Covington, VA (June 29 2026) - The Discovery Center welcomed educators today, community partners, and local leaders to highlight the innovative work taking place both inside and outside classrooms in the Alleghany Highlands. City Manager, Allen Dressler, and Mary Fant Donnan, Executive Director of The Alleghany Foundation, welcomed the large group of attendees before Cindy Ramboyong, Lead Project Manager, shared information about the success of the 2025-2026 STEM Next Door collaboration with Wiley's Garden Center hydroponics that involved 654 science students at Covington Middle School. Ingevity and the City of Covington were also key partners during this first year of the STEM Next Door program.
The after-school STEM enrichment program hosted at The Discovery Center was also applauded. It was described as having involved three types of enrichment - Arduino, CAD/3D Print, and Engineering/Construction. Additional after-school enrichment opportunities are being planned.
Local teachers and administrators were recognized for their commitment to work with the Virginia Tech Curriculum Team, VT-ARC, businesses and industries, and the Local Advisory Committee to foster innovation and workforce development.
A variety of ways to sponsor Capstone Projects for the 2026-2027 high school year were mentioned. Serving as a Capstone sponsor is structured to be meaningful without being burdensome. Capstone Project sponsor involvement helps students build career awareness and professional communication skills while also strengthening the connection between education and the local workforce. For more information, email cynthia.ramboyong@VT-ARC.org |  | Local educators and community leaders are experiencing a hands-on engineering challenge to build a bridge.
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