A middle school in Maryland welcomed a new state-of-the-art STEM center Wednesday.

Due to a partnership between the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation (CRSF) and the State of Maryland, students at Harper's Choice Middle School in Columbia got new tools along with a place to study the sciences. 

Maryland awarded the foundation $1.6 million in 2024 to support the creation of new STEM centers in the state. 

So far, there are 182 centers in Maryland. The new location at Harper's Choice is one of 40 centers that are funded by the state. 

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation has created more than 721 STEM centers in  28 states. 

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation

CRSF was founded by Cal Ripken Jr. and Bill Ripken in 2001 to honor the former Baltimore Orioles player and coach. 

The foundation aims to serve communities and advocate for children in need with youth mentoring and national initiatives. 

In 2024, the foundation supported more than 1.4 million children with the help of 36,000 mentors, coaches and volunteers. 

Since it was founded, CRSF has created nearly 120 safe spaces for children with special needs. 

Building STEM centers 

In 2024, the foundation also opened a STEM center at Lansdowne Middle School in Baltimore County. It was the 500th center that the foundation opened, a milestone that Cal Ripken, Jr. said his dad would be pleased with. 

At the time, CRSF said it planned to open 81 more STEM centers in the following three years, with seven set for the Baltimore area.