November 14, 2024
Prince George County Public Schools celebrated the start of November and Virginia School Boards Association's "Take Your Legislator to School Month" by welcoming Virginia State Senator Lashrecse Aird (13th District) and State Delegate Carrie Coyner (75th District) to tour the district's campuses and spend time with local students and staff.
SEE MORE PHOTOS: PGCPS on Flickr
VSBA's "Take Your Legislator to School Month" was created by the organization to help build and nurture relationships between public education and the Virginia General Assembly. This initiative allows legislators to observe what is happening in Virginia schools, enables students to meet and interact with an elected official, and allows public school division leaders to share their district's goals with legislators and have engaging conversations about public education.
Senator Lashrecse Aird reads to Mrs. Credle's kindergarteners during her visit to L.L. Beazley Elementary School on November 8, 2024. (PGCPS Photo)
Prince George County Public Schools has regularly participated in the annual fall event, welcoming those lawmakers whose districts comprise part or all of Prince George County to visit and see the division's facilities and school community.
The month-long celebration began with Sen. Aird visiting L.L. Beazley Elementary School on Friday, November 8, 2024. During her morning visit to the campus, she spent time with parents and staff before the school's annual Veteran's Day program, which honored America's military members through student performances and a celebration of their service to our nation. Following the event and a campus parade featuring veterans from the Beazley community, the senator was invited to spend time with some of Beazley's students, reading "Blue Skies, White Stars" to Mrs. Credle's kindergarten class.
Del. Carrie Coyner talks to Prince George High School students in Mrs. Beales’ fashion marketing class during her visit on November 13, 2024 as they work in groups on a fashion project. (PGCPS Photo)
Her visit also coincided with the kindergarteners' lessons on community helpers. These lessons guide students as they learn about the individuals who help support their community's health, well-being, and safety, including police officers, teachers, firefighters, and others.
The students in Mrs. Credle's class gave the senator fresh flowers and a handmade book featuring their self-written answers about why they love coming to school each day. Senator Aird would also visit Mrs. Lawson's curious second graders, posing a fun question to the students, focused on what laws they would create to improve their community before concluding her visit to the campus.
Shortly after Veteran's Day on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, Del. Coyner visited Prince George High School, marking her third visit to the division's schools during the November recognition period. While at the campus, she visited several of the school's Career & Technical Education courses, including Technology Foundations, Fashion Marketing, Sports Marketing, and the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), with Prince George High School being home to one of the largest cohorts of JROTC students in the Commonwealth.
Del. Coyner was able to take in a special signing day event organized by the school’s Sports Marketing students, celebrating the commitment of Prince George High School senior Abbie Sars as she signed her letter of intent to play for the Virginia Tech Hokies in front of friends, family, and classmates. The event also gave the delegate the chance to connect with Sports Marketing teachers Mr. Carr and Mr. Powell, with Del. Coyner praising the teachers and students for their high-quality social media content that highlights the high school’s athletic, academic, and extracurricular programs.
Before departing, Del. Coyner was also able to visit several academic classes at the high school, including dual-enrollment Pre-Calculus, AP English, and AP Government, offering students and staff the opportunity to discuss different topics and highlight students' skills.
Del. Carrie Coyner talks to Prince George High School Technology Foundations teacher Mr. Surgeon about the equipment in his class and the lessons students engage with, including using cutting-edge 3D printing units. (PGCPS Photo)
"Opportunities like VSBA's 'Take Your Legislator to School Month' are extremely valuable for us to showcase the great things our students and staff are doing in our schools with our state leaders from Richmond," Division Superintendent Dr. Wayne Lyle said. "Being new to Prince George County, having this set-aside time, especially before the General Assembly session in January, to meet our local representatives and discuss important topics with them has been an excellent resource for me. I appreciate the Prince George County School Board and our schools for welcoming our lawmakers and showcasing our programs, talented students, and exceptional teachers."
"Each year, we are happy to welcome our state representatives to Prince George County to spend time in our schools, meeting our students and staff," Prince George County School Board Chair Jill A. Andrews said. "Having our General Assembly members be able to visit our campuses helps us tell our story and share those priorities that are important to us here in Prince George. During their visits, the board can have focused conversations with our lawmakers in Richmond and offer our perspectives before they head back for their 2025 session while displaying the wonderful things happening within their district. Thank you to our schools, students, and staff for making this year's visits possible."
State Delegate Kim Taylor (82nd District) is expected to visit Prince George County Public Schools later this year in December as part of the celebration.
Senator Aird takes a selfie with a young student at L.L. Beazley Elementary School during her visit to the campus on Friday, November 8, 2024 as part of the district's invitation celebrating 'Take Your Legislator to School Month.' (PGCPS Photo)
More images from the visits are available on the division's Flickr page. For more information about the Virginia School Boards Association, visit their website at http://vsba.org.