A ribbon cutting was held Sunday to celebrate the official opening of The Academy of Technology and Innovation at the University of Mary Washington (ATI-UMW).
The Virginia Lab School opened its doors to its first cohort of high-schoolers last month, but Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, UMW staff and community members were in attendance yesterday to celebrate.
“What you all will do is provide the leadership of tomorrow, and the Commonwealth is so much better because of it,” Youngkin said to students, their families, legislators, community officials and local school board members at UMW’s Stafford Campus. “You all are taking on a moment of acceleration in your lives, and that is what gets us so excited, not because of what we’re doing today but what we anticipate you all will do tomorrow … I can’t wait to see where you all will lead Virginia.”
Youngkin joined students in cutting the ceremonial ribbon and recognizing the inaugural year of the regional lab school that welcomed 80 9th-graders from the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Orange and Stafford last month. A string of speakers at the afternoon event praised partnerships, perseverance and the courage to say “yes” for bringing the vision to reality.
“This school is not a school that any one person has been a part of, but it is a school that our entire community has helped to create,” ATI-UMW Executive Director Rebecca Towery said. “I cannot thank our families and our students enough for being willing to take this leap with us and see not only the potential for benefit now but the potential for benefit to our community for years to come.”
UMW President Troy Paino shared his memory of meeting with Youngkin, Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera and other Virginia college presidents in Richmond in early 2022 to discuss ideas for creating lab schools. Hard work and collaboration helped bring to fruition ATI-UMW, which centers on personalized, project-based learning tied to the increasing importance of technology in the workforce, from cybersecurity and political science to art, hospitality and fashion.
“We knew that this was really about providing high quality education to these students for the betterment of our democracy, not just to get a job, which is critically important, but also to serve our communities as citizens,” Paino said.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) approved UMW’s Lab School in late 2023. ATI-UMW offers dual-enrollment, industry certifications, advanced-placement and real-world coursework. The school supports a full spectrum of learners, including special education and gifted-and-talented programs and English language learners.
“We know in today’s rapidly changing job market, the traditional path of academic achievement and learning isn’t completely sufficient to fill the void,” Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Daniel P. Hornick, who was a 2010 graduate of UMW, said. “This is the opportunity for our students to learn from the best and to have personalized learning focused on emerging technologies and the impact of technology on our future.”
UMW College of Education (COE) Dean Pete Kelly spoke of the reciprocal relationship between ATI-UMW and COE. COE will provide staff for the Lab School, which will provide clinical experiences and practicums for COE’s teachers in training.
“I believe it is a school that will serve as a model demonstration site for effective teaching and learning in the region and in the state. It’s going to be the kind of place where I think you’re going to want to send your kids to learn,” Kelly said.
UMW’s Lab School received a $2 million start-up grant from VDOE.
Guidera praised the two-and-a-half-yearlong effort to make the school a reality.
“This is about making sure that we are seeing every child and we are meeting them where they are … and we are getting them set up for success. Thank you for having the guts to do this,” Guidera said.
Stafford County School Board member Susan Randall agreed that the lab school is a community collaboration that took courage.
“We needed a higher ed place to say ‘yes.’ We needed county school systems to say ‘yes.’ In addition, we needed a director who would guide us all to this vision, and Dr. Towery said ‘yes.’ We added community organizations who said ‘yes.’ We added businesses who said ‘yes.’ And then we added the most important part – our families and our students – and they said ‘yes’ to something they had never known. They were willing to say ‘yes,’ step out and try it.”
UMW Board of Visitors Rector Lee Murray of Fredericksburg, a 2004 graduate of UMW, said “the level of excitement here in the area is high.”
“We’re confident this will help elevate our region’s level of education among our high-schoolers,” Murray said.
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Rebecca Barnabi
