Located in a former purse factory in Astoria, Queens, the tiny Baccalaureate School for Global Education is an elite public high school with a rigorous academic curriculum. Founded in 2002, the school has just 400 students and no gym, playground or auditorium.
For example, students who want to play on the school's softball team must take two subway lines and then walk another 10 minutes to get to the secluded practice field in Woodside. There are no buses to get to away games against schools as far away as Far Rockaway or Queens Village, so players must hope that the head coach will arrive from another job in time for the second inning, traffic permitting.
It's not an ideal environment for a sports powerhouse, but the Baccalaureate girls softball team, known as “The Sting,” is not just good, it's dominant.
Comprised of a cohesive group of dedicated players, the team navigated the 2024 schedule undefeated (14-0) and capped off a stellar season by winning the Public School Athletic League 2A Division championship, the Baccalaureate's first title in the sport.
“We're a really small school,” said Nina Davidson, the Sting's leading hitter and shortstop, “so to win it is just so unbelievable.”
The baccalaureate is considered one of the best educational institutions in New York City and is ranked the 10th best public high school in the state by U.S. News & World Report. Admission is audited, with the final two years of school taking college-level classes and working towards earning the International Baccalaureate credential.
The workload is so heavy that many softball players, like freshman catcher Ariella Fisher, do their homework on the train to practice or a game, because during softball season they're often on the field after school ends and until 6 p.m.
Ariella, who had three hits and three RBIs in the final game, is one of two freshmen who provide further hope for the team's future. The other is pitcher Kara McGarvey, who has led the Sting to 12 of their 14 wins this season, including an 11-4 victory over Queens Metropolitan High School last Saturday at St. John's University.
Baccalaureate Principal Heather Page watched the game and said the win spread joy throughout the school's small community. “Going undefeated this season is so inspiring in how we can accomplish so much with so little in terms of facilities,” Principal Page said.
The old handbag factory closed about 20 years ago, and the baccalaureate school, originally attached to another school in Long Island City, Queens, moved to its current location in 2004. The New York City Department of Education leases the building from the original factory owner, Sharif Designs, which still operates a showroom on the top floor.
The only varsity sports offered at the school are softball, basketball, soccer and track and field, with table tennis being added next year. The school does not have a gym, although it does have a small room with a treadmill and some training equipment. But classroom space is still in short supply, and performances and all-school assemblies are held in the modest cafeteria.
“We say it's the people, not the buildings, that make us great,” Page said.
Paige, in her second year in charge, has always believed that the rewards of sports come in the form of participation, friendship, personal growth and fun. Winning city sports titles has always been the specialty of larger high schools.
But she credited coach Tamara Karcher and her assistant, baccalaureate history teacher Steven Rabinowitz, for inspiring the players the most, and their love of the sport helped them overcome logistical obstacles.
Kercher teaches Spanish at Queens Technical High School. He receives extra pay from the city for a few hours a week as coach during the season, but he says it's a tiny fraction of the time he spends coordinating practices, travel, uniforms, schedules, rosters, scouting and fundraising. Kercher often brings equipment to games, but sometimes arrives late after finishing his teaching job. Rabinowitz is in charge until Kercher arrives.
Karcher said his biggest problem has been getting people off the field before games, when the team has permission to use it. Sometimes a soccer game is on or kids are playing. Earlier this season, a man reading a book in the dugout refused to leave, claiming he wasn't bothering anyone. But it was a potentially dangerous situation.
“Police have now intervened and I will not say anything more about this,” Kercher said. “It's disgusting that these girls have to go through this.”
But the players stayed focused and defied expectations. In fact, Kercher and Rabinowitz stepped up their game: After taking a quick look at the roster before the season, the coaches felt the team was too strong for the 1A division and asked the Public Schools Athletic Association to move the Sting up to the intermediate 2A division.
The team continues to win against all opponents and is now on the brink of a dynasty. Nina, the star batter at shortstop, will be back next year. The reason why Nina, a former baseball player, was persuaded to play softball is simple: baseball is not taught at the baccalaureate. Her achievements this season are even more impressive because she tore her anterior cruciate ligament in 2022 and missed all games last year.
She now hopes to play at Binghamton or Fordham. She leads the city in six offensive categories, and a home run would have been one of them if Kercher hadn't stopped her at third base multiple times when the Sting were already leading big time, including in last week's blowout victory in the championship game.
“It was a relief when we won,” freshman catcher Ariella said, “I hated losing because I didn't know what it felt like to lose.”
To celebrate, the school held a small ceremony in the cafeteria on Wednesday, complete with a Costco cake and a championship banner signed by the players. Karcher, who took time out of his day job to attend, called the win the pinnacle of his career.
“At the end of the day, we're teachers and our goal is to help kids develop as smart, confident, compassionate people,” she said. “When I see that happen, it's the best feeling in the world. It's a feeling of happiness.”