Kudos to Gov. Bev Perdue for her visit to Surry County on Tuesday.

She was in town to visit the Early College program being housed at Surry Community College for a first-hand look at how the program works, and to see face-to-face who is benefiting from Early College.

Yes, the visit was as much public relations for her as anything. Still, it is good to see the governor in the field, mixing with state residents of all ages, and particularly so here. For years those inhabiting the governor’s mansion in Raleigh have acted as if the Western portion of the state didn’t exist. Hopefully, her visit signifies an elevated level importance for the area, or at least an acknowledgment that state residents do live west of High Point and Charlotte.

What is of more importance is the signal her visit sent. The governor said she wanted to learn more about the Early College program, to see it in action, and she chose Surry County as the place to get at least a portion of that education.

Surry County, along with Mount Airy, have been recognized in a number of ways as two of the strongest school systems in the state. Awards, recognitions and high scores in just about every form of standardized testing and achievement measurements have confirmed this assertion, as much as such measurements can.

The fact that Gov. Perdue, when she wanted to learn about the Early College program, chose Surry County for her fact-finding mission speaks volumes for Surry County Schools and its leadership, and for Surry Community College.