CAMBRIDGE, Md. – A historic Cambridge school has a new purpose: giving young people in Dorchester County and beyond a place to go after the school day ends.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore celebrated the opening of its new Club at Mace’s Lane Community Center on Thursday. The center is in the former Mace’s Lane school, built in 1952 as an all-Black high school that served African American students from across Dorchester County during segregation.
Alumni joined Club members, community leaders and state and local officials for a ribbon-cutting on Thursday at the building at 1099 Mace’s Lane.
Jeff Breslin, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore, said the organization has been in Cambridge at its Leonards Lane club since 2021. He said people often asked why the group chose the city.
“We are experts in providing joy, belonging, growth and all those opportunities that young people deserve,” Breslin said. “Those opportunities have no geographic boundaries…kids ultimately succeed when they feel like someone's there for them in those moments, big and little. And that's what we'll do. We'll also tell the story of all the great people that walk these halls.”
According to Breslin, every Boys & Girls Club offers programs for kids ages 6 to 18. He described the idea behind the organization’s pillars simply: “It’s where kids get to be kids.” That includes programs, peers and mentors who care about their success, from academics to career exploration.
Breslin said more than 1,400 children in Cambridge do not have access to a quality out-of-school program. He said more than 250,000 children statewide are in the same position. Closing that gap will take schools and other youth organizations working together, he said.
“Mace’s Lane Boys & Girls Club can be one of the signals that we send to the community to say that every young person deserves this,” he said.
Barbara Woolford, a former Mace’s Lane student and later a vice principal in the school system, said seeing the school’s tiger mascot on the wall brings back a flood of memories.
“You saw that, it was us, and you carried a certain amount of pride with you that you were a Mace’s Lane-yon. You were a child of Mace’s Lane High School,” Woolford said, recalling the school’s clubs, from public speaking to the debating society.
A piece of wood from the school’s original gym floor is on display right as you walk into the school, carved into the shape of the sound waveform of the school’s alma mater. (WBOC)
The center honors that legacy in several ways. Murals of former students were created from photos submitted by alumni. Artwork made together by alumni and Club members hangs throughout the building. A piece of wood from the school’s original gym floor is also on display, carved into the shape of the sound waveform of the school’s alma mater.
The history of the Mace’s Lane School is what sets this Club apart, Breslin said.
“I love all of our clubs, but this is a very special boys and girls club. The history that will come to life every single day here in the Mace’s Lane Boys and Girls Club is like, no other. And we will happily share and proudly share the history and the stories that happened here at Mace’s Lane,” Breslin said.
He said he wants young people who walk through the doors to see the school’s history.
“We want them to feel like this is where I belong,” Breslin said.
The Boys & Girls Clubs currently run programming at another Cambridge location. Breslin said that program will move to Mace’s Lane after the first of the year, making it the organization’s main location in the city. Plans for the other site are still being worked out.
Woolford said she hopes today’s students feel what she felt during her time at Mace’s Lane.
“I hope they feel what I feel,” Woolford said. “A sense of dedication, commitment, empowerment, inspiration. You know, that's all of that. I hope they feel strong, and I can do anything.”
While it is not completed yet, the community center will also have a museum that honors previous faculty and staff of the school. The boys and girls club will officially open to the community shortly after the new year.
