Donation will assist charter school with future growth, athletic facilities
Hammond Academy of Science and Technology’s footprint in downtown Hammond is now larger thanks to a generous land donation from Franciscan Alliance.
Franciscan Alliance donated a parcel of land that previously held a parking lot on the north side of Clinton Street between Hohman Avenue and State Line Road. A portion of the property extends to Russell Street.
Franciscan Alliance senior leadership recently transferred the deed to the property to outgoing school principal Dr. Sean Egan at the school. Egan retired at the end of the school year.
Hammond Academy of Science and Technology (HAST), located at 33 Muenich Court in downtown Hammond, serves 550 students in sixth through 12th grade, the majority of whom are Hispanic and Black. The charter school is now in its 13th year.
Egan said his students don’t have outdoor space for gym classes or athletic fields for team sports. The addition of the Franciscan property, when added to other nearby parcels already owned by HAST, will allow for potential growth.
“It means there is a future for HAST,” Egan said of the donation. “It gives our families excitement for the next generation.”
Calvin Bellamy, chairman of the Franciscan Alliance Northern Indiana Board of Directors, recommended the donation of the parcel.
“That land served the community for generations and served it well,” Bellamy said. “By transferring this property to the school, it will continue to serve it well into the future.”
Franciscan Alliance Chairwoman Sister Jane Marie Klein, OSF, said the donation supports the healthcare ministry’s mission of Christian stewardship and joyful service.
“To be able to give to a school badly in need of these resources, to be able to help grow these students and the young people of tomorrow brings joy to my heart and makes our sisters very happy,” she said.
