Creativity spawns innovation at HNMCS
Holy name of mary College school fosters student success in Stem careers
for girls, when you build their confidence and ignite their passion and they believe they can do things, then what seems difficult is now surmountable.
Holy Name of Mary College School has “soared to unimaginable heights and bucks the trend for of girls pursuing bachelor’s degrees in STEM,” says Head of School Marilena Tesoro.
The independent Catholic school for girls, Grades 5-12, offers a culture of academic achievement and co-curriculars that empower girls to go on to excel in sciences, math and technology, and become influential leaders, role models and change makers.
“For girls, when you build their confidence and ignite their passion and they believe they can do things, then what seems difficult is now surmountable. They take risks, explore possibilities and reach their fullest potential.”
The opportunities are limitless, and so too the options once they graduate. “We are proud of the many STEM co-curriculars and initiatives at HNMCS, including innovative forensics and mini-medical programs and a competitive robotics team,” says Tesoro. “Over the past three years, we have seen our STEM graduate stats increase at the post-secondary level from 41 per cent in 2016, 65 per cent in 2017 and 78 per cent in 2018.”
The Mississauga-based school is celebrating its 10 anniversary and its countless achievements, along with a renowned reputation of excellence. Tesoro is especially proud of the high levels of confidence the girls gain, fostered through academic excellence balanced with supportive and encouraging relationships, and combined with an array of athletics, arts, leadership experiences, outdoor education and STEM opportunities.
According to Tesoro, brilliant minds are expanded through an enriched curriculum focused on design thinking that has real-world application to solve real-world problems. It prepares students to get into their university of choice, meet the academics and challenges of university, and to soar in and out of the classroom. HNMCS has nurtured exciting career success for countless former students.
Aniela Opolski found her passion for STEM at HNMCS and graduated fully prepared to pursue her engineering dreams. She is studying software engineering at the University of Ottawa while working part-time as a back-end software engineer building mobile apps.
“I discovered that I really like problem-solving with code in the ninth grade through the co-curricular program. It was my participation in the LEGO Robotics club that started my interest in coding,” says Opolski.
The fun co-curriculars and academics prepared her for the engineering programs’ workload and challenges. The physics and chemistry courses she took in her junior years were repeated in many of her first-year science courses. “Even my final lab in high school chemistry was the same as my final lab at the end of first-year chemistry.”
The 22-year-old is amazed at the level of STEM activities presently offered at HNMCS. “The middle school is learning the technology that most students don’t learn until post-secondary. And I believe, as a result, HNMCS will have more women graduating into a STEM field than most other schools, public and private.”
Opolski remains grateful for the opportunities she had to create new clubs and start new traditions. “The teachers were always ready to assist us in leading activities and were simply supportive of our endeavours.” She adds that she wouldn’t have had the confidence to join a coding based club in any other school, “but knowing that HNMCS is a no-judgement and friendly-learning environment, I felt comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new.”
Developing leadership skills at HNMCS led to her role as president of the Software Engineering Student Association at the University of Ottawa, and profoundly built her confidence, social skills and strong work ethic that enabled Opolski to ace her job interviews for co-op positions.
Former student Diana Paolone, 24, says her education at HNMCS was ideal preparation for facing a large workload at university, and the all-female classroom environment gave her the confidence to pursue all her dreams and academic goals. “It is this experience that has motivated me to make teaching and female empowerment part of my career and inspired my career in International Education and Development.
“I feel so blessed to have had this in my life that I want to give these same experiences and opportunities in education to girls all over the world,” says Paolone, who completed an Honours BSc. in Health and Disease at the University of Toronto, and today is working in Tanzania with EQWIP HUBS helping youth gain entrepreneurial and employment skills.
An all-girls education is something she strongly advocates for today. “It allowed me to raise my hand more freely in a classroom. It also gave me a lasting, strong group of friends and a safe space to share,” says Paolone, adding that discussions, inside and outside of the classroom, would have been very different if boys were participating.
“The STEM subjects were a great foundation in discovering and learning about all aspects of life, which is key in my profession. I plan to continue on to graduate school and I hope to conduct more research in the future.”