By KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
EDISON — A recent private donation to the Diocese of Metuchen will allow Bishop Ahr High School to focus on continuing its robust STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — program it set out to create two years ago.
“One of our first priorities will be to construct a ‘Makerspace’ community room that will provide students with high-tech resources to collaborate in areas such as robotics and engineering,” said Principal Felician Sister Donna Marie Trukowski.
Bishop George Ahr High School, which has an enrollment of 765 students, began its efforts to create a robust STEM program at the start of the 2015-16 academic year when it introduced a “Year of Science” that focused on building a foundation for the initiative.
It was then that Bishop Ahr established science and math honor societies to promote additional student growth and exploration in those areas at the Edison school.
Trukowski noted that substantial improvements were made in the school over the summer, most notably the installation of a new roof and central air conditioning system.
“This gift would assist the school’s efforts to further provide a 21st-century learning environment for students,” she said. “Our capital improvements will be complemented by our ongoing efforts to enhance our STEM curriculum with vibrant course additions that include engineering and computer programming as well as a Robotics Club [which is in its second year].”
The Diocese of Metuchen announced on Feb. 21 that it had received a $700,000 private donation, which will be used to expand the existing STEM programs at Bishop Ahr High School and Immaculata High School in Somerville.
The donations allow each diocesan high school to purchase equipment, expand their engineering and robotics programs and provide ongoing professional development for teachers.
“In the Diocese of Metuchen, we are committed to keeping our schools technologically relevant and well-maintained and, so, making a significant investment to upgrade our STEM curriculum serves as a visible example of our diocese’s commitment to academic excellence,” said Bishop James F. Checchio, who leads the Diocese of Metuchen.
“Our private benefactor knows that students who enroll in our Catholic schools are the future of our Church and, ultimately, the leaders of our country; this generous gift truly comes from the heart and with the knowledge that it will positively impact our students and graduates for years to come,” the bishop said.
In the summer of 2016, Bishop Ahr math teacher Matt Kondracki participated in an intensive summer course that prepared him to teach engineering. In the next school year, Kondracki will teach an introduction to engineering class and a computer coding class at the high school.
Bishop Ahr also has added a computer coding club for female students who are interested in the field.
Trukowski said since an estimated 25 percent of the high school’s graduates pursue science-related studies in college, providing a challenging STEM curriculum at the high school offers exceptional opportunities for their students.
“In addition, an outstanding STEM program benefits all students by creating an environment of dynamic analytical thinking that will prove invaluable in college and the working world,” she said.
School officials said they have also started sponsoring a “Speaker Series” open to the school and local communities featuring local professors and alumni with strong backgrounds in specific science areas.
At its most recent “Speaker Series” event, the school hosted a multimedia presentation, “Becoming America: Baseball and 20th Century Immigration,” by Stanton W. Green, professor of anthropology, at Monmouth University on Feb. 28.