Notable Women in Education: Abby Andrietsch

President & CEO / St. Augustine Preparatory Academy (Aug Prep)

Abby Andrietsch, president and chief executive officer of St. Augustine Preparatory Academy in Milwaukee, embraces challenges while continuing to love and serve students, staff and families, colleagues say.

In partnership with the Aug Prep leadership team, Andrietsch led the development of a COVID-19 safety plan and instantly pivoted to online learning with only two days of downtime and almost no asynchronous instruction. She planned the return to school, incorporating increased safety protocols to keep kids safe while giving the instruction they needed to excel.

Due in part to this innovation and proactivity, Aug Prep was one of the first schools in Milwaukee to return to in-person instruction. The school’s COVID safety plan was so well thought-out that it was shared with other schools as a guide. Andrietsch worked tirelessly to ensure that not only was no student at Aug Prep left behind academically, but all students received emotional support through this tumultuous time, according to Erin Hareng, chief external affairs officer at Aug Prep.

Andrietsch has been a key part of planning Aug Prep’s next phase. The school plans to break ground on a 120,000-square-foot building that will expand Aug Prep and give it the capacity to serve up to 2,400 students. New facilities will include 40 new classrooms, a theater, STEM labs, a fitness center and special education spaces.

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