AURORA—Their principal almost levitated right in front of him, Michael Kagan, diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools, told the students of Holy Angels School at an assembly the morning of Oct. 8.

Indeed, whether she is talking with Superintendent Kagan or others about her tour of an existing STEM program, Principal Tonya Forbes glows with excitement and anticipation of the 2016-17 school year when Holy Angels students will begin to experience a new STEM curriculum being made possible by a grant from the Dunham Fund.

An oversized, ceremonial check for $188,614 was presented to Forbes and students by Ryan Maley, chairman of the Dunham fund, joined by board members Robert Vaughan, Michael Morcos and Mark Truemper. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and it is a curriculum that holds a special place in the mission of the Dunham Fund.

Established in 1996 by John Dunham, the fund has awarded over $5 million to STEM initiatives in the last five years, Maley, a Holy Angels School alumnus and parent, said.

“Nearly everything in your life is technology-based,” he told the students, pointing to careers in science, medicine, engineering, and even music and film-making as benefiting from STEM education.

Maley expressed his happiness to give Holy Angels students opportunities not otherwise possible, adding that he was “particularly gratified” that the school is committed to operate a STEM program long-term.

The theme of thankfulness was continued in Bishop David Malloy’s remarks to students as he reminded them that “part of Catholic education is to have a deep heart of gratitude.”

The bishop encouraged students to “work really hard to profit as best you can” from the upcoming STEM program, and to appreciate the sacrifices of the many people, past and present, who built and support the school. He then led them in prayer for “those who have been donors, who have been generous” throughout Holy Angel’s history.

“Thank you for deeming Holy Angels as worthy of this award,” said Adrienne Gilla to the fund board members who were present, in her remarks at the presentation assembly.

Gilla and her husband are alumni of the school and parents of three Holy Angels students. She wrote and presented the grant to the Dunham Fund board, with instrumental help from two other mothers, Julie Smith and Becky Barr. Their application was backed with a lot of consultation and research about the demand for, and need of, an elementary-level STEM program in the area, with a particular eye on the possibility of being a “feeder school” for the STEM programs at Rosary and Marmion high schools.
After answering “a lot of tough questions” in her presentation, Gilla was delighted when the Dunham board called the next day with the happy news of the grant, which will pay for the equipment and training needed to get the STEM program up and running by the next school year.

“Holy Angels students will make the Dunham family very proud,” she concluded.

According to Principal Forbes, the STEM program will be offered to all grade levels at the school, provided once or twice each week, perhaps in special 90-minute class periods, instead of the usual 45-minutes. That is one of many decisions that will need to be made this year as the program is set up and prepared to launch at the beginning of the next school year.

In her tour on Oct. 7 of a STEM curriculum, Forbes watched students charge into their STEM classroom.

“They all went right to work,” she says, adding that every student she spoke with told her, “This is my FAVORITE class!”

That kind of excitement for learning just might make every caring educator almost float off the ground.