From the blog of City of Hampton Mayor Molly Ward
Mark Warner came to Fort Monroe on Friday, November 18 to tour the fort, talk about the National Park Service and explore the possibility a Science, Technology, Engineering and Applied Mathematics (STEAM) academy at the fort. The Senator was accompanied by an entourage of reporters, and he toured the fort on foot.
The proposed STEAM academy would be a public boarding school for grades 9 through 12 with a 24 hour day learning cycle. Students would be drawn from all over the Commonwealth, and there would be no fee to apply or attend. The concept is to build future generations who will be prepared to lead and succeed in the 21st century marketplace. There is a similar school in North Carolina that has seen tremendous success both for its graduates, and the state — as the majority of students stay and contribute to the North Carolina economy by both creating jobs and attracting employers looking for the best and the brightest.
I met up with the Senator at one of the TRADOC buildings for a tour. He greeted me and presented me with the green tie he described as “hideous” that he wore to the Senate hearing on the NPS effort on October 19. He also gave me a picture of him wearing the tie at the hearing.
After the TRADOC building tour, we presented the Senator with a proclamation from the City of Hampton thanking him for his support of the Fort Monroe National Monument.