Holly McTernan

About

Holly McTernan has been a member of the St. Edward High School faculty since 2000 and teaches science, with a special passion for physics. She also serves as the supervisor of the Eagles Study Peer Tutoring program. Holly loves introducing students to physics—and sometimes music—and encouraging them in their pursuit of both STEM and the arts. When students begin to realize how deeply physics shapes the real world around them, their excitement grows, opening space for deeper understanding and new ways of thinking. She finds great joy in helping students learn to think critically, solve challenging problems, and discover strengths they didn’t know they had. Seeing young men grow into adults who do good in the world gives her hope for the future.

Outside of school, Holly is an accomplished violinist and plays with the Euclid Symphony and Music Settlement Orchestra, as well as chamber ensembles throughout the year. She enjoys attending concerts and live performances and actively supports the arts. Through her mother, she developed a love for gardening and became involved with the OSU Extension Cuyahoga County Master Gardeners, where she also volunteers. She enjoys traveling and looks forward to doing more in the coming years.

Professionally, Holly has been deeply involved in science education and teacher development on a broader scale. She is part of an international educator professional development group that began at Arizona State University and became trained as a workshop leader for science modeling workshops. She has helped bring these workshops to the Cleveland area, working with institutions such as Baldwin Wallace University and Elyria High School. Since 2015, she has worked with more than 100 teachers from across the country and around the world, welcoming them to Cleveland and supporting meaningful professional development experiences that continue to impact classrooms and students far beyond St. Edward.

Beyond the classroom, Holly values the relationships she builds with students, whether through academic guidance or simply listening and offering support. She cherishes hearing from former students about where their paths have taken them and how their time at St. Edward continues to influence their lives.