I want to thank you all for coming out this morning to celebrate uh the second of what should be a lot of of groundbreakings eight in this uh package of schools uh my name is Sean Matlock I'm the director of the office of alternative infrastructure Planning and Development uh for Prince George's County Public Schools and and uh we are very excited about these new sustainable schools that we're about to build here uh and and what we're about to do for the the school system uh to just get started I would like to recognize some of the people that may not necessarily be on our speakers list that are here today we're going to have uh uh uh board member Pamela Boozer Struthers um uh um new Carlton's uh Community Center liaison um arel Guzman and um uh delegate an Healey who's sitting right here and we're also have uh with us um Ashanti Martinez who is our uh also our State Delegate uh who was on his way here uh and Maisha Williams who's our city administrator right here and also uh Nicole Williams who's our district uh two delegate uh in addition uh Senator Washington's on his way as as well um and uh some acknowledgements we'd like to make um in addition to our speakers we'd like to really uh thank um our our partner here uh Progressive education Partners LLC uh and uh Jones Lang Lal who are very much a part of this um K Dixon Architects LLC arcadis uh CAC Rock the inter agency commission um the Maryland stadium Authority Prince George's County Department of Permitting inspections and enforcement better known as dpie our friends there Maryland national capital parks and planning and the Prince George's County Public School staff who without them none of this could be possible um and so with that uh we're gonna uh get this thing started uh I'd like to have the welcome addressed by Dr Tracy Connelly principal of Robert Frost Elementary School ladies and gentlemen distinguished guests honored Educators and cherish members of our community Today We Gather here with immense pride and a deep sense of anticipation as we break ground on a new chapter in our educational Journey this moment is not merely a ceremonial occasion but a powerful Testament to our Collective commitment to fostering excellence Innovation and opportunity for our students it is an honor and a privilege to stand before you As We Lay the foundation for a school that will embody the Pinnacle of world-renowned re education as we envision this new space we are not just imagining a building but crafting an environment where the needs of curiosity will be sewn and where the students potential will be realized our news school will be more than just a structure of brick and mortar it will be a beacon of advanced technology equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that reflect our dedication to providing an unparalleled learning experience from interactive smart classrooms to Cutting Edge Laboratories every corner of this school will be designed to inspire and to engage we are committed to ensuring that our students have access to the tools and resources that will prepare St for a future that is rapidly evolving one of the cornerstones of this new institution will be its focus on STEM Science technology engineering and math we understand that these fields are not just academic subjects but are keys to unlocking the doors of future Innovation and opportunity but our curriculum will be riched with Hands-On activities real world problem solving and exploratory projects that will ignite a passion for Learning and discovery through dedicated stem Labs collaborative workshops and Partnerships with industry leaders we will equip our students with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in high school and beyond our goal is not only to prepare our students for advanced coursework but to instill them a lifelong love of learning we want them to approach challenges with confidence creativity and resilience by integrating Cutting Edge technology and forward-thinking pedagogy we are creating a nurturing environment where students can Thrive and where their Ambitions can take light as we stand at the threshold of this exciting Venture I want to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who has made this dream reality to the Educators who have dedicated their lives to teaching to the community members who have supported us and to the families who entrust us with their children's future your unwavering support and belief and our mission or what drive us forward today's groundbreaking ceremony symbolizes more than just a start of construction it represents the beginning of a new era in education one where every student is empowered to reach their Highest Potential let us celebrate this Milestone with the knowledge that we are building not just a school but a future filled with promise possibility and boundless opportunities thank you all for being here to witness this momentous occasion together we are laying the groundwork for a brighter more Innovative and more inclusive tomorrow let us look forward to the incredible journey ahead thank you thank you Dr Connelly that was wonderful uh next up uh we're going to make some adjustments to the program because we have people uh that are um about our business of the county and and our state and so we're going to some adjustments so uh next up we're going to have our steam superintendent Millard House II thank you good morning and thank you Dr Connelly it's good to see you um here and and opening us up I'm superintendent Millard house as uh as Mr madlock indicated and on behalf of the Prince George's County Public Schools I'd like to welcome each and every one of you to this Monumental occasion of course we're here for the groundbreaking of Robert Frost K8 and uh and it's one of eight projects that will be delivered as a part of blueprint schools phase two very exciting today's groundbreaking quite frankly represents More Than A New Beginning of construction projects it's the beginning of a new chapter uh for Robert Frost in the area