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PUEBLO, Colo. - A day in the sun, carnival games and
giant smiles on the faces of elementary school students were
the rewards for the 41 soldiers who volunteered to help
mentor children and run a carnival at Prairie Heights
Elementary School in Pueblo, May 17, 2013.
Soldiers
from Company B, 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Combat
Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, volunteered to help
the faculty run the game booths during the school carnival,
which served as the latest event supported by the battalion
as part of its community outreach program.
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Sgt. Rhyse Lapham, AH-64D Apache
systems repairer, Company B, 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th
Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, gives the signal to
start the tug-of-war competition for the third graders of Prairie
Heights Elementary School in Pueblo, Colo., May 17, 2013. Forty-one
soldiers from 404th ASB volunteered to help PHES faculty members
with their school carnival. (Photo by Sgt. Jonathan C. Thibault, 4th
Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry
Division)
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“Soldiers
managed games such as the shoe rack ring toss, balloon
darts, potato sack race and many more,” said Staff Sgt.
David A. Brocato, maintenance section sergeant, Company B,
404th ASB. “The most popular game was the dunk tank. The
students loved dunking the soldiers.”
Spc. Captoria
Pointer, avionic and survivability equipment repairer,
Company B, 404th ASB, selected the event for the battalion's
community outreach program.
“After going through Army
Community Service, we found an adopt-a-school program,” said
Pointer. “We found Prairie Heights, and after a couple of
visits, I wanted to come every time. The command sends about
13 soldiers to the school to help out every week.”
The battalion has filled many roles at Prairie Heights
Elementary School.
“We have come every Wednesday,
since January,” said Brocato. “We help coach students in
different subjects, mentoring and essentially acting as
teacher's aides. We do whatever the teacher needs us to do.”
The school faculty appreciates the versatility and
roles taken on by the 404th ASB Soldiers.
“The
soldiers mainly help the students during literacy time,”
said Grant Schmidt, principal. “I have told the teachers to
employ the Soldiers as they need them. The soldiers have
been a tremendous help with various activities, such as
computer lab, science lab and physical education.”
The students look forward to the visits, which have improved
morale among the students, Schmidt said.
“The
students are extremely responsive to the soldiers,” said
Schmidt. “Students enjoy wearing the soldiers' hats, eating
lunch with them and playing with them during recess. This
also helps students with parents who are deployed military
members. It gives them a sense of normalcy to have soldiers
around.”
The soldiers' bonds with the students have
grown since the program first started.
“The students
like the soldiers so much, they know us by name,” said
Pointer. “They participate more in class because we are
actively participating, too.”
CAB soldiers believe
this is important for the students and a great experience
for themselves.
“During the time we have been here,
we got to show the students a little about what we do as
soldiers and expose them to the military,” said Brocato. ”I
think it is great that we, as soldiers, get to go out in the
community and make a valuable impact. We are proud to be a
part of this excellent program.”
The soldiers are
allowed to show a different side of themselves when
volunteering at the school.
“We show the students and
their parents that we are not just fighters for our country,
but we can also be mentors, and give back to the community,”
said Pointer.
Although the school year is at its end,
the principal and soldiers hope they can keep volunteering
next school year.
“We absolutely want and hope the
soldiers return next year,” said Schmidt. “I have been a
principal at PHES for a year, and have seen students' school
spirit jump dramatically since the soldiers arrived. The
students' motivation especially escalates on Wednesdays,
because they know the soldiers will be here. We would
definitely like the soldiers to return.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. Jonathan C. Thibault
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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