By Christina Leslie | Correspondent

The after-school program in Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Asbury Park, has been judged one of the 15 best STEM projects in the nation and has been selected as a featured program for the 21st Century Community Learning Center Virtual Showcase by the United States Department of Education – one of three selected out of 8,900 21CCL Centers throughout the nation.

The OLMC program, which stresses the arts in addition to traditional science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), was videotaped and highlighted on the You for Youth (Y4Y.ed.gov) website as a resource for other programs nationwide.

OLMC and their financial partner, the Friendship Train Foundation, instituted the after-school program about three years ago. The program was awarded a five-year, $300K per year grant under the auspices of the New Jersey 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the only Catholic school in New Jersey to have done so, according to OLMC principal Sister of St. Joseph Jude Boyce.

Each weekday session of the program begins with the 100 students in grades four through eight receiving a nutritious snack in the cafeteria before heading back into their classrooms for an hour to complete their homework; the children then participate in enrichment classes in a variety of fields held throughout the OLMC campus. Teachers and aides recruited from the OLMC staff and surrounding community lead the youngsters in a wide variety of fun yet educational classes.

Classes held throughout the week include knitting and needlework, music, glass painting, sewing, digital photography, dance, baking, acting, dancing, chess and community service projects. About 110 students hailing from OLMC and two community schools are enrolled in the program which stresses fun and education in equal measures.

An advisory council comprised of both staff and parents meets every two weeks to assure the program’s success, and periodic showcases and information nights also draw the families to the school. The success of the year-round program and requests from parents led Sister Jude to invite students’ younger siblings into the mix; about three dozen first through third graders, dubbed the “mini all-stars,” meet three days per week; their classes are funded partially through Title I monies and private donations.

“It’s not just a daycare,” program director Sowmiya Thirumoorthy asserted. “We get tremendous support from the parents, faculty and community, but Sister Jude is a pillar of strength. This would not have happened without her.”

Focusing on the Asbury Park school’s 90-year tradition of Catholic faith and service, Sister Jude said, “This is really very complimentary. The kids are already set up to be respectful and have good values.”