The carpets are still being installed in Girls IN STEM Academy’s new northwest Indy location, and the first day of school is just two weeks away.
But, Chrystal Westerhaus — standing just steps from the large holding room of furniture, kitchen appliances and school decorations waiting to be placed — said she’s not nervous.
“I feel proven,” the principal said with a sense of ease. “I feel extremely excited for this opportunity here and I feel like we can only go up.”
The relief and excitement were palpable as Girls IN STEM staff and partners came together July 18 to celebrate the opening of their new campus at 5136 N. Michigan Road. The ribbon-cutting had been a long time coming.
An unexpected zoning challenge pushed back the K-8 charter school’s hopes of opening in its new Michigan Road location in time for the start of the 2024-25 school year. The academy, instead, shared a temporary location with another school.
That year, emotions were still high from the zoning battle that served as a proxy for a larger debate over traditional public school districts versus public charter schools.
Now, Girls IN STEM leaders are celebrating a day that once felt far away. The school will welcome students to its new campus on Aug. 1.
“It’s emotional,” Westerhaus said. “We faced a lot of adversity to get to this point.”
A building for education
Officials from the academy’s charter network, Paramount Schools of Excellence, had already developed the concept for a new, girls STEM school when they purchased their Michigan Road site from Witherspoon Presbyterian Church in October 2023.
Paramount leaders envisioned a new school that empowered girls, often underrepresented in STEM fields, to develop an early love for science, technology, engineering and math.
Leaders of Witherspoon — one of the oldest Black Presbyterian churches in the nation — put their building up for sale that fall as the congregation moved southwest to a property near 38th Street and Kessler Boulevard.
Paramount leaders moved on the property quickly when they saw it listed online. And, representatives of the church said the school’s proposal matched Witherspoon’s mission.
“Witherspoon church was founded and grounded in education,” church elder Bettye Jo Rawls-Lloyd said during the July 18 celebration. “As a young student growing up here, I will always remember hearing folks tell me ‘Do your best. Grow and learn everyday. You can do anything you put your mind to.’”
Opposition delays move
Despite having enthusiastic support from Witherspoon, not everyone in the nearby Highland-Kessler neighborhood supported the school’s opening.
Paramount’s attempts to renovate the former church in time for the 2024-25 school year stalled as leadership and supporters of the nearby Washington Township school district challenged the charter academy’s requests to rezone the property.
Washington Township supporters said leaders of the charter school network didn’t consult with the school district or community groups before deciding to move into their neighborhood, and that they were happy with the STEM opportunities options already provided to them.
After months of delays, the academy’s rezoning request ultimately moved forward when city officials determined a school — whether a traditional public or charter academy — was an appropriate use for the space.
Though a victory for Paramount, the setback followed the Girls IN STEM through its first year.
Enrollment targets missed
The school opened in fall 2024 in its temporary location — shared with Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis — to allow time for a $3 million renovation project.
Enrollment fell short of what school leaders had hoped for, Paramount CEO Tommy Reddicks said. Only about 50 girls attended last year.
Get the backstory
The Paramount chief said he had hoped to enroll at least 200 girls, but the uncertainty surrounding the academy and its temporary space, shared with a school that catered to boys and girls, may have led to the missed enrollment targets.
“That’s why we moved really quick to be here,” Reddicks said, steps from the school’s new main entrance, “because now we truly have a home for our girls.”
The pushback later spurred new legislation protecting charter and private schools’ rights when seeking to rezone property.
Reddicks now anticipates the school will double its first-year enrollment.
New campus to bring learning outdoors
Anna Kerby took a chance on Girls IN STEM from its start.
The Pike Township resident learned about the school through an advertisement at her local library. She was looking for a place to send her daughters after several years of homeschooling.
She said she was drawn to the academy by its STEM focus and small size.
Since starting at the school, her daughters have jumped into as many extracurriculars as they can take on, Kerby said. That includes chess club, robotics, cheerleading and Girls on the Run.
“They contacted me a lot, even though I have good kids,” Kerby said of her daughters’ teachers. “They were very engaged with all the students, not just the ones that needed help.”
But, Kerby said, the shared-school experience last year had its limitations. Girls on the Run athletes, for example, ran circles around a small parking lot. Students had to share the gym, and there was no cafeteria.
The new campus sits on 5 acres where Girls IN STEM leaders are planning nature walks, outdoor learning labs and community events, such as movies on the lawn. Kerby’s daughter, Samantha Kerby, shared her excitement for the move during prepared remarks July 18.
“I can’t wait to see how we will use all the space behind the school,” she said.
Learn more about Girls IN STEM
Paramount is still enrolling students for the coming school year.
Though the school intends to scale up to grades K-8, Girls IN STEM is only taking kindergarten through seventh graders this year. Families can find more information online at the Girls IN STEM Academy website or by using Enroll Indy.
Families can request a tour of the new Girls IN STEM location by calling the school at 463-274-5355. Girls IN STEM’s first day is Aug. 1.
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Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
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