School partners visit JBER to learn more about military kids

Published May 1, 2013
By Army Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith
4/25 ABCT Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaka -- On a clear, sunny morning, a group of Anchorage School District principals, along with their superintendent, boarded buses and embarked on a half-day installation tour of JBER April 25.

JBER's School Partnership Program sponsored the event as a way to connect with Anchorage's education leaders on a personal level. Distinguished military leaders from across the installation participated in the event and personally escorted the educators throughout the tour.

Special guest Sharon Anderson, Alaska's civilian aide to the secretary of the Army, attended the tour as well.

The tour was designed to share insights on what it takes to run an 84,000-acre military installation. Participants got an up-close view of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter and a closer look at the Civil Engineering Group, live combatives training, humvee roll-over training, first aid treatment in a simulated combat environment, and static displays with presentations on various Army platforms.

"We are happy to have a chance to bring our educational experts on the installation to demonstrate a little about what life is like in the military," said Air Force Col. Brian Duffy, commander of JBER and the 673d Air Base Wing.

The educators and administrators expressed value in the tour because of the personal connections with JBER's service members.

"I think it was great for us to see first-hand what our military support people here are doing every day," said Ed Graff, the superintendent of schools for the Anchorage School District. "We come at this with great advocacy for our military, but for us to actually see the individuals in their positions and their fields and making that personal connection, we not only can be advocates, but we can be empathetic to what is happening with the students as well."

The commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Army Col. Matthew McFarlane, said the event helped promote personal relationships between JBER and Anchorage School District leaders.

"Today's event provided JBER leadership an excellent opportunity to interact with key community leaders, those responsible for the JBER families' education," McFarlane said. "The interaction with our Partner School leadership allowed for both JBER and ASD leaders to get to know each other personally and learn some of the unique dynamics of the organizations or institutions that they lead."

Many of the principals said they enjoyed the tour a great deal, to include Gruening Middle School's principal, Bobby Jefts.

"It's been incredible for me," Jefts said. "We have so many of our students who come from military families, and just to be able to be out here really gives me a great appreciation. Just being able to see this is really invaluable for me to go back to school knowing that we have so many kids from the military."

Jefts' favorite event was the computerized Virtual Battlespace 2 and the Dismounted Soldier Training System simulator.

"The simulator that simulated combat battle was my favorite. Just the technology that was involved in that. The virtual simulator was pretty amazing. I just thought that was fascinating."

"This has just been a great half of a day, and I really appreciate the opportunity to come out here and be a part of this," Jefts said.

Helping inform the educators of military children about the military and military life is an important take away from the tour, said Army Maj. Gen. Michael Garrett, the commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska.

"The men and women who are with us today spend more time with our children than many of us do, so it's important for them to have a sense for what the parents of the children they teach and are responsible for do," Garrett said. "Anything that we can do to help educate our community and especially folks like our teachers and administrators, I think is important."

Both groups of ASD educators and administrators reunited at the end of the tour for lunch at the Iditarod Dining Facility on JBER, where they were able to talk about the day's events.

Better understanding the military's people is important to Anchorage's school system, Graff said. He was thankful for the opportunity to tour the installation and meet service members.

"We get to make a personal connection to the armed forces, but we also
get an idea of what is required and what goes into the job they do ... It's not what I think most people would think of about the military," Graff said. "The level of expectation
and rigor for the academics is very apparent. So, it helps me reinforce what we need to do for our students, and how our outcomes are essential for many levels of what happens in our society from the workforce, to our military, to furthering education."
"I am very impressed with the group out here on JBER," Graff said. "They are very good hosts, and I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to give us this opportunity. Our principals are learning a lot. We have a wonderful relationship with the military, and hope to continue that."