NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew spent some special time with students at Richneck Elementary School on Tuesday morning.
He read "All About Corduroy," a children's book about a beloved toy bear's search for a pocket in a pair of pants at the laundromat.
Over a dozen students in Ms. Mann's first-grade classroom listened intently.
This visit was organized to remind students that they are worthy of great things and that they have a community that believes in them.
"All of you are important," Drew said. "You have value, and you matter."
Drew also said that he saw future leaders among the children: police officers, firefighters, lawyers, doctors and more.
This comes just a little over two months after a 6-year-old student shot his 3rd-grade teacher, Abby Zwerner, on January 6 at Richneck Elementary School.
Chief Drew announced that he had finished his investigative report into the shooting and had turned it over to the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney Office on February 21.
In the aftermath, the community continues to heal, and new security measures, like metal detectors, are being placed in all Newport News Public Schools.
