21st Century School Buildings Program Hosts Virtual Ribbon-Cutting Celebration for Mary E. Rodman Elementary School

What:            
State, city and community leaders will gather with Baltimore City Public Schools students and representatives to celebrate a ribbon cutting for the newest building in the 21st Century School Buildings Program.

Remarks and the ribbon cutting will take place inside the Mary E. Rodman Elementary School building. In accordance with City of Baltimore COVID-19 regulations, access will be restricted to 25, invited attendees. The event will be livestreamed on City Schools’ Facebook page, include a video of the new building, and be available on-demand.

When:            
Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where:          
Mary E. Rodman Elementary School, 3510 West Mulberry Street, Baltimore, MD 21229. Event will also be livestreamed via City Schools’ social media platforms.

Who:              
Invited to speak: Bernard “Jack” Young, Mayor, Baltimore City; Thomas Kelso, Chairman, Maryland Stadium Authority; Jamie Bridges, Public School Construction Program; Linda Chinnia, Chair, Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners; Dr. Sonja Santelises, CEO Baltimore City Public Schools; David Guzman, Mary E. Rodman Principal; and Baltimore City Public Schools students.

Building Modernization Facts

Mary E. Rodman is Wi-Fi enabled, expected to receive LEED Silver certification, and includes the below environmental, technological and learning features.

• Designs that maximize daylight into instructional areas and provide clear sightlines of adjacent spaces.
• Flexible, collaborative learning areas/unassigned instructional spaces with movable furniture and instructional screens for alternate instructional environments or breakout spaces to adapt classrooms as needed.
• Classrooms equipped with short-throw projectors that allow for various inputs such as computers, document cameras, and USB devices; and sound enhancement systems that include wearable microphones for instructors, handheld microphones for students and guests, and which can also be integrated with hearing impaired devices.
• A cafetorium that serves as a multi-purpose space for dining, events and school productions, with a dedicated audio/visual system and a performance stage with theatrical stage lighting.
• LED light fixtures throughout the building.

21st Century School Buildings Program Background

The 21st Century School Buildings Program creates inspiring educational environments for Baltimore City’s public school students and recreational facilities for communities for generations to come. The program is a partnership between the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA), Baltimore City Public Schools, the City of Baltimore, and the Interagency Commission on Public School Construction (IAC). In addition to Mary E. Rodman Elementary School, 14 other schools have been renovated, expanded and/or replaced in recent years: Fort Worthington Elementary/Middle School, Frederick Elementary School, Wildwood Elementary/Middle School, Dorothy I. Height Elementary School, Arundel Elementary, Arlington Elementary School, The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School, Forest Park High School, Pimlico Elementary/Middle School, the Academy for College and Career Exploration and Independence School (in the Robert Poole Building), the Lake Clifton Park Building, John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle School, Calvin M. Rodwell Elementary/Middle School, and  Bay-Brook Elementary/Middle School.

For more information, visit www.baltimore21stcenturyschools.org
 

Contacts:
Robin Smith, Communications Manager
21st Century School Buildings Program
(202) 540.2478
rdsmith@bcps.k12.md.us

Rachelina Bonacci, Public Information Officer
Maryland Stadium Authority
(410) 977.0381
rbonacci@mdstad.com