Sep 18, 2023

St. Sebastian School Receives Governor Thomas Edison Award for the Fifth Year

For the fifth year in a row, St. Sebastian Parish School and nineteen members from its teaching staff were awarded The Governor’s Thomas Edison Awards for Excellence in STEM Education and Student Research for their accomplishments during the 2022-2023 school year. Only 48 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, Kathy Cardarelli, Giana Dandrea, Robert Dedinsky, Christina Friedl, Michele Kellner, Debra Landis, Cassie Laube, Anne Riede, Allyn Rose, Megan Sanford, Jennifer Slegus, Jennifer Smee, Lesley Starcher, Sue Vernon, Sally Weakland and Mary Weitzel.

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 the incorporation of scientific inquiry and technological design through student-focused, project-based curricula to develop skills of communication, teamwork/collaboration, creativity/innovation, critical thinking and problem solving. 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.