Sep 13, 2024

For the sixth year in a row, St. Sebastian Parish School and twenty-three members from its teaching staff were awarded The Governor’s Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in STEM Education and Student Research for their accomplishments during the 2023-2024 school year. Only 40 schools in the State of Ohio achieved this distinction with the selection being done by The Ohio Academy of Science. Teachers at the school receiving individual recognition were Michelle Antochow, Maggi Blischak, Jennifer Bradley, Molly Burns, Kathy Cardarelli, Giana D’Andrea, Robert Dedinsky, Kristin DeKatch, Christina Friedl, Mary Heffern, Michele Kellner, Jennifer Kidder, Debra Landis, Cassie Laube, Anne Riede, Allyn Rose, Megan Sanford, Jennifer Slegus, Jennifer Smee, Lesley Starcher, Karen Swartz, Sue Vernon, and Mary Zysek.

The criteria for receiving this award included student participation in activities in and outside the classroom. These included conducting a school science fair with a minimum number of students qualifying for district competition and students participating in youth science opportunities beyond the classroom. The Ohio Academy of Science defines STEM education as both the mastery and integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for all PK-12 students. The parish school received its first STEM designation from the State of Ohio in the spring of 2017 and opened its Innovation Lab to support STEM projects at the school in August 2017. Students from kindergarten through 8th grade visit the lab several times throughout the school year and many co-curricular activities meet in the lab after school.

Front row: Debra Landis, Molly Burns, Karen Swartz, Megan Sanford, Maggi Blishak, Mary Zysek, Jennifer Slegus

2nd Row: Mary Heffern, Michelle Antochow, Sue Vernon, Kristin DeKatch, and Jennifer Smee

Back Row: Christina Friedl, Allyn Rose, Robert Dedinsky

Not pictured in the photo are Anne Riede, Cassie Laube, Jennifer Bradley, Jennifer Kidder, Michelle Kellner, Kathy Cardarelli, and Lesley Starcher

About The Ohio Academy of Science

Founded in 1891, The Ohio Academy of Science (OAS) is a membership-based, volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization. The Academy is the leading organization in Ohio to foster curiosity, discovery, innovation, and problem-solving skills. OAS members are as diverse as the science taking place in Ohio, and OAS programs support STEM research among pre-college and college students through the professional scientific community.

For more information about the OAS, please visit its website at http://www.ohiosci.org