Community other schools will be included as a part of this phase as well but today we are here focused on Robert Frost uh believe it or not the building just to the left of you was built 56 years ago to serve a community with dedication which it has but we're so excited to build a modern facility for our students and Community abroad the new state-of-the-art school is designed to accommodate more than 2,000 prek through eight students to meet the diverse educational needs that will be organized into a four-story academic wing and a two-story Commons Wing ensuring ample room for both instruction and shared activities throughout the school will also feature a double height Library an Amphitheater a field of gardens a social and emotional academic program as well we are also committed to designing and building schools that are more sustainable and that meet the requirements of our climate change action plan the new school will incorporate climate change mitigation measures such as geothermal heat pump HVAC systems enhanced ventilation daylight autonomy health and sustainable materials and Rain Gardens to manage the storm water now achieving these Milestones has been a true demonstration of what can be accomplished together we could not have gotten to this groundbreaking without tremendous and unprecedented support that we've receed from both our County Partners starting with our County Executive Angela alsbrook who is on her way way the County Council as well of course our Board of Education our state Partners the Prince George's County delegation and the intricacy of commission on Council and uh Construction in the Maryland stadium Authority I'd like to congratulate Progressive education partners for their commitment to attention detail and expertise in the beginning stages of this partnership and I'm looking forward to beginning back here getting back here in just a couple of years and watching uh us celebrate walking into a brand new building thank you very much thank you superintendent house um next up uh one of our most important speakers uh our student speaker uh William Venezuela careras uh come on up here William good morning my name is William vua and I'm in the 43 it's my pleasure to share with you my feelings about the new school it's not a normal school it will be an academy which will serve a lot of kids with the new Academy New Opportunities arise for all the students so I feel so grateful with the new school we are here today to celebrate the new Rober Frost Academy thank you all for being here thank you William what a wonderful job you did I'd also like to repes uh recognize uh our vice chair uh Dr Kenneth Harris who's just arrived here thank you for being here uh and uh sort of just in time because it's time for our board remarks um and uh uh Dr Harris if you would come up here and um represent the board of educ hey good morning everyone good morning like I said at our ground break exciting ground breaking on Monday it is round two we are so excited to kick off phase two of these projects in these new schools that will represent um the future of Prince George's County not only are we being set up for our climate change action plan but just the educational future and the security of our students so we're so excited to be here today thank you to our partners uh thank you to our state legislators thank you to County Council thanks to our delegates and Senators I and we are so so appreciative at the board of education to be here before you today and represent it um I bring you greetings from my colleague board M Jonathan Briggs as well as the rest of my colleagues in the chair of the board Lita Walker so again thank you for your time we appreciate you and let's continue this great work together thank you Vice chair Harris um next up is our uh County Council remarks from um rep repres County council member Eric Olen uh so good morning thank you it's it's great to be here and um as I mentioned the other day um it's great to walk the streets of New Carolton and door knock in new Carolton and when I do that I think about how um the community was built in the post-war era and um the sort of what was going on in the world then uh the Space Age the the Cold War challenges um the Civil Rights struggle those were all things that um you know the the children going to the schools here and that these schools were built for um you know went on to to to work on um and today of course we have a host of of challenges more challenges uh we have the climate change crisis um we have you know Ai and the misinformation age that we have to Grapple with we have so many things in technology that that the young people today um are going to need to U step up and and work on and um it's so great to see this new school all the new schools uh coming on board uh online and uh educating our children in these great new facilities um I also want to thank um you know all the partners here um for for their work and I'm really happy um that this this school is being built uh under a project labor agreement so that the workers who are building and doing the work will get Ben good benefits good pay and that benefits our community also um MCN Builders is uh a local MB firm which is doing the the construction design build uh that's great that also helps our Community our local community and I'm so glad to see the Energy Efficiency uh of this building the geothermal and the other features here and so we're moving forward superintendent house uh and uh look forward to being here in a couple of years uh for the ribbon cutting and seeing the children walk through that those doors thank you very much thank you council member olon um and again I really would like to thank the council uh and the the county uh government for all the help that they've given to us uh and continue to give to us on this project uh helping us move things forward they're doing a tremendous job in support of this program uh next up uh we'd like to have a representation from our state delegation uh Senator