The exercise was part of a program presented by the Virginia Marine Science Museum's Ocean in Motion to make students think about where the rain goes. For PTA-PTO Thrift Shop founder Becky Porter, the program was a chance for people to learn where their money goes. Committees at each of the schools voted on how to spend their share of the money. George says the Lynchburg area seems like home because they have recently visited Paul Munro Elementary, Leesville Road Elementary and are today heading to Rustburg. The rain, George told the students, ends ups in streams, rivers and lakes, and eventually, the Chesapeake Bay.
Chemicals used on lawns can poison and kill the grasses and small animals that live in the bay.
If they die, there is no food for larger animals, including fish and crabs. Melissa Gilmore, a first-grade teacher at Sandusky, said the program fit in well with the Standards of Learning. 6-inch sharks, she said. The students studied the food chain and other related topics before going to the show, and then reviewed what they had learned afterward. Each of the city's schools receive an equal share of 40 percent of the Thrift Shop's profit, with the remaining 60 percent disbursed based on volunteer hours.