Officials from the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation (CRSF) joined leaders from the University of Maryland Medical System and a group of Baltimore City educators and students for a ribbon-cutting ceremony that celebrated the launch of a state-of-the-art STEM center at Katherine Johnson Global Academy in West Baltimore on October 24, 2024.
In accordance with a growing demand for STEM opportunities – particularly in minority communities – the Ripken Foundation and UMMS acknowledged the need for the educational asset and teamed up to make the STEM Center a reality.
Katherine Johnson Global Academy, located near the intersection of Braddish Avenue and Lafayette Avenue, is already equipped with two other STEM centers on its second and third floors.
The newly renovated STEM Center on the school’s first floor will specifically serve elementary school students.
Distinguished speakers during the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, CRSF President and CEO Steve Salem, Katherine Johnson Global Academy Principal Nancy Fagan, UMMS President and CEO Mohan Suntha, UMMS professor Rodney Taylor and CRSF co-founder and Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr.
“We are so excited to have the STEM program here at our school; we’re so excited to be named after someone who was so mathematically inclined (Creola Katherine Johnson) and STEM-oriented, and we try to uplift those values,” said Fagan, who is in her first year as the school’s principal.
“I am a 39-year veteran in this system, and when I taught science way back when it didn’t look like how it looks today. You (students) are so very lucky, and we know that. And we’re just so appreciative.”
Michael McFadden, a fifth grader at Katherine Johnson Global Academy, also shared remarks. The event attracted other UMMS board members, city government officials, Katherine Johnson Global Academy faculty and staff, and board members from the Ripken Foundation.
“When you think about why the health system partners with the Ripken Foundation to create educational opportunities for you all in a place within your school – because we want you to imagine the future,” Suntha said at the podium, directly addressing Katherine Johnson Global Academy students.
“We want you to think about, and learn, and study opportunities that will help shape how you think about your own future. My hope is that you love science…. Be excited about your future, and thank you so much for giving us this opportunity.”
As a result of CRSF’s partnership with UMMS, 10 STEM centers have been developed across the medical system’s footprint in Maryland, made possible by a three-year $500,000 grant.
“The best part about the STEM centers is kids having fun learning and using their hands as they engage in important skills for today and for the future, giving them a leg up,” Salem said.
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, event participants toured the innovative space while students experimented with high-tech tools like 3D printers, hands-on coding and electronics activities such as “littleBits” and Snap Circuits.
Ripken and Suntha interacted with the children, trying their hand at STEM activities as well.
As of October 2024, the Ripken Foundation has opened more than 600 STEM centers in 25 states and Washington, D.C., along with 22 district-wide public school systems, impacting more than 260,000 students across the country, according to UMMS officials.
“Our STEM Center program has been amazing to watch,” Ripken said.
“The demand for these centers all across the country has been tremendous and continues to grow. The University of Maryland Medical System is a great partner and because of them we are able to provide tools to students and teachers that help them develop problem solving skills and critical thinking.”
Ripken, among the pantheon of Orioles icons, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. Since its founding in 2001, the Ripken Foundation has impacted millions of children living in underserved communities. The organization regularly opens youth development parks and other community-building amenities in addition to its STEM center initiative.
The UMMS-CRSF partnership also illustrates an opportunity to introduce students to the field of STEM, a core principle to the work of UMMS, while allowing the system’s member organizations to engage with local communities through relationships with community-based organizations and schools.
“We know that extending access to STEM education will help pave the way for the next generation of scientists,” Suntha added.
“This great partnership provides a unique and significant opportunity to reach more young people in our communities with foundational skills that will inspire future medical breakthroughs and advancements in compassionate, equitable care.”
