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The trip was part of a statewide sweep of schools that will also take O'Malley (D) to Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Frederick, Howard, Harford and Prince George's counties by the end of the month.

At Walter Johnson O'Malley toured completed gymnasium and classroom renovations and areas still under construction.

Principal Christopher Garran said all construction, including a new entrance and more classroom additions, should be complete by January 2010.

The total cost of the project is $110 million, with $27 million coming from state funding, Garran said.

Wearing a green tie emblematic of Walter Johnson's school colors, O'Malley said education remains a top priority in his administration.

"If we can give them modern classrooms, the students here will know what to do with them," he said during the tour. "There are no more important investments we make than in education and public safety."

For Duane Wilson, the school's Student Government Association president, the visit was an opportunity for the governor to see money in action.

"This gives him a taste of what he actually does," the 17-year-old Gaithersburg resident said. "Gives him a chance to get out there and talk to the people."

Throughout the tour, O'Malley bounced in and out of classrooms, surprising teachers and students alike with a quick "hello" and a smile. Once he made his way to teacher Steve Miller's AP government class, however, the mood turned to politics.

Ninth-graders fired questions at the governor about gun control, the environment and stem-cell research.

O'Malley, with County Executive Isiah Leggett, also took part in a multiple choice quiz. He was asked: "Which philosopher was best known for his theory on separation of powers?" O'Malley answered "C," John Locke; the answer was "D," Montesquieu.