In January 2019, St. Ed's launched The Porter Prize Competition, similar to the reality television show "Shark Tank."  Through this competition, all departments were given the opportunity to make a pitch for a $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 infusion of money to their department's budget.  The Porter Prize Competition, named after St. Andre Bessette who worked as a porter at Notre Dame College in Côte-des-Neiges, Quebec, is a creative opportunity for academic departments to pitch their ideas for a new student-enrichment experience. 

 

"Our hope was that the competition would allow our faculty to open more figurative doors for our students, who we constantly strive to bring new and useful experiences to day in and day out," says Film

Department Chair and Director of Innovation Mr. Nick Kuhar, who came up with the idea for The Porter Prize Competition.  "I thought this event gave our faculty the opportunity to empower themselves and to practice the entrepreneurial mindset that we're accelerating amongst our student body." 

 

"The entire competition was a cool opportunity to hear ideas from other departments," says Ms. Munnell.  "It's pretty easy, as a teacher, to feel stuck in your own silo: your subject area, your classes, your ideas.  I am always grateful for the reminder that so many of our teachers and departments are fastidiously working to improve their approach." 

 

St. Ed's hopes the impact of this year's competition will lead to future funding to continue The Porter Prize Competition as an annual event for faculty members and students.