The Launch Pad is Close to Completion
August has been busy! Not only was the school getting ready to welcome students, but special work was going on in the Launch Pad, Mater Dei’s new collaboration space. Walls have been painted, carpet added, shelving erected and filled. We are just awaiting some furniture.
On March, 28th Mater Dei Academy was granted STEM designation by the Ohio Department of Education. The school is only the second Catholic school in Lake County to receive this award. This honor demonstrates that the school has provided evidence of solid and growing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) experiences across their curriculum, with the addition of Religion and Arts.
Dr. Kathleen O’Hara of Cleveland State University presented a day long professional development seminar at Mater Dei in mid-August. Our faculty had the opportunity to experience project-based learning (PBL) from a student perspective while evaluating successes and challenges. We have two more PD days scheduled with Dr. O’Hara for later in the year to design grade specific challenges and create formative and summative assessments for the projects. Mater Dei Academy continues to work with Lakeland Community College, Community Bus Service, Wickliffe Forever and Progressive Insurance while preparing for collaborations with other business and community groups.
STEM/STREAM learning promotes a rigorous and diverse project-based curriculum with the goal of preparing students for college and the workforce; relationships with local businesses allow for authentic STEM experiences while higher educational partnerships ensure students are prepared for college and careers. A STEM-based curriculum offers real-life situations to help students learn through problem-solving, inquiry, critical thinking, collaboration and communication.