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Gov. Martin O'Malley and his cabinet converged on Gaithersburg Thursday during the state's Capital for a Day program.

Gaithersburg is the seventh of eight cities chosen for the series, which is designed to help connect the state government to important issues, needs and programs, O'Malley said during a Town Hall meeting with students from several city schools.

He and his cabinet briefed students, city and county officials on his administration's early efforts. Then the governor, flanked by his cabinet and Mayor Sidney A. Katz, took questions from the 30 students from middle and high school student government associations.

Carla Romo, a GHS senior, asked about Maryland High School Assessment tests. She said 114 of her classmates will not graduate because they have not passed the HSAs.

"On the one hand, we don't want to leave anyone behind or leave them unemployed because they don't have a high school diploma," O'Malley told her. "On the other hand, if that diploma is not really worth anything because of social promotion and lack of force," students aren't helped either, he said.

Ricardo Dunmoodie, also a GHS senior, asked O'Malley how to improve safety on Route 355, a state highway outside the school, crossed by "hundreds of students" every day.

More than 100 state officials – focused on issues from transportation to community services – will meet today with city officials, addressing questions like Dunmoodie's, learning about city programs, meeting with small business leaders and seeing more the city has to offer.

Thursday's schedule also includes a luncheon with biotech executives at Roy's Place in Olde Towne, a tree planting ceremony at the Gaithersburg Concert Pavilion and a visit with small business owners in the city.