Parkville Middle Prepares For Presidential Visit
PARKVILLE, Md. (WJZ)-- A fight over money. The president will use a Baltimore County school Monday to lay out his budget plan for the entire country.
Weijia Jiang explains why President Barack Obama chose to give this critical speech in Maryland.
The Commander-in-Chief will visit a Baltimore County classroom with a very important message. He says his budget priorities for 2012 are aimed at getting students competitive globally, and he's using Parkville Middle School and Center of Technology School as his backdrop to talk about it.
At Parkville Middle, students know the focus is on science, technology, engineering and math.
The president's hour-long visit to the school is expected to begin Monday at 10:15 a.m.
"We are studying about the stars in the galaxies, and I think that's fun," said one student.
"Our science classes are very focused," said another.
"It's one of my favorite subjects," said a student.
That focus on math, science and technology is part of the reason why Obama will tour one of their classroom laboratories on Monday, emphasizing the investment in education he talked about during his State of the Union Address.
"We need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl that needs to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair," Obama said.
The president wants new investments in education, including money to help train 100,000 new math and science teachers over the next decade.
"If we want to win the future, if we want innovation to bring jobs to America, and not overseas, then we need to win the race to educate our kids," President Obama said.
"I think Parkville's got a really great science program," said Patricia Devon, parent. "I wish that more of the schools offered the program that they have."
Devon says she is proud of Parkville Middle School and thrilled to learn of the president's visit.
"I think something like this will really encourage the children," she said. "I really do."
Be sure to stay with WJZ for complete coverage of the president's visit to Baltimore County.
