aC Around Campus
Bishop McNamara High School Announces Major Investment from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation
On Monday, September 28, 2020, President/CEO Dr. John
Barnhardt announced that Bishop McNamara High School received a major investment in The Faith. Family. Future! Capital Campaign from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation – the family foundation of late construction pioneer Jim Clark. The investment of $1,000,000 from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation helps to establish the La Reine Science & Innovation Center, scheduled to open in 2021. With the vision to ‘Innovate. Transform. Thrive,’ The La Reine Science & Innovation Center will be a hub for technology, collaboration and discovery by offering new academic programs in science, technology, cybersecurity, engineering, entrepreneurship, and multimedia. By providing students with next generation, handson learning experiences, Bishop McNamara High School hopes to develop the innovators of tomorrow. Bishop McNamara High School thanks the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation for this transformative investment as it enables the school to continue to advance the building of the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation has generously supported Washington-area organizations, hospitals, schools, cultural institutions and veterans groups for over 30 years through the Clark Charitable Foundation. The team at the Clark Foundation is humbled and excited to help realize Mr. Clark’s philanthropic legacy in the next decade and beyond. This major investment from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation to help build the La Reine Science and Innovation Center furthers Mr. Clark’s outstanding philanthropic legacy as this Center will be a catalyst for positive change for generations of Bishop McNamara students and residents of Prince George’s County. As Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks says, “The La Reine Science & Innovation Center will be a game changer, not only for Bishop McNamara students, but for the Prince George’s County community as a whole. We know that STEM education is critical to ensuring our young people can compete professionally after high school.” Under the creative direction of Grimm + Parker, an architecture firm and leader in sustainable design in partnership with Scheibel Construction, an award-winning general contractor, the La Reine Science & Innovation Center will be a 20,000-square-foot building that will provide deep, hands-on learning experiences for the student community to explore, create, discover, collaborate and innovate.
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THE MUSTANG MESSENGER
The La Reine Science & Innovation Center will offer seven classrooms, five of them as customary science labs, featuring two chemistry, two physics and a health science lab. The stateof-the-art innovation lab will be the centerpiece of the building, complete with industry leading hardware such as 3D printers, vinyl cutters, drill presses and computer components that can make a machine run and affect its performance. During the school day, Bishop McNamara High School will occupy the La Reine Science & Innovation Center for preparing students for success in higher education and the workforce of the future. After school hours, the Center will function as a hub for adult learners in Career Technology Education (CTE) earning certificate programs in cybersecurity, CCNA, and other certifications in various fields. As a proud partner with the citizens of Prince George’s County, the new Center will develop tomorrow’s innovators. As a school serving a majority African American student population, the La Reine Science & Innovation Center allows Bishop McNamara students, underserved in STEM related fields, to gain the skills and certifications necessary to advance toward higher education or job placement in these highly sought after professional and technical fields. Board Chair Robert Summers ’86 shared, “We are elated to receive such a generous gift from the Clark Foundation in support of the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. We believe this gift aligns with the Clark Foundation’s mission in supporting organizations that have a strong infrastructure and programmatic vision. Bishop McNamara envisions that the La Reine Science & Innovation Center will provide faculty, students, and the surrounding community a space where creativity and potential can thrive and inspire the development of our future leaders.” President Barnhardt had this to say about this considerable contribution from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, “I am filled with gratitude today for this major investment from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation. Their investment in the La Reine Science & Innovation Center will change the lives of countless numbers of our students and neighbors in Prince George’s County. They now will have a next generation facility where they can go to acquire the skills and proficiencies necessary to compete for places in higher education or career advancement. This investment marks a significant move forward in our fundraising efforts for this facility and I could not be more grateful for this bountiful gift.” n
