The Ambassador’s Fund for Catholic Education (Home - Ambassadors Fund) awarded Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls a grant in the amount of $75,000 for the 2020-2021 academic year. The grant supports continuing development of the school’s signature Arts Academy and STEAM initiative established by its academic strategic plan. Matthew H. McCloskey, Jr. (1893-1973), building contractor and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland (1962-64), created and funded the charitable organization in 1967 to advance Catholic education and evangelization throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
This grant supports curriculum implementation in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) field, and it allows the school to double the number of students who can work toward Adobe Suite certification. This industry credential figures as a major outcome of the STEAM programming stated in the school’s strategic plan approved by St. Hubert’s board in May 2018.
“At this critical time in education, our students are continuing to experience new and exciting opportunities through STEAM that will prepare them for career or college readiness. In the face of unique challenges in the face of a global pandemic, students and their instructor have not missed a beat in their Digital Imaging and Design course, this fall, because of the Fund-approved switch to MacBooks.” Lizanne Magarity Pando, St. Hubert president said. “The adaptability of our students, the support from generous donors like the Ambassador’s Fund, and the strategic direction set by our board, are setting our students up for success. We are incredibly grateful to the Ambassador’s Fund for Catholic Education for their sustained support of schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and especially of our young women at St. Hubert’s.”
St. Hubert purchased 31 MacBooks with grant funding. These devices are essential tools for digital arts courses, as students study Adobe Inline, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Successful course completion positions students for Adobe Suite industry testing certifications, for immediate post-graduation employment or towards college preparation.
“What our grant committee found to be interesting was this program’s potential impact on a variety of students,” said Matthew H. McCloskey IV, Ambassador’s Fund president. “You could have students who want to go right to work after graduation. This preparation, especially the industry certification, should give them an advantage,” he continued. “The students who go directly to college will find these courses a possible advantage in their own courses and maybe for very attractive employment on-campus or a part-time job off-campus.”
Last year, an Ambassador’s Fund grant provided professional development classes for faculty to gain knowledge in the collaborative teaching methods associated with St. Hubert’s STEAM curriculum. A Villanova professor experienced in these teaching strategies led two of three workshops, with the third postponed because of the pandemic to this year. The next phase in the Arts Academy/STEAM plan implementation will focus on offering film programming for students and the equipment necessary for film recording and editing.
The Ambassador’s Fund for Catholic Education, formerly known as the Archdiocesan Educational Fund, founded by Matthew McCloskey, Jr. in 1967, has supported schools, parishes, and religious organizations in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia with more than $60 million in grants.
St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls, founded in 1941, is the largest Catholic girls’ high school in Philadelphia. St. Hubert draws students from more than 47 elementary schools in surrounding neighborhoods and every section of Philadelphia, the suburbs of Bucks and Montgomery counties, and Southern New Jersey. St. Hubert students are offered a cutting-edge academic education with technology incorporated into every aspect of the curriculum.
