The Innovation Center
St. Edmund Prep has partnered with 1100 ARCHITECT in New York, NY to transform the current art gallery's four small rooms into one large, open, and airy space for creating. With glass walls, whiteboards, and movable furniture, the Michael and Lois Koplin Innovation Center will let students see learning in action. The collaborative setting will encourage students to come in, play, design, ask questions, or just sit and watch. The Innovation Center will host our robotics team as well as classes in engineering, math, art, and design. All classes, across disciplines, will be encouraged to engage the Innovation Center as a place to facilitate project-based learning where we will teach and empower students to collaborate, create, and find solutions.
By The Numbers
| Design and Construction | $590,000 |
| Project Management | $ 54,000 |
| Furniture and Equipment | $156,000 |
| Total | $800,000 |
Expanding Horizons, Opening Possibilities
We invite you to join us in building this exciting new facility where student ideas will take shape and imaginations will soar. Your support for the Innovation Center will turn these plans into reality, ensuring that St. Edmund persists in its mission of preparing graduates with the knowledge, skills, and passion to flourish in college and make a profound difference in the world.
Together, we can ensure that a St. Edmund Prep education is full STEAM ahead, focused on the future.
Michael and Lois Koplin
Michael and Lois Koplin built a life over fifty years together marked by passion, purpose, and an adventurous spirit. After retiring from successful careers - Michael in publishing and Lois in patient financial services at Methodist Hospital - they were ready for something new. Always each other’s best collaborators, Lois joined the St. Edmund Prep staff in 2015 as tuition secretary, and Michael followed shortly thereafter in 2016 as coach of the track team. Michael had taken up running later in life and he found a new love in coaching young men and women about the nuances of competitive running. Coach Mike was a beloved fixture of everyday life at the Prep and, as a U.S.A. certified track coach, grew the track program with his knowledge, enthusiasm and dedication. The Koplins quickly became treasured members of the St. Edmund Prep family.On October 20, 2020 Michael suddenly and tragically passed away, survived by Lois, their two children and three grandsons. The very model of a life well lived, Michael’s passions extended far beyond the track. A poet, a writer, and a lover of history, he had curiosity and zeal for learning that he passed down to his children and the many family, friends, colleagues and students who crossed his path. Born of her characteristic generosity, Lois gave her support to this Innovation Center to honor her husband, their marriage, and their life together at St. Edmund Prep. We hope that all who learn and explore in this space are inspired by Michael’s thirst for knowledge and drive for excellence.
We are grateful to the Koplin Family for their leadership and for the impact of their generosity on bold learning for generations to come.