Oakcrest to Offer STEM Summer Program for Girls

The program will be facilitated by faculty members Dr. Kat Hussmann and Christina Friddle, who are the moderators of Oakcrest School's award-winning Science Olympiad team. Dr. Hussmann holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a B.S. in Biochemistry and B.A. in Spanish from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She has done postdoctoral research and has had a number of experiences teaching both college and younger students. Dr. Hussmann received the Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO) Committee's 2019 Coach of the Year Award.

Mrs. Friddle has over fifteen years of teaching experience in the classroom. She earned a B.S. in Physics, a B.S. in Mathematics, and a Professional Teaching Certificate in Education from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She holds a National Certificate for STEM Teaching from the National Institute for STEM Education. She has completed an intensive course in “Science Inquiry in the Classroom” from the Maryland State Department of Education and is a member of the National Science Teachers Association.

In 2019, Oakcrest’s Science Olympiad team became the first all-girls team in history to compete in the Virginia State Science Olympiad Tournament, finishing in the top ten in the categories of Designer Genes, Fossils, and Protein Modeling. In the 2020 regional competition, Oakcrest took first place among eleven high schools in the Anatomy and Physiology competition, and fourth in the Detector Building category, advancing to the state competition once again. On February 6, 2021, Oakcrest successfully competed in the regional competition and will be advancing to the Virginia State Science Olympiad Tournament for the third year in a row.

Oakcrest has been successfully offering in-person learning five days a week in the 2020-2021 school year, and looks forward to offering its summer programs in person as well. Programs will all follow COVID precautions and guidelines from the CDC, the Governor of Virginia, and the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE). Find more information about our STEM Camp and register here.