Jo-Ellen Darcy, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, back row, center, black coat; Col. Michael Brooks, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Alaska District commander, back row, left; and Col. Peter Andrysiak, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Pacific Ocean Division commander, back row, center left, pose for a photo with fourth-graders from Nome Elementary School Sept. 14 on the school's playground in Nome, Alaska. Following the photo, Darcy handed out Every Kid in a Park passes to all of the fourth-grade students at the school. In its second year, Every Kid in a Park is a presidential initiative that provides free passes to fourth-graders and their families to all national parks in the U.S. The purpose of the program is to bridge the growing disconnect between the next generation and the great outdoors, and to inspire children to become future stewards of the nation's natural and historic treasures. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is one of several participating agencies in the program. Darcy was in Alaska to visit U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ project sites in Barrow, Nome and Unalakleet. The tour also included a flyover of Shishmaref and Kivalina.