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<\/p>\n\u201cGetting out and seeing what\u2019s going on in our schools is one of the best perks of my job,” said Governor Terry McAuliffe during a recent visit to Virginia Beach. \u201cI love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s chief executive began his day at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, where he visited with members of the Mid-Atlantic Region of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA). Through the AKA One Million Backpacks program, the sorority members donate, pack and distribute backpacks filled with school supplies to students across the nation. The governor was on hand to applaud this effort as a number of the backpacks were presented to Principal Vincent Darby and a group of students from Seatack Elementary School An Achievable Dream Academy.<\/p>\n
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Next, it was off to Pleasure House Point where the governor toured the Chesapeake Bay Foundation\u2019s Brock Environmental Center and met students from the Virginia Beach Middle School (VBMS) Environmental Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the middle of a yearlong project\u201d said VBMS science teacher Maurice Cullen. \u201cThe students are working with educators from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to monitor and help determine the health of the Lynnhaven River and today they will share what they\u2019ve learned with Governor McAuliffe.\u201d<\/p>\n
When McAuliffe walked down to the shore of the river, he found students in the water dragging the bottom. Others were measuring oysters, checking water quality and tending to bay residents like crabs and eels. After swapping his shoes for a pair of waders, the governor joined the students who were using a seine to capture any river life from the bottom.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we\u2019re using nets to capture organisms so we can tell how good the water quality is,\u201d said seventh-grade student Charlotte Meador. \u201cIf the water quality is not good, some of the organisms could die and others would be affected because they all depend on each other to survive. It\u2019s fun, I am interested in marine biology as a career.\u201d<\/p>\n
The governor even poked a little fun at his counterpart in the state of Maryland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a Virginia crab,\u201d he stated as he held a live crab aloft. \u201cSorry Larry Hogan, but not all crabs come from Maryland. The best come from Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n
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After meeting with the environmentalists, the governor visited Shelton Park Elementary School to mark the Month of the Military Child. He was greeted by students, staff and plenty of military personnel reading to students and volunteering in other capacities. While he was at Shelton Park, McAuliffe signed a pledge to support Virginia licensure and certification for military spouse teachers making a permanent change of station into Virginia.<\/p>\n
The governor wrapped up his visit in high-flying style. He worked his way through throngs of students to a waiting helicopter behind the school. And, with the students cheering him on, the helicopter lifted off and was headed back to the statehouse in Richmond.<\/p>\n
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