Lonzo Washington from District 22 uh uh and Healey um would you all like to come on up and oh I'm sorry a Shante sorry delegate Martinez I'm sorry good good morning everyone this is a glorious day and we're so happy to be here uh I I want to acknowledge my colleague who is born and raised here in New Carolton and uh I know that his heart is here but my heart is here too I've been representing this area longer than he's been alive so uh this is a wonderful moment not just this school but all the schools that are being built in this this way because we're going to have so many new schools and they're not just doing it quickly they're doing it well they're doing the highest possible standard and making it a testament to the children who will go there like this young man who spoke that we care this community cares about our children so much that we're investing in giving them the best place to learn that they can possibly have anywhere in the United States I want to thank the vision of the County government the county executive the school board everyone involved in creating this new mechanism for building schools so well and so quickly with labor agreements with all the things that make it work for the whole Community with MBE Investments um delegate Martinez is going to speak I know he'll speak from the heart about his his community here and uh I just wanted to say on behalf of myself senator Washington is here now and he can he can speak for the whole delegation uh and and delegate Williams is also who is the chair of the Prince George's delegation uh is on her way I believe so uh I'll just turn it over to the senator sorry delegate okay go ahead thank you so much well good morning again everyone and welcome to my hometown uh it is so great to have you all here um for another groundbreaking in new Carolton um for opportunity you know the other groundbreaking I talked about the equation that got us here right it was through collaboration Innovation and political courage and will that got us to this moment and that's going to carry us forward um I'm so incredibly grateful in particular to something that council member Olson brought up around the pla right it's not off that our money gets to match our our values and our morals but with this project we're not only investing in our children but investing in the community surrounding it and the workers and all of the businesses that take place right here in Prince Georges county and so I couldn't be prouder of this project and this partnership and I look forward to more groundbreakings IND District 22 in the future thank you good morning everyone my name is alono Washington state senator represents this area uh you're never late when you're on time so uh good morning everyone uh what an incredible day to be here to celebrate this ribbon cutting ceremony for the brand new Robert Fross Elementary School this school is not just a building it's a symbol of our commitment to providing our students teachers and parents with the very best environment to learn teach and grow to the students parents and teachers gathered here I want to thank you for your hard work and dedication you are the heart and soul of this community and today we take one more step toward a brighter future for all of you as your St Senator I am proud very so proud just along with my delegates to have played a pivotal role in in approving pivotal and Innovative legislation that enables our school system and County to utilize public private Partnerships to build new schools these Partnerships are game changers allowing us to open the doors of modern state-of-the-art facilities that our children so much deserve I've have dedicated my time in office of being a champion of Education in our school the blueprint for Maryland's future is more than just funding it's a comprehensive approach to uplifting our entire education system it provides not only the financial resources but also technical assistant wraparound Services for Families and Innovative programs that will Empower our teachers and students alike this includes scholarships for leaders for our teachers creating Pathways to bring more talented Educators into our classrooms and yes well-deserved raises for all of our current teachers I've there you go I knew somebody was going to pick that up y' don't care about raises huh I've also been proud of sponsored legislation that makes Community College free uh opening doors for countless students and providing mental health days for students who need them most these initiatives are about creating an environment where our students can Thrive academically and emotionally and our teachers can focus on what they do best teaching Innovation is at the core of our vision here in Prince shes County which is why sponsored legislation requiring the school system to complete a feasibility study to build a new Cutting Edge headquarters and Training Facility this feasibility study will be comprehensive and include Community input and feedback this new headquarters will be a hub for educational Excellence providing ongoing development for our Educators and ensuring our school system operates at its highest level as we celebrate this new this new beginning I leave you with this we must build not only schools but environments where our teachers and students can Thrive together we are shaping a future where every child every educator has the tools to succeed thank you and congratulations everyone involved I would like to express our gratitude to our state delegation for all the money that they've helped us raise for this program for creating uh the carve out for our blueprint program here uh it's a it's it was a wonderful thing that you've all done for us in addition for all the additional work around our administrative facilities that's awesome and we really appreciate it um at this point I'd like to have uh mayor Doo from the city of New Carolton come up and have give a few remarks good morning everyone sorry about how long it took me to get up here just now uh