b'Heide Abelli STEM Excellence AwardAlumni Making a Difference, Together We SoarSt. Michaels School is honored to announce a generous and visionary gift from alumna Ms. Heide Abelli, Class of 1980. Ms. Abelli has pledged $100,000 over the next ten years to advance STEM-related initiatives, with $10,000 designated annually to strengthen and enrich our science and technology programs.In addition, she has established the Heide Abelli STEM Excellence Award, an annual honor with monetary stipend recognizing an outstanding seventh-grade/ rising eighth-grade student who demonstrates exceptional achievement in Science and Mathematics.Ms. Abellis commitment to our growth in innovation will allow us to bring STEM education to life in new and exciting ways - from robotics and environmental science, to the kind of hands-on, inquiry-driven learning that inspires Pictured from left to right: Rebecca Hildebrand,curiosity and confidence, commented Mr.Raj Abramian, Heide Abelli, Brendan SullivanBrendan Sullivan, Head of School. We are deeply grateful to Ms. Abelli and her family.I attended St. Michaels in 7th and 8th grades, andThank you, Ms. Abelli, for helping those years left a lasting impression on me, Ms. Abellius light the way forward.reflected. In making this gift, I wanted to create opportunities that prepare St. Michael\'s students for a changing world, one where STEM subjects are increasingly essential, and to inspire them to dive into STEM with curiosity, creativity, and confidence.Her generosity allows us to enrich and expand our"We are incredibly grateful to Ms. Abelli STEM curriculum, invest in updated equipmentfor her generous contribution to our STEM and resources, and deliver innovative learningprograms. Middle school is foundational in the opportunities for every student from Pre-K through 8thdevelopment of future scientists, engineers, and grade - from hands-on lab experiments and roboticsmathematicians. We are excited to use these challenges to integrated environmental science andfunds in and out of the classroom to enrich our technology projects that ignite curiosity and inspirestudents\' academic experiences!"problem-solving. Rebecca Hildebrand Upper School Science Teacher We are deeply grateful to Ms. Abelli for her steadfast support of our mission and for helping us cultivate future scientists, engineers, and critical thinkers. As a"I really love learning about math and science proud graduate of St. Michaels, she embodies theand I was very excited to receive the STEM values of inquiry, service, and leadership that weaward." strive to instill in every student. Her gift is not only anRaj Abramianinvestment in STEM - its an investment in the potentialHeide Abelli STEM Excellence Award Recipientof every child at our school.'