Five Catholic girls’ schools receive $2 million grant for new opportunities in STEM

Five Catholic all-girls high schools in the Cincinnati area that are usually seen as “competitors” have teamed up to secure a $2 million grant to expand their students’ access to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.

President of Saint Ursula Academy Leilia Kramer said it was “really unheard of” to have five all-women schools band together to make STEM education available in a unique way at each institution, according to a July 23 report by WCPO 9, an ABC affiliate. 

Kramer’s school, along with Mercy-McAuley, Mount Notre Dame High School, Seton High School, and Ursuline Academy will be receiving the grant.

Kramer says that she has seen increased interest from her students in STEM subjects.

Karen White, principal of Seton High School, agreed. White also said that, despite the interest the students show, it can be difficult for schools to provide the spaces, equipment, and teachers needed for STEM education — so the grant will help the school to invest in these areas. 

Michelle Robinson, president of Mount Notre Dame High School, told WCPO 9 that the five schools are “commonly seen as competitors in the community” but the equally distributed grant is a great “way to lift each other up and collaborate together to be an example to our students.”

This is not the first time the five schools have collaborated. For the past six years, they have banded together for an annual campaign, Girls’ Schools Unite, “to raise awareness and financial support for all-girls Catholic education.” 

Most of the schools have been providing education in the Catholic tradition since the 1800s.

The Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third Bank, N.A. Trustee is providing the funds for the grant, which will last for three years. The five schools will each receive $400,000, which will be used for everything from lab equipment for students to professional development for teachers.

“Empowering young women has been at the heart of the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund since its creation in 1908,” Heidi Jark, managing director of the Foundation Office at Fifth Third Bank, told  WCPO. “We are honored to continue that legacy by supporting these five esteemed academic institutions as they advance STEM education for the next generation of female leaders across the Cincinnati region.”

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