The Academy of the Holy Angels has received the Catholic School Executive Leadership Award in recognition of the Academy’s superior STREAM program.
Officials say this interdisciplinary curricular approach highlights science, technology, religion, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
AHA President Melinda A. Hanlon and faculty members Martha Weinstein, Brianna Portuesi, Jing Loo, and Lou Faso attended the celebratory Mass and dinner held at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus.
Fordham President Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J. made the official presentation on behalf of the Fordham University Graduate School of Education.
“I was very proud to represent our faculty and students at this event,” Mrs. Hanlon stated.
AHA’s nomination came from Archdiocese of Newark Superintendent of Schools Dr. Margaret Dames.
“It was my honor to nominate the Academy of the Holy Angels as an Academy whose teachers demonstrate academic excellence in the STEM content areas,” Dr. Dames stated. “In nominating the Academy of Holy Angels, I considered the rigor of the STEM program as well as the active and participatory engagement of the students.”
Holy Angels offers a host of academic courses and extracurricular opportunities in all facets of STREAM, including the school’s robotics clubs, the Anjoules and the Angelbots. Members of Angels Enable use one of AHA’s 3-D printers to create functional prosthetic hands for people in need.
Three AHA engineering students were invited to exhibit their projects at the National Catholic Educational Association’s STREAM 3.0 conference. One invitee discussed the chair she constructed from cardboard, while her peers covered their dancing LED light show, a robot, and 3-D printed desktop organizers.
Each spring, many Angels who meet the eligibility requirements are welcomed into national honor societies for scholars who excel in the sciences, art, theater, music, and math.
The Academy encourages students to apply for the Governor’s School programs, and recently had a student accepted to the prestigious Governor’s School in the Sciences, a residential summer program held at Drew University.
AHA’s student artists and writers regularly earn accolades in the Scholastic Art & Writing Competition. In addition to the many Angels who received Key Awards at the regional level of this year’s competition, two AHA artists went on to earn medals in the national event.
The Academy’s performing artists are among the strongest in the nation. The AHA Varsity Dance Team won four consecutive national titles in small varsity hip-hop, and the Academy’s theater program has garnered multiple awards and nominations.
Most recently, a thespian from the Class of 2019 earned a Metro Award for her supporting role in this year’s musical.