Incarnate Word Academy Faculty Chosen for Prestigious Notre Dame STEM Teaching Fellowship Program

Incarnate Word Academy is proud to announce the selection of 3 teachers, Karen Micheli, Anne Hribar, and Mary Beth Schram, as Fellows in the 2025 cohort of the Notre Dame STEM Teaching Fellowship. The teachers were selected from applicants across the country to be one of eight school-based teams in the program’s 8th cohort and will join a network of over 200 teachers from the program’s first seven cohorts.

The Notre Dame STEM Teaching Fellowship forms STEM teacher leaders who catalyze rigorous and sustainable STEM learning cultures for their students and school communities. Fellows will attend three Summer Institutes at the University of Notre Dame, beginning in July 2025.

Throughout the school year, they will receive content-specific coaching for their instructional practice and will receive targeted support as they expand and improve opportunities for STEM learning in the school.

“We are so proud of Karen, Anne, and Mary Beth for being selected to join the 2025 cohort of the Notre Dame STEM Teaching Fellowship. Being STEM leaders in our building, their dedication to lifelong learning is unparalleled,” said Mrs. Steffany Congelio, principal of Incarnate Word Academy. “As a newly designated STEAM school in the state of Ohio, with a school culture that focuses on continuous improvement, we are excited for Karen, Anne, and Mary Beth to share their new learning with our school community. Incarnate Word Academy was only one of two schools selected this year from Ohio.”

Steffany went on to say, “As a 2024 graduate of the ACE Principal Academy at the University of Notre Dame, I am so grateful for the learning that took place in my program, as well as the opportunity to learn and collaborate with educators from all over the country. Knowing how this experience helped shape me as a leader, I am thrilled for our team to have this distinct opportunity.”

The Notre Dame STEM Teaching Fellows program is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame Center for STEM Education, housed in the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame. The Center for STEM Education’s mission seeks to make STEM Education a force for good by helping all students, from every school sector, especially those underserved and in Catholic schools, engage and excel in the STEM disciplines through research and the translation of research into practice.

Karen Micheli