STEM Academy To Open At Providence Catholic

With 100% of Providence Catholic High School graduates going onto college and many going into engineering, medicine, and technology fields, the school plans to introduce a formal STEM Program that will be implemented in the fall of 2019 according to Dr. John Harper, Principal of the school. 

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The Providence Catholic STEM Academy will provide students with self-directed and collaborative learning in those integrated fields of study and the content of all four disciplines will be interwoven.

The STEM Academy will complement the school’s highly successful Honors and AP Programs. It seeks to attract a different type of learner other than the traditional honors student. “The program will be geared towards those students who are inquisitive and active learners wishing to identify and solve authentic problems,” explained Dr. Harper. “Students will be active and engaged as they work collaboratively and independently to explore various STEM topics and real-life scenarios.

“This STEM Academy is designed for students to begin in their sophomore year and continue through their senior year. Over the course of three years, STEM classes will replace students’ science, math and technology classes on their course schedule. STEM students will be able to meet all PCHS graduation requirements,” according to Rosanne Grigoletti, Technology Director at the school. “We are thrilled that the STEM Academy will offer students a Problem-Based and Inquiry-Based Learning environment, engaging them in solving problems through design & innovation.”

The STEM Academy includes traditional college prep classes in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra 2, Geometry, Precalculus, Engineering & Design, Computer Science and Computer Programming. In addition, the STEM program will also include classes in Robotics, Java, Python, and other programming languages, Web Design, Statistics, Trigonometry, Environmental Science, Ecology and more,” explained Mike Stenoish, Science Department Chairman at Providence. “The course topics are the same as in the traditional classes, but in the STEM Academy, students will be investigating and designing solutions. They will develop higher order thinking skills.”

“Our excellent college prep curriculum will now be able to offer even more to our students. We are excited to add the STEM Academy to our programs of study,” said Rachel Ellingson, Director of Student Enrollment. “STEM will teach our students how to effectively collaborate in teams and how to apply learning to real-life scenarios. It will provide our student with communication and presentation skills that are necessary today for both college and careers.”

Students who are currently in 8th grade and interested in attending Providence Catholic High School should take the Placement Exam this Saturday, December 1 at 8 AM at the school. Students can pre-register for the Incoming Freshman Placement Exam on the school website www.providencecatholic.org. Interested families may call Mrs. Rachel Ellingson at (815) 717-3160 to learn more about the school. The school is located at 1800 W. Lincoln Hwy in New Lenox, IL.

 

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Kathleen E. Kennedy
Director of Communications

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