I guess I should have taken The Road Less Traveled dang I knew another dad was going to get that my husband told me to say that this morning that was I'm GNA have to let him know the dad joks um we we are so glad to see all of you here this morning to help celebrate uh the new direction that we're seeing with Prince George's County Public Schools and also the new direction that we're seeing here in our city in New Carolton sorry Mak um I have just recently become mayor this is my first term I've been here about a year and a half as mayor of New Carolton and all of this the schools um um Ceremonies for celebrating these new schools is really part of a vision that we have wanted to see here in this city for a very long time and it really goes along very much with what my what I'm envisioning for our city um while I've got so many political people here with me that we need funding for uh but uh new parks renovated Parks inclusive playground more sustainability projects and more projects to help with storm water management in beautiful ways everything that we've heard about what's going into the planning of this school the superintendent spoke about is also what we're trying to do with the rest of the community because we're trying to build community and schools are at the heart of community so some people might be seeing knocking on doors soon looking for some money more money for Park for building infrastructure for that uh but we are just excited about what Robert Frost Elementary and what Margaret Brent Elementary mean for the future um and I know that I did touch really quickly on Robert Frost uh and I think that it's really important because names matter schools matter um and the fact that Robert Frost is just such an iconic part of our history us doing a little bit of Googling on him last night and do you realize he was a four time poit surprise winner and he was also poet laurate in 1963 where he um read a poem that he actually had written down but he could not see it the sun was so bright it was in his face and so he actually went ahead and took a poem from memory and recited that um I'm not that good my memory is bad uh but looking at the new generation we recently had another us po poet laurate Amanda Gorman who's written some amazing pieces and I'm just going to read something that I think will be great for the next generation of poets that we will see come out of this stem school I'm going to call it a steam School we're going to focus on the Arts somehow in the future as well but the name of the poem is chorus of the captains and this is just a small um excerpt from that poem let us walk with these Warriors charge on with these Champions our future we celebrate them by acting with courage and compassion by doing what is right and just for while we honor them today it is them who every day honor us that's our future thank you thank you mayor Doo I would like to point out that both here uh and at Margaret Brent uh the city of New Carolton uh allowed us to acquire some land that was owned by the city so that we can make the projects more successful uh this is going to be much larger School than you see here now and so the lot uh needed to have a little bit more land and they they gave us some land to do that and we're were very thankful for them working with us mayor Doo and the council the city council worked very closely with us to make sure that this was possible so I give her a round of applause for their support uh next up uh we have uh Brian Buton uh president and CEO of plenary uh Americas who's of the the lead Equity members of our uh of Pep uh the our partner here building the school okay uh thank you Sean for the introduction uh it's a difficult group of speakers to follow mayor and Senator the school board Representatives um and in particular William great job want to say really well done on behalf of plenary Americas and the progressive education partners team I'm thrilled to be here today to celebrate the commencement of construction activities for the Prince George's County blueprint schools Phase 2 project this public private partnership will integrate leading local expert expertise across our team including from Phoenix infrastructure MCN build Perkins Eastman us fac facilities and RSC electrical and mechanical each of whom is here today the new schools have been thoughtfully designed in collaboration with key stakeholders to ensure they're exceptional in function and that they'll meet the evolving needs of staff students and the local community for many years to come one unique element of this project that deserves highlighting is the creation of a community Equity investment program this is a first of its kind in the P3 World it provides an opportunity for Prince George's County residents to invest in the project contributing funds to help build the schools community members who choose to participate in this program will receive return on their investment as the as it's realized over the life of the operating project now as part of our plan to work with the community and the schools we've already committed to annual charitable and scholarship funding on top of that I'm pleased to advise that we'll be making through plenary a further $100,000 investment into the community Equity investment program on behalf of the eight new schools thank you now what this means is that all Returns on that investment will be given back to the schools as they're realized over the life of the project and they'll be spent used for the benefit of students and faculty as the school administration determents so on behalf of our team like to express my gratitude to all the previous speakers to everybody who's here today everyone who's been involved in the project we look forward to working with you and working closely together to make the blueprint schools Phase 2 project a great success for students staff and the residents of Prince George's County thanks very much thank you Brian um that's a a great investment in the school system we really