History of Roger Bacon High School

On July 5, 1926, Archbishop John T. McNicholas asked the Friars of St. John the Baptist Province to open and staff a centralized high school for boys. The name Roger Bacon, that of a thirteenth-century scientist and philosopher who became a Franciscan in 1257, was suggested.

In September of 1928 students began to attend classes in Roger Bacon’s temporary quarters: rooms in St. Clement Elementary School and the Witte Mansion located on the present school site. By January of 1929, the cornerstone for the new building was put in to place. On October 27, 1929, Roger Bacon High School, constructed for a capacity of 500 students at a cost of $600,000, was dedicated. The building was beautiful example of Lombardy architecture.

The first chapter of the story of Our Lady of Angels High School began on September 17, 1926 when Archbishop McNicholas asked the sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg, to build a high school for girls.

The cornerstone was laid October 4, 1927 and the school was named for the small chapel given to St. Francis by the Benedictine monks in the year 1211. The school was built at a cost of $700,000 and was dedicated on August 26, 1928. The new school was praised by local newspapers for its “stately and dignified” architecture.

In 1984 Our Lady of the Angels High School closed its doors. That same year Roger Bacon opened its doors as a coeducational institution, beginning a new era in the school’s history.

Roger Bacon has changed greatly since its early years. Two physical changes, including the East Wing addition in 1958 and the completion of the Thomas Fogarty Center in 1988, have added to Roger Bacon’s strive for excellence. More recent additions to Roger Bacon include the Our Lady of Angels Chapel (1993), the St. Francis Plaza (1993), and the placement of the OLA terrazzo emblem in the hillside below the St. Francis Plaza (1995). Inside, the school renovations have included: two additional computer labs (1995); a new science lab with renovations for the existing labs (1997); and the transformation of the library to a media center with the addition of 15 computer stations and a writing lab (1999).

Roger Bacon and OLA were established by the Franciscans as religious schools designed to instill Christian values. Through campus ministry and community outreach, Roger Bacon High School still lives by its motto: “In Holiness and Learning.”

As college-preparatory high schools, Roger Bacon and OLA remained committed to their tradition of academic excellence. Today, 90 percent of Roger Bacon graduates continue their education at colleges and universities and students are consistently recognized as National Merit Scholars.

It was in 1929 that Roger Bacon and OLA each established their athletic teams. Today Roger Bacon has over 36 athletic teams that compete in the tough Greater Catholic League and Girls Greater Cincinnati League.

Though the schools experienced growth and changes over the years, the spirit that established both schools continues today at Roger Bacon in its academics, activities, athletics, organizations, religious emphasis and sense of caring.

Over 21,000 alumni(ae) have graduated from Roger Bacon and Our Lady of the Angels High Schools, all contributing to the history and tradition of each school.