Abbot Joel Rippinger said, according to the Kane County Chronicle.
Facilities, Rivalries And Logistics
For a campus with fewer than 500 students, adding girls touches everything from bus rotations to locker room scheduling. Marmion’s relatively broad facilities, including an indoor track, a pool and a large outdoor stadium, give the school a running start for interscholastic play, and officials have framed the move as a way to broaden the mission and strengthen the academy’s future, as outlined by Marmion Academy.
Parents and alumni say they will be watching closely to see how the first coed classes settle in. Some were skeptical when the change was announced, but many have warmed to the idea that bringing girls onto campus can help preserve programs and open more leadership roles for students. "Any institution worth its salt changes over time," Abbot Rippinger told the Kane County Chronicle, adding that Marmion’s leadership expects to measure the impact of coeducation over years, not months.
