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Updated 01/31/2012 08:35 PM

New science labs for Seton Catholic Central

By: Melissa Kakareka

It's Catholic Schools Week across the country and one Binghamton school is celebrating with a new fundraising campaign. Seton Catholic Central High School announced a capital campaign to upgrade four of the senior high science laboratories. Our Melissa Kakareka tells us how the renovation will affect students who attend the school.

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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- The science labs at Seton Catholic Central High School are about to get a makeover.

"We've been taking stock and looking at ways we can enhance and strengthen our curriculum and one way we agree on is our science program," said Seton Catholic Central High School Principal Richard Bucci.

Tuesday administrators announced plans to upgrade and re-equip four of the school's old science labs.

"A lot of it is ten years old or older, so to offer a comprehensive education we really have to upgrade furniture, equipment and resources used on a daily basis," said Bucci.

"In some of our labs, we had to kind of find different ways to use the equipment we had and we didn't have up to date beakers and test tubes and we only had a limited amount when they would break," said student Maria Korchak.

School officials are hoping the renovation will allow Seton to be more competitive with other schools in the region. They are also hoping it will foster more math and science skills and interest in students as they head to college.

"We need more science and math programs in this country. We're losing jobs because we don't have the kids here who are focused on math and science and the sciences in general," said donor and McDevitt Trust Investment Committee Chairman Richard Cole.

"It will help with the AP programs so it will encourage people to take the opportunity to use the AP program and get college credit," said Korchak.

The school has already received more than $112,000 between the McDevitt Trust Fund and the Mirabito Family to fund the renovation. Administrators hope alumni and other community members will help double that amount.

"Most of our funds come from tuition and Catholic parishes in Broome County and those fund the day-to-day operations of the school, so when you want to embark on a new major project, you need new streams of funding," said Bucci.

The renovation project is expected to begin on July 1st.

Donations can be made to the Catholic Education Foundation of the Southern Tier.