Cummings Community STEM Program

Malden Catholic is pleased to welcome middle school students to Malden Catholic for the afterschool Cummings Community STEM Program. Through our partnership with the Cummings Foundation, this program has been generously supported by a $30 million grant from their major annual grants program to provide STEM education to middle schoolers in the surrounding communities.

Mrs. Saman Abbas, MC's STEM Director, will coordinate the program with hands-on lessons from her Introduction to Engineering class. Students will use the provided materials to perform experiments from her designed curriculum for middle school students.

The STEM curriculum will involve inquiry-based lessons where students carry out hands-on investigations that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving. Students will also understand that multiple right answers exist to solve a problem. The environment will be risk-free, and mistakes and design failures will be treated as good methods of learning.

There are two sessions of the program. Each session meets every other Tuesday throughout the year. Please sign up for the session of your choice.

The program cost is FREE courtesy of the Cummings Foundation. There is a $20 cost for a t-shirt for each participant.

Blue Session Dates: October 1, 15, and 29 / November 12 / December 10 / January 14 and 28 / February 11 and 25 / March 11 and 25 / April 8 / May 6 and 20

Gold Session Dates: October 8 and 22 / November 5 and 19 / December 17 / January 21 / February 4 and 25 / March 4 and 18 / April 1 and 15 / May 13 and 27

Time: 3:15 PM - 5:00 PM

For questions, please email Mrs. Mea Mustone at mustonem@maldencatholic.org or Mrs. Saman Abbas at sabbas@maldencatholic.org

Cummings Community STEM Program Sign-Up Form

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Meet the Team

Mrs. Saman Abbas: Program Director 

Saman Abbas is the STEM Director and the Chair of Science technology and Engineering and at Malden Catholic High School. She teaches Engineering courses. Mrs. Abbas joined Malden Catholic in January 2017. She holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Meerut University, India and has completed her master's course work in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology from Purdue University, West Lafayette IN. Her master’s research was focused on Engineering education using atomic force microscopy. Mrs. Abbas was the recipient of “Dr. Margaret R. Taber and Rick & Nancy Vanderwein Scholarship for Women in Engineering” at Purdue university (2008-2009) and “Excellence in Teaching award” at Malden Catholic High School (2018-2019). Mrs. Abbas was recognized as the Exemplary Innovative teacher by Massachusetts Technology and Engineering Education Collaborative (MASS TEC) for the outstanding teaching practices during the unprecedented time (2021). In her spare time, she loves volunteering at the local spiritual center and reading science fiction books.  

Mr. Brian Cahill: Teacher

Mr. Cahill is a science teacher at Malden Catholic High School. He teaches such courses as Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Earth Science, and Environmental Science. Cahill joined Malden Catholic in September of 2016. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Fairfield University where he tutored at the local YMCA. He completed his master's in education at Northeastern University with a focus on curriculum development around students with learning difficulties. In his spare time Mr. Cahill travels around the world, golfs, hikes, and watches NFL and Premiere League game.

Mrs. Taylor Foster: Teacher

Mrs. Foster joined the faculty at Malden Catholic in January of 2024. She graduated from Vanguard University of Southern California with a degree in Biological Sciences and holds a master's degree in teaching from George Fox University, Newberg Oregon. Mrs. Foster has experience teaching Biology, Chemistry, Physical Science and Anatomy and Physiology throughout her career. She brings a passion for understanding the world around her and a desire to share that passion with others. Mrs. Foster is new to Massachusetts and is currently spending her free time exploring the city, cheering on the Red Sox and Celtics, and taking in the breathtaking New England fall colors.

Mrs. Marybeth Mineo GC'91 P'20, '21, '22: Teacher    

Mrs. Mineo is a dedicated Math and Science teacher at Malden Catholic, having joined the faculty in 2022. A proud graduate of Girls' Catholic High School (1991), she earned her BS in Chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1995). Mrs. Mineo spent seven years as an Analytical Chemist at a semiconductor gas company in Gloucester, MA, before taking six years to focus on being a stay-at-home mom. She began her teaching career in middle school science at Cheverus Catholic and completed her Master's in Secondary Education in 2014. With her sons graduating from Malden Catholic in 2020 and 2021, and her daughter being part of the first girls' graduating class in 2022, Mrs. Mineo is deeply committed to the school community. She brings 15 years of teaching experience to her role at Malden Catholic, inspiring the next generation of learners.

Mr. Brendan Sullivan '11: Teacher

Brendan Sullivan graduated from Tufts University in 2015 with bachelor’s degrees in biology and Russian History, with a minor in Art History. After graduating, he decided to stay at Tufts where he earned his Master of Science in STEM Education. From there he moved to New York to teach and earned a second Master’s of Arts in Teaching. This is his 7th year of teaching, and 2nd at Malden Catholic. He looks forward to working with future scientists this year!          

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