City Council Legislative Session - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Hampton City Council ceremonial session. I'd like to welcome everyone to this special ceremony tonight, and I'm pleased to welcome many of the students from our dual enrollment program at Hampton City Schools who are joining us tonight. We have 69 outstanding dual enrollment students. And these young people have diligently worked on diligently worked to earn their associate's degrees, which they will receive on Thursday evening before they have received their high school diplomas at their commencement ceremony. So let me all mention to you the staggering number.

Since these students accomplish this within their high school environments instead of paying college tuition, it represents a significant savings for their parents if they go on to college. The sum total of $730,470 is how much they've saved their parents. And let me repeat that that number. $730,457 that you saved with the credits you've earned in high school. Congratulations to all of you.

So before I get started, I want to acknowledge some of our school school division leadership with us this evening. We have from our school board mister Joe Kilgore. Thank you thank you for joining us. And from the school division leadership, we have doctor Raymond Haynes, superintendent, doctor John Cagiano, deputy superintendent and chief of staff. We have miss Shamika Pollard, chief of secondary school leadership, Doctor David Coakley, executive principal.

And do we have miss Woodruff, Helen Woodruff? I can't see you over there. Good. How are doing? She's the academy of principal. And doctor Luvdahl Steele, is she with us this evening? How are you doing? Good. Thank you for being here. Alright.

We have a lot of ground to cover this evening as we present the recognition certificates, and we do need to move through it quickly so that everyone has an opportunity to be recognized. So, our council members would join me in front of the dais to congratulate our students, but I'm also going to ask that we're not individually shake hands. We've already talked about that part. Our clerk will call the student's name in alphabetical order. Doc mister Brian Marquese will give all the students their certificate, and then we'll ask each of them to join us in the middle of the council members for a photograph. And parents, you may feel to run up and take a photograph of your student at the appropriate time. So, with that, I am gonna turn it over to our marketing and outreach coordinator Brian Marquese who will take it from here. Brian?

Thank you mayor, vice mayor, members of council, city manager, and city attorney. Tonight is something we get to do that's genuinely exciting. We get to recognize 69 students who decided that high school wasn't enough of a challenge for them. They're getting their associate's degree before their high school diploma. When Hampton City Schools partnered with Virginia Peninsula Community College to launch the ACE Academy, the idea was to give students who are ready for more the opportunity to pursue a college degree alongside their high school diploma.

Everybody, that's a lot of people. In 02/2020 students proved that this could be done. Tonight, as you can see from the crowded chambers, 69 students have shown just how far the idea has come. These students who balance the demands of high school, the sports, the activities, the friendships, the ordinary chaos of just being a teenager, while simultaneously completing a full two year college degree, it's unimaginable. And they will receive their associate's degree tomorrow, an entire month before they walk across the stage for their high school graduation.

That's not an accident, it's a decision that they made every single day to show up and do the work. To their families here tonight, you know what this journey has actually looked like. You guys saw the late nights, the early mornings. You provided the encouragement when it was hard to wake up in the morning or get rides when it got late. And beyond the pride you rightfully feel, consider this, two years of college tuition, fees and textbooks, they're all handled.

That is a real meaningful gift. And to the educators, the counselors, the school leaders who believed in these students and pushed them forward, thank you. Programs like these don't run themselves. They run on people who refuse to set the ceiling too low for the students. Like the mayor said a moment ago, we're gonna have the clerk call each student's name, and mayor Gray and council will come down here and have your certificate ready for a picture. Like the mayor said, if you guys come up, they'll be read in alphabetical order.

Okay. And so we will have a city photographer right here taking So parents, if you wanna come up and take a picture, just kinda look for your student and then kinda make your way up. And by the time your student gets to their their name is called. So Yeah. Alright.

Ready?

Okay. Is everyone ready? Caitlin Elmonte Lopez. Moranke Amusa, Keanna Andrews. Jordan Austin.

Leila Beck Covington. And mayor, these young people I think have outwitted us which isn't surprising. It looks like they're lined up in order so I can read a little faster. The next student is Brianna Buchanan. Zanaya Carter.

Katelyn Chapman. Now we have Caitlin Chapman. Now Micah Chatham. Nayana Connell Maya Cooper Wasson Demetria Cradle Cradle, I apologize. It's either Tanesha or Tanesha Darden.

Cameron David. Talia Ellsworth, Kyla Fennel, Jalen Garland This is Jalen Garland. Now we have Bryce Gillies, Henry Godfrey, Now we have Cheyenne Gomez followed by Sydney Goodley Jada Gao, Jaden Hardman, Darian Harley, Donovan Harris, Taylor Harris, Zaniah Harris Myra Hassan Noah Hatton, Brandon Henderson, Zane Hollis, Julia Hooks, Avery Hundley, Rachel Hutchison, Giovanni Kelly Gabriella Letizma Catherine Leach. Caleb Lucas Valerie McElveen. Elena McLaughlin.

