Artomatic 2015 has opened in Prince George's County! Established in DC in 1999, Artomatic transforms empty spaces into vibrant art exhibitions. Now through December 12, the work of more than 500 visual hundred artists is on display at Artomatic 2015, 8100 Corporate Drive, Hyattsville, just a short walk from the New Carrollton Metro station. Hundreds more preforming artists will be at Artomatic over the next several weeks as well. Artomatic is open Wednesday-Thursday 5pm-10pm, and Friday-Sunday 11am-Midnight, and is FREE to attend. Throughout the six weeks, Artomatic will also host workshops, tours, seminars and themed events. I hope to see you there!
I was incredibly excited to attend the grand opening of the Prince George's County Junior Achievement Finance Park located on the campus of James E. Gohlson Middle School last month. Starting this school year, all 9,000 PGCPS 8th graders will engage with the Junior Achievement financial literacy curriculum and spend a day at the Finance Park facility to learn about budgeting.
I have no doubt that this crucial financial literacy education will have a real impact on the lives of our students and their families for years to come and am proud that the Prince George's County Junior Finance Achievement Park is the first one built in Maryland in the DC-region.
Volunteers are needed! If you would like to volunteer with Junior Achievement, please visit the webpage or contact Ashley Emerson at ashley.emerson@ja.org.
Another great opportunity for all youth in our community is the Maryland STEM Festival. More than 30
free events will take place throughout Prince George's County as part of the
Maryland Stem Festival this month. The Festival kicks off at the
College Park Aviation Museum on Saturday, November 7, from 1pm-5pm, with a free information session about all the events and activities.
Also on November 7, is the Big Dig for the first REAL School Garden in the Mid-Atlantic at Beacon Heights Elementary in Riverdale. Over the course of one day, 100 volunteers will build a 5,000 square foot learning garden featuring a shaded pavilion, seating areas, white boards, a storage shed, paved pathways, six raised vegetable beds, perennial and herb beds, fruit trees, a compost bin, an outdoor music station and a weather station at Beacon Heights Elementary.
I am proud that former Council Member Eric Olson and I introduced REAL School Gardens to Prince George's County and that this is the nonprofit's first expansion into the Mid-Atlantic Region. Through their work in Texas, REAL School Gardens honed their model to make a three-year commitment including professional development to each school the work with. Partner schools have seen 12-15% increases in test scores and increased teacher effectiveness and job-satisfaction. REAL School Gardens will be built at Templeton Elementary and Mary Harris "Mother" Jones Elementary soon.
The Prince George's County Planning Department of the M-NCPPC has initiated the East Riverdale and Beacon Heights Sector Plan. The sector plan will focus on developing a strategic plan of action addressing a range of issues including: land use, economic prosperity, transportation and mobility, natural and built environment, housing and neighborhoods, healthy communities, public facilities, and community heritage, culture and design. I encourage you to actively engage with this process. Learn more
here.
Last week I attended the "Capital Matters" Business Women's Networking Breakfast with speaker Clare Razaq-Hines, President/CEO of net.America, coordinated by the Bowie Business Innovation Center and sponsored by Capital One. Learn more about Bowie Bic and register for their free events at
www.bowiebic.com.
As always, never hesitate to reach out to me at CouncilDistrict3@co.pg.md.us or 301-952-3060. You can reach my staff via the same phone number or their email address on the right.
