Military volunteers provide boost to area schools

Uniforms are a familiar sight at Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy in Colorado Springs School District 11.

Kids at the space- and science- focused school regularly get a boost from military volunteers, who help with everything from special projects to assisting during health checks.

Principal Larry Bartel said the school had a great partnership with a unit at Fort Carson last year, until those soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan. More recently, Peterson Air Force Base personnel have stepped up, volunteering about 250 hours this year, he said.

“They would rather spend a day with us than a day on base,” he said.

Sgt. Anthony Modica, 21st Operations Group, said he and others from the base have launched rockets with students and regularly tutor kids who are struggling with reading and math.

“They made it into a game so the kids really get into it,” he said.

In early April, more than half a dozen volunteers from Peterson Air Force Base helped Swigert with student hearing and vision tests.

It was the first time volunteering for Senior Airman April Herboth, 21st Logistics Readiness Squadron, who said helping at the school is a great way to give back to the community.

Modica said the number of volunteers depends on the assignment for any given day. Mass emails are sent out with specifics, which is how Herboth learned about the opportunity.

“It’s really rewarding,” Modica said. “Hopefully we’re being positive role models.”
Swigert opened in 2009 with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, mathematics and the arts. School officials lauded the partnerships with the community, the Space Foundation and area military units. The combination was aimed at revitalizing a school in a low-income neighborhood.

The military volunteers are not limited to Swigert. Peterson personnel give up their time serving at other schools, including The Vanguard School, Christa McAuliffe Elementary School and Mitchell High School. Many students with ties to Peterson attend Swigert, McAuliffe or Mitchell.

Peterson started a formal adopt-a-school program early last year, said Lisa Ballard, school liaison at Peterson. The idea of forming formal partnerships with area schools was borrowed from the Army. In fact, Fort Carson last week held an adopt-a-school social to encourage more units to get involved with area schools.

“To have positive male and female role models is a great thing,” Bartel said, adding that servicemen and women also help students make connection between what is learned in class and real-world responsibilities and possibilities.

“The kids might see a viable career path,” he said. “If I had had the same exposure my career path would have been different.”

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