Secretary Cardona, Rep. Soto visited school Thursday
On the heels of being named a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, NeoCity Academy in Kissimmee played host to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Florida Senator Victor Torres Jr., and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto on Thursday.
The officials toured the school’s MakerLab, a room where students can use any of the materials – such as 3-D printers, hand tools, industrial equipment, and art supplies – for free to complete assigned projects; the Engineering Lab, where students on the engineering path learn about physics, mechanics, electricity, and circuitry; and the BioDesign Lab, where students on the Health Sciences pathway work on their projects.
“[We] saw everything from biology to engineering and robots to A.I. The future of education and the economy is happening right here at NeoCity,” Soto said.
“NeoCity is getting it right,” Cardona said. “Across the country, I’ve visited 47 states, different territories, a bunch of other countries … I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a program like the one I’ve seen here. This is what’s right about public education. It's no surprise to me that this school, we were proud to announce last week, is one of the 350-plus Blue Ribbon schools across the country.”
Schools like NeoCity contribute to the economic stability of the community, Cardona pointed out. “When we invest in our schools, in magnet programs like this one, that give students career opportunities, we're creating economic development in this area. We're going to continue to fight to make sure schools like this one get the funding they need, have the support that they need. They are the pipeline to economic development.”
Part of the funding NeoCity has received was a nearly $60 million Build Back Better Innovation Grant, Soto said.
“[The grant] had components for both Valencia, for their technician program, and also for NeoCity. We also were able to deliver funding for internships for kids at NeoCity to work at the Skywater Semiconductor plant that we have right across the way.”
Torres added, “What is the future of our students? What lies ahead? Well, you see it in this school and how the curriculum is so important to grow. We need to continue to grow, and the state needs to do more than what it's been doing, because schools like this should be flourishing throughout the state to grow and make it happen for our students.”