appreciate that um at this point uh we're going to have um uh um associate superintendent uh supporting services Jason Washington come up and give remarks uh the county executive will be here in a few minutes so we'll uh after that we'll give her opportunity to speak and then we'll take pictures so basically I I have to become a preacher for the next um as we get ready for collection uh please no no no I uh first and foremost uh thank everybody for coming out uh it is a pleasure to see uh you all here uh this is uh a testament to a lot of hard work um I I want to give some background because we are all saying about how we appreciate certain partners and how we uh could not have done it without certain people um and if you are uh coming in from the outside you may not understand what we're talking about blueprint phase uh two has been in process for five years um that is when uh we first started working on this that is when the state made the commitment to set aside money for us to do um a phase two uh that is when uh the council approved for us to start uh working uh through a work group to figure out what that looks like and that is when the state Partners made it clear that they were on board to help us figure that out um we would not have been able to move this process forward uh without uh sustained uh executive leadership from the county executive uh that is where the Mandate started five years ago uh and it trickled down um and uh over the past year uh since uh superintendent house has been here that has been his drive and his only edict has been get it done uh and so uh we appreciate and I truly want to say this um the reason why uh pep uh wanted to bid on this project was because of the alignment that we showed externally it's rare for a public project to have state local Board of Education and everybody singing from the same sheet of music it is rare and it's and so that's a testament to everybody here it is also rare to have a partner that's willing to adjust along the way as we figure this out as has been mentioned there's a project labor agreement on this project our procurement did not have a project labor agreement but instead of walking away our partners like okay let's just get it done this is what's best for the community and it was responsible and responsive to the request of our community and our elected officials and that is the type of partnership when we say that we appreciate and that we're appreciative of and that is what is helping us deliver the second of the eight schools that we will over the next four years um I will um close with uh really highlighting the immense work uh that two colleagues I really want to point out in addition to my prince of uh Prince County Prince George's County Public Schools colleagues that have been very helpful in informing this but this has been directed and would not be possible without director Shan Matlock and um Chief Operating Officer Dr trasar Coleman they have worked tirelessly and relentlessly to make sure that we got this thing done and so with that um I am the opening act to uh our uh uh County Executive and so I will let Sean come back up and intr introduce her but thank you all so very much for coming out and we look forward to seeing you back here in three years when we cut the ribbon and open this SCH thank you Jason was the director of this particular Department before I was and Jason did a wonderful job delivering phase one and has been a a ride or die partner for me on phase two and he's done a tremendous job he needs a round of applause as well so with no more fan for Ado I want to uh uh ask our our our County Executive Angela de also Brooks like to come on up here and give a few remarks she's been one of our greatest supporters she's been here backing us all the way and has put the full weight of the county behind us to make sure that this deal got done and to make sure that it was successful especially on phase one working with the county organizations and we want to invite her to come up here and give her remarks thank you hope now I think I feel some energy out here but not quite enough for what we're celebrating today like I hope you see and feel how absolutely incredible it is for us to be here um I don't think I'm going to bury the lead I do have some remarks that I'm going to give but I'm too excited to wait uh to give you the punchline which is that it is just so remarkable such a huge tribute to every person who's here today what a dynamic and incredible and super bad team team Prince George's County is in that we are breaking ground on or opening the doors to 18 schools in a six-year period it is absolutely unheard of any place else around the country uh it has not happened here in the state and we have done so at a 20% cost savings uh and the time that it would take for us to open these 18 schools the six years would generally take us at least 12 years and so this is really just a marvelous marvelous uh accomplishment on behalf of everyone here um I want to thank all my friends in elective service are here today I think you probably have heard from a number of them I apologize for being the closing act I suppose um but I do just again want to um to thank I see Senator uh Washington Alonzo Washington is here um I see that um also I want to thank the council member uh Eric Olen uh Ashanti Martinez um I want to just thank I am oh here we go Ann thank you so much also for being here um and I wanted just to Millard house and you know what you know I'm having a a senior moment last name Healey oh my gosh delegate Healey I'm having one of those moments but rather than go on I want to make sure I recognize her Jason Washington um just want to thank everyone um who's here today the dynamic leader of this school Dr Tracy Connelly want to say thank you so much um and to William caseres uh who I know spoke before I got here we are so proud of you uh and want to thank you for participating in the program today um I also want to thank our County Board of Education member Jonathan