The first of two buildings for the NJROTC program at MAST were officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony May 15, with Monmouth County Commissioner Director Tom Arnone leading commissioners and County Vocational Board of Education members in cutting the ribbon and praising the expansion of space for the NJROTC program.
Arnone traced the history of the former army mess hall dating back to its construction in 1905 and praised Commissioner Lillian Burry for her work and leadership in having the construction completed on the first building, with hopes the larger building which will provide indoor space for NJROTC drills and practices as well as bathroom facilities where none has existed before.
The building officially opened this month is large enough to provide storage for the estimated $1 million in US government equipment, including three uniforms for each of the approximate 300 cadets in MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology.
MAST is one of few schools across the nation where all members of student population are also members of the NJROTC and are required to pass all the Navy programs to earn a MAST diploma.
Commander Tracie Smith-Yeoman, USN (ret) the senior instructor for the Naval Science Program at MAST, also spoke during the ceremony, expressing the gratitude of Senior Chief Michael Vaccarella, Chief Wil Fetherman and the cadets of MAST NJROTC “for the opportunity to publicly thank the Monmouth County Commissioners for earmarking the funds for the restoration of building 56 and hopefully soon, the renovation of building 23.”
Smith-Yeoman also thanked “the Monmouth County taxpayers for paying those taxes so that money was available.”
She said she reserved her most praise for Commissioner Burry, who because of recent hospitalization was not able to be present for the opening of the first of two buildings he has worked for years to make possible. A frequent visitor to the campus
Burry has been present for all graduations and NJROTC events through the years.
In speaking of the Commissioner, Commander Smith-Yeoman said none of the construction advancements would be possible without her indefatigable support of the program.
Commander Smith-Yeoman said, “It was the perfect juxtaposition of many of Commissioner Burry’s passions that led us to this spot today – – her love of MAST NJROTC, her love of the military (particularly as the wife of a retired Coast Guardsman), her love of Fort Hancock, and her love of history.” Because of those passions, the officer said, “She had the idea of taking these historical yet broken down buildings and bringing them back to life, mixing the history of yesterday with the future of tomorrow in the NJROTC program. She knew that we have been tight on space for many years, and she had the foresight to bring this project to life.”
The senior instructor noted the building now allows the NJROTC staff to expand from the two trailers the school district has rented for years, giving the Naval staff the ability to hang inventory in a more orderly fashion, allow for better ease of uniform issue and more precise accountability of the nearly one million dollars’ worth of items.
Commander Smith-Yeoman thanked Director Arnone for the tireless support of himself and all the commissioners of MCVSD in general and MAST specifically. She also thanked Gateway National Recreation Area Superintendent Jen Nersesian and Pete McCarthy, “who has been here with us on a daily basis going through everything right alongside of us, for working so hard to get this partnership approved, and thank you to everyone who has made this possible.”
Also speaking during the ceremony were Principal Earl Moore, Charles Ford, Jr., Superintendent, and Dr. Brian McAndrew, president of the county Board of Education.
A reception in the building followed courtesy of the MAST Parent Teach Student Association.
The MAST color guard presented colors for the program, and the Battalion Chorus sang the National Anthem.
All photos by Cadet Samantha Vo
