U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will visit Baltimore on Monday, June 15, for a series of events focused on engaging the community in keeping children safe, healthy and involved in continuous learning during the summer.
First, Megan Smith, U.S. chief technology officer, and Roberto Rodriguez, deputy assistant to the President for education, will join Duncan in a visit to Liberty Elementary School where Duncan will commend the students and staff on the academic strides that the school has made in recent years and encourage other schools to invest in spaces where students are free to use their ingenuity and creativity. They will tour the school library’s innovative “makerspace” and the Liberty Rec and Tech Center. Following the tour, they will participate in a “National Week of Making” roundtable to discuss the importance of engaging students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and digital making. The National Week of Making, which the White House and community members across the nation are celebrating from June 12 to 18, is focused on STEM and on fostering a culture of invention, innovation and imagination. A media availability will follow the roundtable discussion.
Later that morning, Duncan will be joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to visit Native American Lifelines, a nonprofit organization that engages the community in providing American Indian and Alaska Natives residing in the Baltimore area and surrounding counties with resources they need to live healthy lives. Duncan will meet with staff and stakeholders from the Baltimore Summer Food Program, and discuss nutrition and the importance of students staying safe, healthy and involved in meaningful summer enrichment activities. He also will recognize the hard work of urban centers such as Native American Lifelines in helping to provide support for health care, education and workforce development.
In the afternoon, there will be a media availability with Duncan, Vilsack and Sen. Barbara Mikulski before a roundtable with community leaders at Enoch Pratt Free Library, Pennsylvania Avenue Branch. The community roundtable will focus on the importance of community engagement in helping to keep children and young adults safe, healthy and engaged in academic enrichment during the summer and beyond. (For planning purposes only: There will be just a photo spray at the top of the roundtable discussion.)