The February 2025 episode of Spotlight on Schools shines a light on one local school’s effort to move full speed ahead with STEAM, a curriculum that integrates science, technology, engineering, art and math.
(See the video above.)
It’s been less than a year since Incarnate Word Academy in Parma Heights received its STEAM designation from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Development, and the school’s program already is showing signs of success. In late 2024, it received international attention when a delegation from a Muslim community in Israel visited the campus to learn about ways to educate children in their homeland.
“They were hosted by the Jewish Federation here in Cleveland. It was a Muslim community that came. And they came to a Catholic school,” said Anne Hribar, IWA’s STEAM coach. “So, it was a beautiful integration of people that are just like-minded thinkers who want the best for our children.”
Another example of IWA’s strong STEAM focus was seen during a recent showcase at which students presented projects to an expert panel about potential ways to use campus space. The panel included a local architect and a representative from the Cleveland Museum of Art who posed questions related to issues such as building materials and potential hazards. A seventh-grader from the group that created plans for a drive-through cafeteria said she liked the question-and-answer period the best.
“Everyone has different ideas and perspectives,” she said. “And they can merge together to make something really good.”
Teaching students to work collaboratively, think critically and use creativity to solve real-world problems is at the heart of STEAM. Effects of this approach are reflected in some of the career aspirations of students.
“I think I maybe want to pursue something in medicine like becoming a doctor,” said one eighth-grader. “I really think that's important because of science and math. And, also, being at a Catholic school, they really instilled the importance of service and helping others. So, I think being in a Catholic STEAM school has definitely instilled all of that in me.”
Click here to learn more about Incarnate Word Academy, an independent Catholic school founded in 1935 by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word.