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High school students reach across miles to support Iraq education efforts

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Ruth Curfman
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq --  Sometimes it only takes a hug, smile or toy to touch the heart of a child. However, it's even better when an entire school comes together to help children half-way across the world.

That is exactly what the children at Cleburne High School in Cleburne, Texas, decided to do when they initiated a drive to donate school supplies for Iraqi children.

"I was looking for a project for my honors humanity students to give them an opportunity to become better global citizens," said Linda Williams, senior English teacher at CHS. "I met a Vietnam veteran and this meeting inspired me to get my humanities class to write Christmas cards and send them to the troops serving in Iraq."

This part of the school's project was named Thank a Soldier and soon, the entire school wanted to be a part of this project.

"We received about 4,000 cards and some care packages from this school and I felt moved enough to thank them for taking the time to think of us," said Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Nies, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron superintendent, who has since deployed back to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

When the students and faculty at the school started to receive correspondence from people who received the cards and packages, a new idea was developed.

"Our students here were so impressed with the replies that we knew we needed to do more," Ms. Williams said. "As I was talking to Kevin, I started thinking, what could be a more perfect school project than for our students to help out other students?"

In addition, one of the teachers at the school had lost a brother, Army Cpl. Rhett Butler, in Iraq in July. This was another reason the students and faculty were moved to help out whomever and wherever they could.

"My brother was a big supporter of education and I knew that he would be so proud of our staff taking time to send school supplies to the children of Iraq," said Shawna Conway, CHS 10th grade history teacher. "Cleburne is a very patriotic school and this was a way to show that patriotic pride and honor my brother at the same time."

The students and faculty pulled together as a team and collected 34 boxes full of school supplies, weighing more than 600 pounds, to be distributed to Iraqi school children.

"I was able to talk to the Army Soldiers stationed at Logistics Support Agency Anaconda and they agreed to take the supplies out to the children during one of their humanitarian missions," Sergeant Nies said. "Now the students here will have new notebook paper, pencils and everything else they could possibly need to further their education.

"I think this is a really touching event to know that students on the other side of the world are taking time to do this for children they don't know and will probably never meet," Sergeant Nies said. "It is truly a testament to what a great country we live in and how caring the people are."

The appreciation went both ways, from the military to the school and vice versa.

"I want to thank the U.S. military for everything they do," Ms. Conway said. "So many of us take our freedom for granted while these men and women volunteer to serve and protect this country knowing that their lives are on the line. These are the true heroes."