St. Mary Sets Sights on Shift from Traditional to Innovative Catholic School

AVON, OHIO — Spring is on the horizon, and with it, the anticipation of new growth.

St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception School is on the cusp of yet another growth in its academic
credentials, as the school seeks an official Ohio STEM designation from the Ohio Department of
Education. If approved, the school will be the first STEM designated school in Lorain County.
STEM -- the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math -- emphasizes the use of critical
thinking skills using these key subject areas. Over the past six years, under the direction of Principal,
Colleen Schager, St. Mary has invested in numerous programs to support STEM education, ranging from
Lego Robotics and Science Fusion lab series, to Makey-Makey Innovation Creation and 3D printing.
Students have experienced hands-on how to approach tasks using STEM subjects to support thoughtful and
thorough solutions to multiple areas of their education. “Our students love our “STEM” programs and
they’re having so much fun completing them…I have heard numerous positive remarks from our parents
about our current “STEM” programs, as well as [from] prospective families choosing to attend St. Mary’s
School due to our “STEM” programs being offered,” said Schager.

The application will be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) by the end of the month,
and Schager, along with Bart Chatfield, Head of Computers and Technology at St. Mary, will then travel to
meet with the ODE to discuss the school’s intended focus on Health and Wellness and Agricultural Bio-
Engineering. If approved, Schager and Chatfield will be notified of the St. Mary’s official kindergarten
through grade eight STEM designation, allowing them to set sights on becoming the first school in the
Diocese of Cleveland with STREAM status, which integrates STEM education with religion (R) and fine
arts (A).

Along with the STEM and STREAM designations, St. Mary will become known as an “innovative Catholic
school,” as opposed to a “traditional Catholic school.” The school has plans to partner with both businesses
and institutions of higher learning, including The Cleveland Clinic, Shearer Equipment – a John Deere
Supplier, St. Edward High School, Lorain County Community College, and Cleveland State University.
Through these partnerships, students will be challenged to use problem solving skills and integrate religious
curriculum and Catholic values to solve real-world problems within our community.
The school plans to begin integrating Problem/Project-Based Learning to curriculum during the 2017-2018
school year.

More information on St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception School may be found at stmaryavon.org.

St. Mary's is a community-driven Catholic parish and school in Avon, Ohio. St. Mary of the Immaculate
Conception School provides Faith-based education for Preschool through Grade 8, with the goal of creating
academically and spiritually empowered citizens with a life-long love of learning. Beyond standard
academics, St. Mary offers routine use of cutting edge technology in each classroom; music and art
enrichment programs for every grade; a wide variety of extra-curricular activities including Robotics,
Academic Challenge, Drama, Environmental, and a variety of other clubs; as well as CYO and intramural
athletics for every grade level.