All people throughout the country and the world face hardships once in a while. However, some face hardships constantly and struggle daily to survive on the few things they have. St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, strives to give those who struggle or have parents who struggle a chance in life to succeed. Founded in the 1820s, St. Frances Academy started as a woman who began teaching the bible to children of slaves. Now nearing 200 years old, the institution continues in the footsteps of founder Elizabeth Lange, giving those who otherwise would have no hope in life the chance to succeed and become educated by books but transformed into a productive member of society complete experience. St. Frances exists in the present day as a co-ed high school in intercity Baltimore run by the Oblate Sisters. The school is located in one of the city's poorest areas, with the Maryland Penitentiary only a block away.
             St. Frances is a school of hope; however, with ninety-five percent of its graduates continuing to college, many first in their families do so. The school exists as the oldest African-American Catholic high school in the country, maintaining the tradition of teaching the gospel and generating a feeling of belonging and family among the students. St. Frances prepares its students for a life of success in the world by holding them accountable for their own actions, an idea not often found in a style of upbringing where parents are blamed for their child's problems. The school stresses its students to stay focused and on track to achieving academic goals.
             The school of St. Frances Academy prepares students for college and helpful roles in a community that could use productive members of society. But on a larger scale, St. Frances aids in creating a just world, enacting policies that better the community. The school instills the ideal of people's inherent dignity as God's creation. The school caters to the less fortunate's need...