A PETITION TO PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIALS:
As residents of Prince Georges County Maryland, we fully endorse the proposal of the Patriots Technology Training Center to create a unique and one-of-a-kind
TECHNOLOGY GYMNASIUM
on the site of the abandoned Bank of America building located at 5800 Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway Seat Pleasant, MD 20743. To purchase and renovate the Bank of America Building, this project will need approximately $1.5 million. A portion of this building has been used as The Patriots’ headquarters for nearly 29 years and their work in preparing thousands of youth for STEM Careers is legendary! They are a staple in our community! Their leadership and exemplary service is commendable. They have opened doors to economic improvements for an entire generation! Without question, their work needs to not only continue, but to expand!
THE TECHNOLOGY GYMNASIUM
is just what Prince Georges County’s youth need to prepare for all of the technological advancements of the future. We need an Olympic-Size effort for the global technology marathons that lie ahead.
The national average wage for all STEM occupations is nearly double the national wage average for non-STEM occupations (an average of $38.85/hr. versus $19.30/hr.) and The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics advised in January 2017 that by 2027, the number of STEM jobs will grow by 13%. Nowhere in the United States will the competition for STEM occupations be greater than in the National Capital Regional Area.
For years, many Maryland students – especially those residing in the inner beltway communities — have been left out of the pipeline for STEM careers. When the Pandemic entered our communities, Prince George’s students fell even further behind in STEM education. In September 2022, the Washington Post reported that recent data released by Prince George’s County Schools showed that ‘most Prince Georges County students were testing below grade level and not meeting expectations in math and English/language arts”.
Considering that Howard County is now the richest county in the State of Maryland, it is significant that only 4 out of 35 Prince Georges County High Schools have a STEM Education Program and the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools (NCSS) has no Prince Georges County Schools in the top tier of their 2022 Best STEM High Schools listing. Calvin Ball, Howard County’s current County Executive, told U.S. News & World Report that, “Excellence doesn’t happen by accident. It takes work, and investment!” … and that’s what is also needed for Prince Georges’ County youth to excel in STEM careers.
A TECHNOLOGY GYMNASIUM
The Patriot’s proposal will create a permanent facility and a landmark for future generations to admire.
With this project, the Patriots would be able to: 1) expand their mission; 2) change the economic status of many more Maryland families; 3) add more disadvantaged youth to STEM Career Pipelines; and 4) serve the critical needs of Senior Citizens who have to function in an unprecedented era of major technological advances.
We sign this petition because we believe that the Patriots would not only be adding more youth to the STEM Pipeline but also address the Generational Gap and other challenges that new technology brings.
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, WANT OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANGELA ALSOBROOKS, COUNTY COUNCIL OF PRINCE GEORE’S COUNTY AND THE STATE OF MARYLAND TO AUTHORIZE FUNDING FOR THE PATRIOT’S TECHNOLOGY GYMNASIUM PROJECT.
