BLADENSBURG, MD, August 15, 2023 -- Elizabeth Seton High School welcomes Dr. Schadrac Fresnel as the Technology/Engineering Program Coordinator for Seton’s Learning Engineering and Design (LEAD) program, a rigorous four-year program that offers advanced preparation for STEM-related majors in higher education. The program prepares students for university-level majors in STEM careers: science, technology, engineering and math. Courses include engineering and design basics, robotics, computer programming, electronics, and a capstone project.

 

Dr. Fresnel will expand on Seton’s success in partnering with technology leaders in the Washington, DC metropolitan region, to expand internship opportunities for students. “We will expose our students to real-world engineering and design applications through partnerships with industry experts and community organizations,” says Dr. Fresnel, “broadening their horizons and sparking a lifelong love for learning.”

 

Seton’s footprint in technology has grown in recent years. Summer of 2023 saw the first

month-long Summer STEM and Leadership Academy for incoming ninth-grade students.

 Under the LEAD program, Seton students intern with a continuously growing cadre of mentors and technology partners.

 

Dr. Fresnel comes to Seton with extensive experience in physics, mathematics and engineering.  Since his first teaching position in his native Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dr. Fresnel has dedicated his career to education.  He holds a PhD in Physics from University of Rennes, Rennes, France, and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Laval University, Quebec, Canada. He comes to Seton from West Catholic Preparatory High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

“We are excited about the expertise that Dr. Fresnel brings to Seton,” says Seton President Dr. Lisa Grillo. “We continue to grow our overall academic program as we prepare students for STEM careers. Through these partnerships, Seton will continue to emphasize academic rigor, while also attending to our girls’ overall well-being. Our goal is to provide a safe and nurturing environment that cultivates healthy and joyful young women. We understand that this must begin the moment students enter Seton’s doors.” 

Dr. Fresnel echoes Dr. Grillo’s vision, “In the spirit of Elizabeth Seton's legacy, we will continue to instill empathy, compassion, and social responsibility in our students. The LEAD Program will emphasize the importance of using engineering and design principles to address global challenges and positively impact society.”

 

 

About Seton:

 

Begun in 1959 in Bladensburg, MD, Elizabeth Seton High School is a girls’ Catholic high school, offering a college preparatory curriculum in grades 9 through 12. Currently Seton offers 13 advanced placement and 24 honors level courses. Seton’s curriculum has further evolved today to include four pre-career Programs that offer students exposure to career fields, both inside and outside the classroom. Each of these academic tracks offer professional mentorship and internship programs.