Mercy Academy hosts groundbreaking ceremony for new innovation center

Mercy Academy in Louisville hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the new Dr. Sheri Kalbfleisch Innovation Center. Situated on Mercy’s Campus, the 12,000-square-foot STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) facility is now under construction, building on Mercy’s legacy as the first all-female STEM certified school in the nation. 

Once completed, the center will feature two state-of-the-art STEAM shops, a Health Science Lab, a technology classroom, an outdoor classroom and courtyard, two spacious studios for 2D art and ceramics and four collaborative spaces for project-based learning. 

Construction is made possible in large part through the efforts of the Mercy BOLD Campaign, a capital campaign designed to raise meaningful funds designated to build the Innovation Center, invest in 5.5 acres of adjacent land for further development and increase the endowment fund to provide tuition assistance to every young woman who dreams of attending Mercy Academy. The lead gift for the $15 million campaign was provided by Paul Kalbfleisch to remember his wife, Dr. Sheri Sauer Kalbfleisch, an influential alumna from the Class of 1965 and a respected physician in the Louisville community.

The groundbreaking ceremony included remarks from Mercy Academy President Becky Montague, Father Jason Harris, Board Chair Teresa Riggs, Director of Advancement Leslie Hibdon and Nora Brown, a member of the Class of 2027.

“Mercy is proud of its leadership in STEAM education and its long-standing commitment to taking bold steps that equip, empower and prepare students for the future,” Montague said. “The groundbreaking of this new innovation center marks an exciting new chapter in that commitment to excellence.”