Oakcrest School Receives $126,000 STEM Grant from the E. L. Wiegand Foundation

Press Release (ePRNews.com) - MCLEAN, Va. - Feb 20, 2017 - Oakcrest School announced today it received a grant totaling more than $126,000 from the E. L. Wiegand Foundation of Reno, Nevada. The grant will be directed to support programs promoting STEM-based learning and equip the school’s new science lab at its permanent campus in Vienna, Virginia.

Scheduled to open in Fall 2017, Oakcrest’s permanent campus will feature a new science lab with state-of-the-art equipment and a flexible learning environment that will invite collaboration, communication, and hands-on constructive learning. Grant funds will help create a digital classroom with a network of connected ZEISS microscopes and iPads.

“What’s so exciting about this interactive, digital platform is that our students will be able to share their microscope images with each other and their teacher,” said Heather DeLisle, master science teacher at Oakcrest. “It will foster a deeper understanding of learning in a collaborative way and will support our strong inquiry-based curriculum.”

“At Oakcrest, we believe that a high-quality STEM education is deeply integrated with the liberal arts,” said Mary T. Ortiz, Head of School. “The support of partners like the Wiegand Foundation is critical to ensure that our girls can pursue their studies with the best lab equipment available. Together, we are cultivating the next generation of women engineers, doctors, and research scientists.”

“Our benefactor, Edwin L. Wiegand, created over 100 scientific inventions alone with his extraordinary mind and tenacious work ethic. Today, Oakcrest students can thrive in a science laboratory with the finest equipment, superior instruction, and collaborative genius!” stated Kristen Avansino, President and Executive Director of the Foundation.

About Oakcrest: For 40 years, Oakcrest has provided an exceptional liberal arts education to girls of all faiths in grades 6 to 12 across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. As an independent school guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church, Oakcrest has the freedom to nurture, challenge, and inspire young women while imparting a profound knowledge of the Catholic faith. In the fall of 2017, we will open the doors to our permanent campus in Vienna, Virginia. Learn more at Oakcrest.org.

About the E. L. Wiegand Foundation: The Foundation’s purpose is to develop and strengthen programs and projects at educational institutions in the academic areas of science, business, fine arts, law, and medicine with priority given to programs and projects that benefit children. It also supports health institutions in the areas of heart, eye, and cancer surgery, treatment, and research. Through its impressive grants, the Foundation has left an indelible imprint within the West and select Catholic institutions throughout the U.S. Edwin L. Wiegand was a successful entrepreneur and inventor who made Reno his home in 1971. He died in 1980 at the age of 88, and the E. L. Wiegand Foundation was established in Reno in 1982 for general charitable purposes.