Kalia Minor, Oh Kalia? Elena McLaughlin Kalea Minor Jaziah Moore Kyle Moore Antwan Pinnell Kamaya Pierce Sadie Pingator Asher Porter Shaiya Sharp Philip Sigler III Aubrey Smith Haley Smith, Joyce Sokar Anaya Solomon Troy Solomona Robin Sorrell Kenneth Staten Madison Tatum Harper. Kamya Taylor. Haviland Walden Bryan Cameron Washington. Nicholas Watts, Kalia West, Devin Wilkins Imani Williams.

Kennedy Williams. Sanyah Willey Shelby Wise Erin Wirthman And I believe this young man must be Clayton Young.

Congratulations to every single one of you guys. Let's have another round of applause. And I'm also very impressed that you guys are all in alphabetical order, ready to go. That was amazing. So, you guys came into this academy ready for a challenge and you delivered. What comes next, be it going on to a four year university to get your bachelor's, starting a career, or serving, you're starting farther ahead than most, and you've earned every single bit of it. We're proud of you to call Hampton Zone. Mayor Gray, back to you.

Good. Thank you, Brian. And, you know, again, did what Brian said. We are very proud of all of you. We're proud of all of our Hampton students. But, you know, your accomplishment of achieving an associate's degree while you're still in high school is is is significant. And we brag about it all the time. All over everywhere we go, we're telling people about what's happening in Hampton City Schools, how our kids are being educated, and and what you're doing is is just truly extraordinary. So you you know, we we hope you'll go to college and eventually make your way back to Hampton and make Hampton your home. And we also look forward to seeing your graduation.

So we we do this special ceremony just to recognize the significant accomplishment that you made, but we also look forward to celebrating your graduate from high school as well. So look forward to seeing all of you walk across the stage as you get that diploma as well. So any other comments from council members we got for extra time?

Yeah. Thank you, mayor. I wanna ditto what the mayor just said. When I was in high school back in the stone ages, we'd I didn't have an opportunity to get the associate's degree prior to my diploma. I had a teacher, Justin Furlow, who was no longer with us, and he grabbed me one time in the hallway and said, listen. He says, you should go to college because I had no no one had ever gone to college in my family. And so I took his advice and went to Norfolk State, behold the green and gold. Behold, I said. Yeah. Okay.

We got it. We got it. But tonight is very special, and I wanna congratulate you and look forward to seeing the great things that you're going to do and look forward to your college graduation tomorrow and then your high school graduation in June. God bless you. And parents, thank you.

Yes. City manager.

I know you hadn't called on me, I didn't wanna let the opportunity pass if if it's okay to say I don't think there's any other school division in Virginia that produces 69 associate degree students at one time. So I think they deserve another round of applause, not just for their individual confidence. But also for making our school division proud and our city proud because, you know, we we we believe in regional cooperation. We do a lot regionally together, but we also have a little bit of pride in our own city and our own school division. And I think it's a great day and many people watch this meeting that don't have kids in school or don't have any affiliation with the school system.

So I think it's important for them to know that collectively you outshine the entire state in terms of the school divisions that can do this kind of thing. So great job. And

and again, while the students, you know, achieving this major milestone and and really making us proud, you know, there's another group of people. A lot a lot of you know, there are lot of people in the community who contributed to what you accomplished. You know, all of the school division leadership, your parents, you know, your neighbors, your mentors, and your teachers. And so, this week, May is teacher appreciation week. So, I just wanted to take this time to read a proclamation that I've signed in recognition of teacher appreciation this week.

And whereas teachers are the heart of our educational system, and whereas they dedicate their time, talent, and passion to empowering our students to reach their highest potential and be the best of themselves. And whereas teachers go above and beyond the call of duty to provide encouragement, support, and care that extends beyond the classroom. And whereas they foster critical thinking and still desire for learning and shape the future through their commitment to excellence. And whereas the knowledge, skills, and character that young people develop during their high school years directly impacts the success of our community. And whereas teacher appreciation week provides an opportunity for those in the community to thank our teachers and all educators for the contributions they make to and to let them know that they are valued and appreciated.

Now, therefore, I, James a Gray junior, mayor, on behalf of the city council of the city of Hampton, Virginia, do hereby proclaim May 2026 as teacher appreciation week in the city of Hampton, Virginia, and we encourage all citizens to join me in celebrating and honoring the invaluable contributions our teachers and educators make to our community. And in witness whereof, I've hereto set my hand and caused the seal of the city of Hampton, Virginia to be affixed this May 2026. Signed James a. Gray mayor. So let's give a big round of applause to of our chiefs.

Do you have a picture? Yes.

So that concludes our ceremony. And when we adjourn, council members and all will be here. If anybody wants to come forward and take any additional photos, we can do that as well. But and if not, again, thank you for coming out and joining us for this special ceremonial session. We adjourn.