Topics were environment and violence
Gov. Christie Whitman returned to the classroom Tuesday to teach some fourth grade students at Bear Tavern School in Titusville.
The governor also toured, along with some youngsters, a bright yellow C-SPAN school bus that was visiting the school to get an inside look at public service programming provided by the network.
"Most of the time, when I teach fourth grade at schools around the state, I talk about state government," said Gov. Whitman, speaking to Carole Nelson’s class. "Today, I want to talk about another topic that is important to every New Jersey family" – the topic of clean oceans and rivers, and how children can do their part to keep them clean for everyone to use and enjoy.
Gov. Whitman discussed the importance of clean water, from what the state is doing today to make sure beaches and waterways are clean, to explaining what happens to rain water when it drains – making the concept of a "watershed" understandable for fourth graders.
"A watershed includes the places where water drains to – a lake, stream or a network of rivers and streams. It also includes the area of land around the waterway," explained Gov. Whitman. "One of the best ways to help a watershed is to keep large pieces of land open instead of putting a home, a store or a parking lot there," she said, adding that it is important to save land.
Gov. Whitman explained how New Jersey voters approved a permanent funding source for saving 1,000,000 acres of open space over 10 years.
Gov. Whitman also addressed a school assembly where she talked about the prevention of school violence through the state’s V-Free program.
The state’s V-Free initiative, according to Gov. Whitman, tries to help young people keep their schools and neighborhoods free from violence.
"I hope all of you will remain V-Free," said Gov. Whitman. "You can set an example for others. You can keep working hard in school and make your world a better place. You can also be kind, understanding and tolerate. It means realizing that even though we are different, there are more things about us that are alike."
Gov. Whitman presented school officials and students with the "Many Faces, One Family" flag, a signature of New Jersey’s diversity. She spoke about how the "Many Faces, One Family" program helps build awareness and understanding of everyone’s differences.
Launched in September 1999, V-Free is a comprehensive program to address the three "Vs" – violence, vandalism and victimization – that prevent safe and productive educational environments. Its focus is to challenge New Jersey’s schools and communities to become V-Free through student participation and action. As part of this initiative, a statewide V-Free tip line has been established at 1-877-624-8082: a toll-free number for youngsters to call and tell someone in law enforcement about a potentially dangerous situation that could jeopardize the safety of their school or community.
The 45-foot C-SPAN bus is traveling to various schools and historic and tourism sites in New Jersey to educate the public on the role of politics and cable television. Since 1993, the C-SPAN bus has visited New Jersey yearly. Local cable companies, like Comcast (Tuesday’s sponsor) sponsor the events.