About Our School

About Our School

The namesake of our school, Benjamin Banneker, was a remarkable American. Mr. Banneker was a self-educated astronomer, scientist, inventor, writer, and anti-slavery activist. Mr. Banneker was born on November 9, 1731 in Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland. Mr. Banneker received some education from the Quakers, but he primarily taught himself. His perseverance and determination for learning made him “rise to highest heights” in all of his endeavours that include the following:

• 1753: Mr. Banneker made one of the first striking wooden clock in America. He took apart a pocket watch, studied how it worked and then later carved the toothed wheels and gears out of wood.
• 1789: Mr. Banneker successfully predicted a solar eclipse.
• 1791: Mr. Banneker worked with Andrew Ellicott recreating the plans for the layout of the capital of our nation, Washington D.C.
• 1792: Mr. Banneker published the first “Farmers Almanac” which provided weather data, recipes, ant-slavery essays and poems for farmers in the Mid-Atlantic states. The almanac was published for nearly a decade.
• 1806: Mr. Banneker passed away on October 25, 1806.

Benjamin Banneker was a life-long learner, who always tried his best, just like we want the students at Benjamin Banneker Academy to be.