Officials with BayPort CU and VBCPS open the Advanced Technology Center on Dec. 7.
Credit/BayPort CU
A $500,000 grant created and funded by the Newport News, Va.-based BayPort Credit Union and two other organizations has resulted in the opening of a new Renewable Energy Technology Program for high school students at the Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) Advanced Technology Center this month.
BayPort ($2.4 billion in assets, 152,440 members) came together with two other Newport News-based organizations to fund the $500,000 Accelerating Change Together Grant. The money was awarded to VBCPS and its Advanced Technology Center to prepare high school students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
According to BayPort and VBSPS, the new program will serve about 40 students each year through the Renewable Energy Technologies courses. "The Accelerating Change Together Grant funding also provides a specially equipped classroom with hands-on simulators, curriculum resources, instructor training, materials for outreach to elementary and middle school students, and funding for a solar learning pavilion at the school," the announcement stated.
"The opening of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools new Renewable Energy Program at the Advanced Technology Center is an exciting day for innovation and growth here in Hampton Roads. BayPort is honored to invest not only in this new program, but in the future of our region," BayPort President/CEO Jim Mears said.
"I'm excited that through this community partnership, our students will learn about renewable energy technologies and gain hands-on experience in their design, function, installation and maintenance," Dr. Donald Robertson Jr., acting superintendent, said. "Our future-ready students will have the opportunity to earn industry credentials and be part of sustainability projects."
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Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
