St. Michael’s Catholic Academy Holds Grand Opening of HALO

By Anne DeVries

On March 23rd, St. Michael’s Catholic Academy hosted an open house to celebrate the official launch of their Hub for Advance Learning, also known as HALO. The event brought together parents, staff, teachers, and the school board to commemorate the opening of the new 24,000-squarefoot building, which will serve as a center for innovative and immersive learning experiences for students.

The HALO building is designed to provide students with a collaborative and creative environment to foster critical thinking, and its advanced learning experiences will position St. Michael’s Catholic Academy as one of the top secondary schools in Austin. The new facility offers numerous subject areas, including coding, data analytics, city management, law and public policy, robotics, web design, culinary arts, business and entrepreneurship, music production, horticulture, and more.

St. Michael’s Catholic Academy aims to attract the best teaching talent and retain its outstanding faculty by offering such facilities and programs. The HALO building hopes to foster collegiate and corporate partnerships, expanding upon existing partnerships with top universities and attracting new ones to its program. The advanced learning hub’s facilities and resources will also attract corporate and research institutions to participate in exposing young minds to vast career choices and preparing students for future goals in work, education, family, and community.

The curriculum design aims to cultivate a culture of self-directed learners who become the primary stakeholders in their own education, distinguishing themselves in the eyes of college admission and internship directors. The HALO building will provide classes, workshops, and other opportunities for students in many disciplines, in which industry experts would interact with students in a real-world atmosphere.

“We are thrilled to officially dedicate the HALO building and introduce it to our community,” said Heidi Sloan, Head of the High School. “This building and the programs housed within it allow students to become agents of their own learning, experiencing a high level of engagement in working collaboratively with peers to solve real-world problems and develop transfer skills and proficiencies to help them impact the world around them.”

St. Michael’s Catholic Academy is a Christ-centered, college preparatory learning community that inspires lives of service, courage, personal integrity, and intellectual curiosity. The HALO building and the programs offered within it align with the school’s mission, providing students with the opportunity to learn and grow in a supportive and collaborative environment.

For more information about SMCA, please visit www.SMCA.org