The Sept. 24 issue of the Gazette Packett demonstrates the illogical dichotomy between the Alexandria Public School System, the Economic Development Agency, and some of our unusual community activists.
Over the past year, the school system has heralded the enormous potential benefits available to our graduates from the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus being developed in Potomac Yards. This complex has as its goal educating our graduates for important, high compensation positions in the scientific high technology economy being developed in Northern Virginia. Disappointingly, the story on page 9 indicates “cancel culture” elements in the City wish to remove the name of our only school named for Virginia’s preeminent scientist, Matthew Fontaine Maury, whose scientific accomplishments rivaled those of Galileo!
This renaming makes no sense as the school system consistently believes and publicizes the importance of their innovative “STEM” (science, technology, engineering, math) curriculum to enhance the future of their graduates and to secure highly skilled, high paying management and executive positions in the technology industries of the future.
So while our elected and appointed leaders are rightfully looking forward to the benefits of futuristic high technology, a “cancel culture” element, who must have missed high school science classes, advocates looking backwards by renaming the only school named for a scientist!
Gerald B. File
Alexandria