Briggs uh and Brian Buon president and CEO of plinary Americas um and again to uh to mayor doldo uh of new Carolton want to say thank you so much as well um this really has become in case you all haven't noticed what quite a destination in our County for investment we are so proud of it uh but this morning's groundbreaking is important uh and it's more important than any development really going on here uh the county and the reason for that is that it makes a very loud and public statement about the way that we value young people in Prince George's County um education is and it was told to me as I was growing up uh by two parents who really had not had an opportunity to continue their education but they told me that education in our country is the great equalizer and I want you to know that all of us here uh all of this team certainly do believe that that that is the single most important investment we make in our community and it is the most solemn obligation of government uh is the investment that we make in our children um and so it was the case that when I came into office uh we had an8 and a half billion dollar backlog in school repairs and construction that need needed to be made and it was clear to all of us that there was really no reason and uh really no way rather that we were going to be able to really attack that backlog unless we did something that was Innovative uh in in order to do it and so uh in 2019 uh long before the whole world had changed uh it was the case that I went to Annapolis and our partners in Annapolis did something that was uh just absolutely incredible uh Dr goson Who I must acknowledge also in her absence uh as well uh went to Annapolis with us uh to ensure that we got a structure put in place the first and only one of its kind in the state to allow us to do the public private partnership uh to build these schools more quickly and at a cost savings um and we were able to to walk those hallways uh again I give credit to our delegation who did the hard work of really insisting that Prince George's County be allowed to do something that was a little different uh and so we pushed for that P3 program um and I'm proud to say that we were able to get it passed in 2019 and we're so glad that we were able to do that because unbeknownst to us just a few uh months after uh the whole world would change in 2020 with the pandemic and so we are really proud that even in the midst of that pandemic uh that really slowed down and stopped so much it sure didn't stop Prince George's County uh because even as that was going we were able to see just in a three-year period the breaking ground and the opening of 10 schools in Prince George's County um six of those were done with the Innovative P3 that we had worked on and came about with a massive cost savings to taxpayers um and and here we are we're now in phase two of our P3 program um and it again the point of the matter is um the statement that we must make always to our children is not just talking about what we believe they potential to be not talking about what we believe their value to be but putting a shovel in the ground and ensuring that our kids have the opportunity to walk into facilities that really do speak to what we believe about their dignity and about their potential is the most important thing that we do I got so much joy uh when we we went to open I think one of the schools that we open was H highville middle school and I'll never forget interfacing with the young people that day and saying well how do you feel you know about your new school and the saddest response was it's so nice the bathrooms are clean and the bathrooms are really nice and and I had to think you know that's the least that we can do for our kids is that they should expect to have a place where the restrooms are nice well we want even more than that for them we want buildings that have that reflect the technology of the day uh buildings that when they come in through those doors each day they have spaces where they can think and reflect uh and that the whole building not only creates the kind of community that we want for our students but for their teachers and for everyone else who steps foot in those buildings it makes a very loud statement um about what we believe their potential to be and it says something about Prince George's County building School says that we are ready for the next phase that we want to attract others to come live in our beautiful County uh so again these buildings are more than just buildings they are this the center really of our community uh and again they are absolutely positively what our kids uh deserve um and so I again want to say thank you so much uh to every single person who has contributed uh Dr Coleman thank you and I'm sure I've just misnaming people so you all just please forgive me for anyone whose name I left off I just um wanted to to come up and make those remarks now I also wanted to say something else um that's important and then I'll close out it is not just that we are building the schools but we're also investing in the economy here uh in a way that ref that really respects and reflects the values that we have uh this construction program you probably already heard includes a 35% MBE requirement as well as 20% County based business requirement so we are not only Partners who are obligated uh to to build and maintain the schools for 30 years but they are also uh contracted to work with small local and minority-owned businesses to do it uh and this is the kind of investment that is important to build generational wealth in our County and so that has been also a really important goal of ours and I think you know what we are as they say just cooking on all all cylinders this is a marvelous uh accomplishment Dr house we are um I keep calling him doctor you know what I think we're we're on to something right but we want to thank our superintendent again for his uh leadership and to everybody else so let's break ground here and thank you all so much again