Travis Airmen improve conditions at elementary school

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Richard Novak
  • 15th Air Mobility Operations Squadron integrations flight chief
TRAVIS AIR FORCE,Calif --  Fifteen Airmen from the 615th Contingency Operations Support Group partnered with Scandia Elementary School to improve school conditions during a service project Feb. 2, as part of the Adopt-a-School Program.

The program links active duty Airmen and base schools to improve the learning environments for our military children. The students benefit from the completion of needed projects the school may not currently have the resources to complete. The students, in return, show their appreciation by corresponding with the units' deployed Airmen.

"The Airmen from the 615th COSG are incredibly hard workers," said Lucy Salerno, Scandia Elementary School principal. "I believe seeing Airmen in uniform working on a school playground shows students the importance of our partnership in education.

These Airmen not only protect our freedom around the world, but also volunteer to take on the additional task of being role models for our children."

The COSG worked with principal Salerno and the school's Parent Partnership Program and identified several projects to improve the school and better serve the students. The first of the projects scheduled included removing soil and grass from the playground perimeter and filling in numerous holes throughout the school's playground area.

"This is a great thing, the group did for the school," said Master Sgt. Christopher Romero, 15th Air Mobility Operations Squadron standard and evaluations flight chief. "I volunteered to help, not only because it was the right thing to do, but because I have a child who attends Scandia. This project improved the appearance of the playground and eliminated numerous tripping hazards from the play area."

The students from Scandia Elementary School are the first to benefit from the relationship between the men and women of the COSG and the Adopt-a-School program demonstrating the base's community spirit.

The other projects discussed were moving the school marquee from the school entrance to a more visible location out by the street, adding dirt to the field behind the playground to level the area/grow grass, and working with Balfort Beatty Community to relocate the school's dumpsters to a more accessible location for both the school and garbage trucks.