Gov. Dave Heineman and First Lady Sally Ganem visit the communities of Sutherland and Cozad. These are two of the school districts recognized with the 2009 Governor’s Award for Parental Involvement. Visits to school districts are an opportunity to see parental involvement efforts firsthand and talk with students and staff.

They arrived for an all-school assembly at Sutherland Public School to present the award to school district leaders. After the assembly, the Governor took questions from 3rd through 6th grade students in the South Gym, followed by a senior government class. First Lady Sally Ganem will read to students. Before departing, they joined younger students for lunch in the school cafeteria.

In the afternoon, the Governor and First Lady arrived in Cozad to tour school and parental involvement programs, starting with the Cozad Central Office. During their first stop, the Governor and First Lady met the district’s Parent Focus Group, alternative education students and head start staff, and presented school district leaders with the parental involvement award.

They visited the Cozad Early Education Center, followed by a visit to Cozad Elementary and the Middle/High School Complex to tour the district’s distance learning and wellness programs before departing.

The Governor will make similar visits to Kearney and Millard Public Schools in the next two weeks.